How to Contact Intake

Maybe you’re thinking about starting therapy and contacting Grace Therapy and Wellness Center. We understand that any intake process can be a little intimidating, especially if it’s your first time seeking out mental health services. Depending on your situation, finding a therapist can sometimes feel like an urgent task. In these cases, it’s important to remember the following tips on how to advocate for yourself throughout the intake process from start to finish.

Here at GTWC, anyone hoping to connect with one of our clinicians can email or call/text the Intake Team at (773) 423-8447. However, the best way to contact us is by filling out a new client request form. 

Provide as much information as you are comfortable sharing

Every client has a unique set of expectations when first beginning therapy. For that reason, it’s important to indicate any preferences or specific needs you might have right from the start. Doing so will also help expedite the process and ensure that you’re connected with a clinician in an efficient and timely manner. 

Be Specific

Getting paired with a therapist can be quite exciting as you near the end of the intake process. However, it’s equally frustrating to have something important to you go unspoken and therefore unaccommodated. Save yourself the disappointment, and don’t be shy when it comes to making your preferences known and setting boundaries.

Take for example, something like scheduling. As someone who helps out with intake from time to time, I’ve seen too many clients delay the start of therapy because their availability wasn’t clearly communicated. Working therapy into your already hectic week shouldn’t be any more difficult than it needs to be. Remember to provide specific days and times (i.e. Monday 3-5pm, Thursday 11-1pm) in which you’re available to meet as well as your preferred location when completing a request form.  

Also, it’s not uncommon for individuals to indicate a specific therapist they wish to work with. In fact, it makes any intake team’s job that much easier!

Fill in the blanks

Most new client request forms contain an optional free response section, and too often they’re left blank. Think of it as an invitation to provide intake with any additional information not covered in the preceding sections. Here, you can state just about anything ranging from your preferred method of contact to specific therapeutic interventions like EDMR.

You might find it helpful to ask yourself the following questions when filling out this section: “What do I need to feel safe?” and “What do I need from my therapist in order to be vulnerable?” It’s no secret that client-therapist differences in race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation can negatively impact the outcome of therapy, especially for those belong minority groups (Drinane et al., 2022). If you feel strongly about working with a therapist who shares the same identities as you, then I encourage you to make those preferences known.

The free response section can also help provide context as to why you are seeking therapy in the first place. Don’t be afraid to mention a sentence or two describing your current situation and what you hope to focus on with your therapist.

At GTWC, once you’ve been paired with a clinician, your therapist will reach out within 24-48 hours to schedule a 15-minute consultation where you’ll have the opportunity to discuss what your work together might look like. As with any meeting, it can’t hurt to go in prepared.

Review the clinician’s bio

Most, if not all, therapists have some sort of short bio providing a brief overview of who they are and their approach to therapy. You’ll want to take a look this before heading into the consultation as it’ll help you identify any clarifying questions you need to ask. Maybe you’ll want to hear more about how their clinical interests align with your therapeutic goals or what they think makes for a good therapeutic relationship.

Most importantly, your therapist’s bio ought to leave you feeling seen and heard. In other words, you should feel confident about their level of competence, skill, and interest in your needs. And who knows, maybe reading your therapist’s bio is enough to tell you that they won’t be a good fit. In any event, you’ll want to let intake know so they can find you a better match.

Trust your gut

Ultimately, the point of a consultation is to see how well you and your therapist “vibe” with one another. Keep in mind that research suggests that the quality of the therapeutic alliance plays a major role in treatment outcome (Del Re et al., 2021). Pay attention to your comfort level during and after the consultation. Are you finding it easy to relate to one another? How likely are you to open up to this individual? Did you end the consultation feeling hopeful and motivated? Last but not least, listen to what your instinct says about the possibility of working together.

References

Del Re, A. C., Flückiger, C., Horvath, A. O., & Wampold, B. E. (2021). Examining therapist effects in the alliance–outcome relationship: A multilevel meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 89(5), 371–378. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000637 (Supplemental)

Drinane, J. M., Roberts, T., Winderman, K., Freeman, V. F., & Wang, Y.-W. (2022). The myth of the safe space: Sexual orientation disparities in therapist effectiveness. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 69(3), 268–275. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000584