What is Client Engagement?
Client engagement includes all the efforts clients make towards change, inside and outside of sessions, throughout the course of care.
It involves attendance, participation, application and reflection and completion of care.
Engagement starts from the outset, continues throughout, and is dynamic, changing with circumstances.
Why is Engagement Important?
Engaged clients are more involved, motivated, and more likely to see results.
Engagement is associated with improved satisfaction, symptom reduction, and goal achievement.
Strong engagement benefits both clients and practitioners.
What Influences Engagement?
Engagement is influenced by various factors:
Client characteristics: Demographics, motivation, beliefs, symptom severity, external circumstances.
Therapist characteristics: Warmth, empathy, optimism, experience, flexibility, responsiveness.
Intervention factors: Therapeutic/coaching relationship, content (following the evidence-base), dose, method and quality of the delivery.
How to Strengthen Engagement
Before the First Session:
Offer instant booking and short wait times.
Send a personalized message
Review client information (reason for booking, PHQ-9, GAD-7, work-impact measures).
During the First Session:
Acknowledge: anxiety and ambivalence, and normalise.
Praise for taking the first step and instill hope.
Encourage: questions throughout, family/friend support.
Assess: timing, approach, modality, barriers, dose.
Explain: what to expect through the sessions, confidentiality, your role, their role and how to make the best use of sessions.
Agree: meaningful goals and next steps.
Throughout Care:
Build a supportive and collaborative relationship
Empower the client
Be culturally sensitive and aware
Follow the evidence-base
Personalise sessions
Regularly reflect on progress and goals together
Actively seek and use feedback
Set actionable tasks and take-aways
Practical Considerations:
Discuss and problem-solve potential barriers to engagement
Set consistent session times but be flexible when needed
Remind clients of session limits and cancellation policies
Check-in between sessions (if appropriate)
Use supervision and self-reflection
Managing Late Notice Cancellations, Lateness, and No-Shows
Late Notice Cancellations:
Approach with empathy and respect
Explain the loss of a session credit.
Agree on another time and reiterate the cancellation policy.
Lateness and No-Shows:
Reach out, check in, and encourage rebooking.
Follow up if there's no response.
Reflect on own practice and the previous session
Consecutive Issues:
Do not rebook after three consecutive late cancels or no-shows.
Make use of supervision
Understand the root cause
You can have a read through our Attendance & cancellation policy here.