Best practices dictate that we coordinate care with other mental health care professionals for the benefit of our client. But how do you do this? In these posts, I will provide both suggestions and warnings.
You may be seeing an individual, and refer them to another therapist for some couples work. In this case, there are both individual issues to work on, as well as some couples’ issues. Two different professionals, one person. The client gets the best of both worlds.
Or do they?
If the professionals aren’t coordinating with each other the client can be harmed. For example, if the individual therapist is working with the client to increase “me time,” and simultaneously the couples therapist is working to get that same client to take on his/her fair share of domestic duties, there can be a conflict. Another example is the individual therapist working on fostering independence while the couples therapist works on increasing emotional intimacy. You can see why the client can get confused.
This is why it’s important to coordinate treatment.
How do you do that? First, of course, you obtain a release of information from the client to communicate with the other therapist. If you are the couples therapist, then I suggest getting a release from both partners, since you may need to discuss the spouse as well. Then, you contact the other therapist, telling them who the client is and that you have a release. (Unless your form specifies exchange of information, the other therapist will need to have their own release form signed before they speak to you.)
What happens next can be a comedy of errors as two different professionals who work by appointment try to talk to each other. To help shorten the inevitable phone tag, when you call the other therapist give them dates and times that you are available to talk, and then make sure you answer the phone when they call.
Once you connect, share only those details about the case that may be relevant for the other therapist. For example, if you are the individual therapist, then share your impressions about the client that could affect their relationship. More specifically, if the client is depressed, then you can discuss the symptoms of the depression that could impact the client’s relationship. If you are the couples therapist, then share any information that relates to an individual issue, such as the client’s constant focus on the negatives of the relationship.
In my next post, I will provide some warnings.
Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,
Dr. Barbara LoFrisco
