In 2015, I was taking a leave from my practice due to my pregnancy. I saw clients in my office Tuesday through Friday, first appointment available at 10am and last appointment available at 5pm. I happened to be mostly belly and that belly was growing FAST! Due to this fact, I started thinking early on of how I needed to talk with clients about my leave and what I could provide so that they had a written plan of action. I gave my clients about 4 months notice because my changing body structure couldn’t be ignored. Depending on why you will need to take leave, 2 months notice is probably appropriate. This allows clients, especially those who do not see you weekly, to process the absence and decide how they would like to handle it.
Some emergencies won’t allow you to give that type of notice! So what can you do? Have an emergency plan in place now. Have a plan that outlines how clients will be notified and who is the emergency contact in your absence. You can put this emergency plan in a folder and file it away. Let at least one other person know of this plan, in the event you are not able to access it during an emergency.
The following letter is a similar version of the letter I composed to notify clients of my upcoming leave.
Dear Client,
I am pregnant and expecting our new family addition to arrive [state approximate arrival]. Depending on the day, my expanding stomach is hard to miss! I plan to take maternity leave [date you will be leaving] and will return to the office and my clients [date of your return]. If any situation arises that changes these dates, you will be notified asap.
I wanted to make sure that you had several ways to continue your counseling care, during my time out of the office. The following options will be available to my clients:
- In anticipation of my leave, I brought on board two great new licensed clinicians who will be available to see clients in the office, including my clients, their names are [Name of the clinician available to cover you].**I will have very limited times where I will be able to be reached by phone. In those cases of emergency, the office manager can schedule for you to speak with me by phone. Otherwise, please schedule with the clinicians above or contact your nearest emergency room for support.
- If you are using insurance and your plan covers telephone sessions, you can schedule a session via phone with me.
- If you are not able to use insurance or choose not to, you have the option of a 30 minute or full 55 minute session by telephone. This is a self pay option.
If none of the above options work for you and you desire to be seen at a new practice, I will be sorry to see you leave but I respect that you must do what is in the best interest of your mental and emotional wellness. I will work with any new provider to make sure your transition is as smooth as possible.
Please let me know if you have any particular concerns or questions about my maternity leave. I look forward to working with you up until my maternity leave and again upon my return!
Sincerely,
Camille McDaniel, LPC
Director/Licensed Therapist