Please Hang Up and Dial 911

Most of the therapists I know have some version of this language on their voicemail “If this is a client experiencing a medical emergency, please hang up and dial 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.” I’ve often wondered about whether I really needed this verbiage it on my voicemail; I understood that it was for legal reasons, but I thought it sounded strange.

I decided to call CAMFT and ask them if this greeting was required for LMFTs. Access to the lawyers at CAMFT is one of the many benefits of membership. My call was answered in about 15 minutes, which gave me the opportunity to fold some laundry while I waited. I spoke with Bradley Jordan Muldrow, one of the recently hired staff attorneys, and I asked him if I needed to maintain this greeting on my voicemail.

Bradley advised me to retain the greeting, he explained that it serves as an important reminder to my clients that I’m not available 24/7, and if a client was calling at 2:00 AM, my message would inform them of their options in a true emergency. He said that the combination of the greeting and language in my informed consent document helps to protect me from potential liability; of course, I chose to retain the language in my greeting.

I took the opportunity to ask another question. When I was an intern, my supervisor would cover my practice when I was on vacation and vice versa. I wanted to know if I needed to have another clinician cover for me when I was out. Bradley explained that I was not responsible for covering my practice during my vacations; all I need to do is create a vacation greeting that includes the same emergency language as my regular greeting.

It’s important that we maintain clear boundaries with our clients and that we can be flexible when it’s clinically appropriate. I encourage my clients to contact me if they are experiencing a non-life-threatening crisis, but I limit these calls to approximately ten minutes. If someone needs more time, I’ll suggest we schedule a session. I’ve only had a few clients who called frequently between sessions and when that happened, I offered them a second weekly session. Of course, your policies may be different based on the types of clients you see and your personal preferences. Now might be a good time to review your voicemail greeting and see if it’s up to date.

Maria Gray, LMFT, NMP, CGP, is a psychotherapist in private practice in Century City, where she specializes in trauma and addictions. Maria is committed to supporting therapists who want to charge what they are worth, and she offers individual business consultation and live, online courses. To learn more, go to www.mariagray.net.