Barbara Jordan

During my first several years as a co-occurring disorder therapist, I paid little attention to clinical supervision. Oh, don't get me wrong. I sought supervision on a regular basis. I showed up to clinical staffings with a tower of charts in hand. I asked questions, sought advice, and received feedback gracefully. However, at some level, I took it for granted. I didn't value clinical supervision nearly as much as I do now. Of course, I value it now because I am a counselor educator and clinical supervisor myself.

Last week, I wrote a blog containing several suggestions to improve client retention. This week, I thought I'd put the horse after the cart by talking about why we should be concerned about retention in the first place. First of all, improving retention decreases paperwork. And, we all love to reduce the paperwork in our jobs, right? Secondly, enhanced retention decreases the need for finding new clients. If you're anything like me, you 're not good at marketing and sales, or perhaps, you're too shy, embarassed, or humble to do much of it. Third, higher client retention increases job satisfaction, income (if you're in private practice), and job security. Research suggests that the longer clients stay in treatment, the more likely they are to be successful. Therefore, client retention helps clients recover. Finally, improved retention of clients increases confidence the public has in treatment.

One of the main things I teach my students in my Professional Readiness and Ethics classes is the concept of client retention. Here are some points that I feel are critical: • Admit clients when they are in crisis. Job loss, eviction, arrest, domestic dispute, illness, injury, financial trouble, and other crises tend to motivate clients to enter and stay in treatment. • Develop referral sources that have contact with clients in crisis—employers, police, lawyers, probation officers, social services, domestic violence shelters, mental health centers, medical clinics, and churches.

As you may know, coaching is emerging as another way of helping people with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). But, what exactly is this "coaching"? Generally, ADD coaching involves a collaborative relationship that is very goal-driven, structured, and focused on helping the client create practical strategies to accomplish specific goals. Highly individualized, the relationship focuses on the unique needs of the particular client and addresses many areas of life: work, exercise, nutrition, stress/time management, relationships, social activities, recreation, finances, sleep, etc.

It’s kind of funny that I spoke to members of the Wisconsin Counselors Association last week about social media marketing. And, now I’m writing a blog regarding it? Me, teaching other counseling professionals how to use Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Wordpress to share their expertise? Wow. Over a year ago, I was clueless! I knew very little and did even less to position myself as an expert online. Well, that is slowly changing. I think I’m doing all of this so that I can learn what I desperately need to learn. And, what better way to learn than by teaching others?