Why we don't phone people to book therapy (but are happy to be phoned)

Occasionally we receive requests from organisations to call a team member and encourage or support them to book a session with one of Clearhead’s therapists. Sometimes, the employee has acknowledged that therapy might help but has not yet contacted Clearhead to make an appointment. At other times, the person’s manager can see the benefit and would like assistance to convince their team member that talking to a therapist will help. 

Asking for help with our mental wellbeing can be difficult, and booking therapy takes courage. It takes time to make the decision, or once the decision is made, to take the final step of making a call. But, in our experience when a person is ready, they will reach out. 

The reasons we don’t call people to book therapy include: 

• It is important that people are empowered to choose for themselves. This is most likely to lead to a helpful outcome and positive experience.  
• There is a risk of calling at an inappropriate time, or inappropriate setting, for someone to discuss their mental health. Talking about therapy can be intimidating and can bring up the reasons why they are struggling, at a time when they aren’t best placed to discuss this.  
• It takes us a lot of time and effort to follow up with someone, especially if they are not yet motivated for therapy. Often they will not follow through if we are able to contact them. 
• If a person experiences this process negatively, it may decrease the likelihood that they will seek therapy or engage with Clearhead in the future, isolating them from important wellbeing support. 

The most important thing that you can do is normalise everyday conversations about mental health and help-seeking, respond with empathy and compassion if an employee is struggling with their mental wellbeing, and encourage them to make an appointment via the platform or calling us when they are ready.