Managing Seasonal Slow-Downs

seasonal trends in pediatric referrals tips and strategies to minimize the impact on your practice as an experienced pediatric private practitioner, you are likely aware that certain times of the year, such as fall, tend to result in a higher volume of pediatric referrals, while other periods, such as the summer months and holidays, may lead to a decrease in requests during the fall, children are returning to school, which can create stress and anxiety for both students and their families issues that surfaced over the summer may become more visible as school starts and parents begin seeking support for challenging behaviors and emotions leading to an increased need for counseling services on the other hand, during the summer months and holidays, families may be more focused on camps, vacations and spending time together, resulting in a reduced demand for counseling services additionally, custody arrangements of children from divorced or separated families may require that children spend prolonged periods of time with another parent for visitation during these breaks this can create geographical barriers that make accessing therapy more difficult, particularly if the child is temporarily residing in another state with the potential for a summer (or holiday) slowdown on the horizon, there are proactive steps you can take now to mitigate the impact on your practice focus on patient retention by securing several appointments in advance while it's important to attract new patients, it's equally important to focus on patient retention develop strategies to keep current clients engaged and satisfied with your services, which can lead to positive word of mouth referrals as a pediatric counselor, many families will look to you for your expert guidance on whether to continue sessions over the summer, decrease their frequency or pause them with their child while spending time together and engaging in recreational activities are important, a lot of children may still benefit from regular therapy sessions over the summer to maintain their progress and continue moving forward in their treatment parents may not realize the importance of maintaining continuity without you bringing up the topic and sharing your recommendations with new and current clients, take time before summer and the holidays to initiate this discussion with families and proactively manage your schedule here’s an example of what you could say to a parent/caregiver "as we look ahead to the summer months, i would like to discuss scheduling with you given that both of us may have some time off and johnny may have some summer plans, i think it would be beneficial to schedule regular check ins (or “booster” sessions) every other week (or once a month, etc ) to ensure that johnny continues to make progress in therapy and to address any new parenting challenges that may arise what are your thoughts on this? (pausing for feedback) it would be helpful for us to schedule the next 4 sessions in advance to ensure that i have availability if something comes up, just let me know at least 24 hours in advance so we can reschedule let's take a look at our calendars and book these appointments together ” increase your online visibility to attract new clients our provider resource center offers a complete guide to growing your private practice, including an article titled "online therapist directories for growing your private practice what hopscotch providers need to know " it provides valuable information to assist you in optimizing your online presence, reaching a broader audience, and leading them back to your hopscotch profile sign up for free directories and link your hopscotch profile! reactivate your profile now if it is turned off to accepting new clients to initiate the intake process with prospective clients and maintain a consistent caseload over the summer even if your caseload is full, some of your existing clients may be taking a break during the summer and bringing on new clients can help balance your caseload don't miss out on potential new clients by waiting too long to reactivate your profile open up your availability to see adults we routinely receive requests for appointments for adult clients as a result of our eap contracts hopscotch will remain a pediatric focused behavioral health provider, and will market ourselves externally as such, but we know that some of you have the skills, training and experience to serve adults and would like to diversify your caseload just as we do for your child clients, we will take care of the insurance billing and administration for these adult clients please use this link to be connected with our survey so that we can better understand your interests and expertise as we receive these requests https //joinhopscotch us17 list manage com/track/click?u=9bf6f0ca627f985894bb9bbb2\&id=577442314d\&e=0550b497fb please also complete this additional survey to let us know if you would like to be scheduled with eap clients if you have not already done so https //form jotform com/230664448505155 schedule time with hopscotch for 1 1 growth strategy sessions if you’re wanting to increase your caseload let’s meet and figure out a plan together to help you reach your private practice goals! https //calendly com/michelle rigg/30min build relationships with referral sources stay in touch with referral sources such as pediatricians, schools, and mental health providers to stay informed about seasonal trends and to be top of mind when they are making referrals part 3 of our "growing your private practice" program has ideas for networking expand your services consider expanding your services to include new treatment options or areas of expertise that may appeal to potential patients and referral sources this might be a great time to consider investing in additional training or a certification to increase your competency in other areas you are interested in, such as dbt, eating disorders, ocd, etc attend community events participate in community events, such as health fairs and school fairs, to help promote your practice and connect with potential patients and referral sources