Practice management
Script for Addressing Chronic Client Lateness
Offers clear and professional language for addressing the impact of a client's lateness on the.
When a client is consistently late, the pattern itself can become clinically significant, yet addressing it often feels more like a logistical reprimand than a therapeutic intervention. The risk is that raising the issue will make the client feel criticized or defensive, closing off an opportunity for insight.
This script provides language that frames the conversation around the work itself, not the client’s behavior as a personal failing. It protects the therapeutic relationship by focusing on the shared goal: making the most of the time you have. The client walks away with a clearer sense of the session’s structure as a resource for their own benefit.
Script for Addressing Chronic Client Lateness
The following is a script to read in our session.
“You have been arriving late for our scheduled appointments.
Our sessions are from [Start Time] to [End Time]. This time is reserved for you. We will end on time at [End Time] regardless of when you arrive.
Today, you arrived at [Time of Arrival], which leaves us with [Remaining Minutes] minutes instead of the full [Total Session Minutes].
Let’s use our remaining time to look at this pattern.
What happens for you in the time leading up to your appointment?
What might the lateness itself be about?”
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