As the new year approaches upon us, I am wondering if the mental health profession for both social workers,mental health counselors,and psychologists can evaluate how we deliver quality customer service to our clients. The medical profession has taken a positive stand in teaching medical students how to provide quality customer service to their patients through one to one interactions in patient-doctor experiential training programs during their third and fourth year of medical school. I don't recall getting similar training when I went to counseling school for masters and post-masters degrees in the 1990's. In fact, I received no training whatsoever on how to provide quality customer service to my clients. I was just told to be "polite and politically correct" when counseling my clients at my internship and clinical training sites by my supervisors.
Furthermore, doctors who belong to certain organizations in their professions can receive continuing education credits for taking webinars and/or attend presentations on how to improve their skills in customer service with their clients.
I call on the National Association of Social Workers; American Counseling Association; American Mental Health Counselor Associations; and Americal Psychologist Association to evaluate whether offering customer service webinar/courses (for credit) would be an investment in training mental health professionals to provide quality customer service to their clients.
As a mental health professional who has been practicing since 1996, some of the biggest complaints I have heard from clients are that some counselors don't call back their clients; don't show up for their appointments with them; and only see their clients for thirty minute sessions and bill their insurance provider for an hour session to get a higher rate of payment.
I look forward to receiving your comments.
Robbin Miller, LMHC
Facilitator
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