Is it a good idea to offer a free therapy session?

One of the best-known persuasion techniques in the world of marketing This is what is known as “foot in the door”. The rationale for this way of interacting with potential customers is simple: you are offered a very good deal at first, one in which clearly be favored, to gain your trust and make you invest a minimum of time and effort in testing our product and service.

Then, once this potential first barrier is broken, you are offered the standard service, the one you really wanted to be presented with from the beginning.

As a way to persuade, this technique is useful, but there are always exceptions. Every industry is different, and there are many other variables that affect how customers and consumers perceive us. In the case of psychology, for example, there are several compelling reasons to be against the first free consultations for patients who are starting.

• Related article: "The 10 most effective persuasion techniques"

4 reasons why not offer a free first therapy session

This is a brief review of the reasons why it is better to avoid offering a free first psychotherapy session. Not all of them have to do with the most advertising and persuasive facet of marketing; some are related to the very nature of the service being offered.

1. It generates little commitment in the patients

If we really want the first therapy to be really part of the service that will help the patient, and not a simple appendage of an advertising device, everything possible must be done so that those who attend the consultation feel commit. Unlike other types of services, in which the client can adopt a passive role, In psychotherapy, the professional continues to be a facilitator of change, and requires involvement and effort on the part of the patients.

Thus, it is negative that the only active action carried out by the patient is to assess the service that we are offering in a purchase decision context. This context is based on the idea that there are conflicting interests that may or may not fit together, while a much higher level of commitment would be desirable.

• You may be interested in: "How should the relationship between psychologist and patient be?

2. Generates added resistances

This point is derived from the previous one, and has to do with the fact that the client is not limited to constantly assessing what what is happening on the first query as if it were specifically a context in which to decide whether to buy or not buys; besides, take into account what the patient thinks the therapist thinks. And in such a situation, it is very likely that you believe that the psychologist is more concerned with selling than with really serving you.

This is an added barrier that you don't have to deal with as much if the first session has to be paid for, and possibly in In many cases, it completely cancels out the advantage that giving the test for free would have given in the face of the initial reluctance of potential customers.

3. Gives a wrong idea of ​​the effectiveness of the sessions

The first free therapy session goes against the logic that seeks to strengthen the therapeutic bond between patient and therapist. Not only does it focus on the fact that the patient must be constantly evaluating and in real time (during the session) whether to go ahead or decide that it is not worth it, but also promotes the idea that this session is seen as a unit, and not as the first part of a change process.

If we put emphasis on this second way of seeing the services of psychologists, we would have a vision closer to reality of what is therapy: a service in which the added value appears not in the sessions seen as something individual, but in the transitions that go from one to others. In addition, the first day is usually not enough for patients to change for the better and in a sustained manner; it is a preparation for what is to come.

4. opportunity cost

As free as it is, it is clear that the first session of psychotherapy always costs something. Specifically it costs time. This is something that many professionals do not think about, assuming that no matter how much work they have, they will achieve everything, but in practice, this means that they lose the opportunity of both be attracting customers who are really interested in the service, like offering a very professional service without having to deal with the wear and tear caused by overwork.

To do?

It is true that we do not have to totally reject the basic idea that operates behind the customer acquisition technique based on giving free first sessions. Some extra time can be spent communicating with someone who has not committed to pay, but it is advisable to do it in a context that is defined as something different from the therapy itself.

For this reason, small initial consultancies can be offered, or short meetings in which to express doubts and clarify key aspects of what is offered, if Far more important than the time invested in them is the fact of not "selling" this as a fundamental part of the service that is actually offered. It's a way of getting around the drawbacks we've seen and going straight to the heart of the matter: having all the necessary information, does that person think it will benefit them to start psychological therapy with us?