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Email templates · Mental health clinic

Email template to ask a therapist about availability and sliding-scale fees

You want to start therapy and you have found a therapist or clinic that looks like a fit. Two things decide whether it will work: whether they are taking new clients, and whether you can afford it. Many therapists offer a sliding scale, meaning a reduced per-session fee based on your income, but they rarely advertise the details and the reduced slots are limited. Directory listings are often out of date about both. A short email lets you ask both questions at once without an awkward phone call, gives the therapist time to check their calendar, and gets you an answer in writing. You can send the same note to several therapists and take whoever has room.

Before you send

  • What you are hoping to work on, in a sentence. You do not need to share details; a general topic helps the therapist say whether it is in their area.
  • The days and times you can actually attend, and whether you want in-person, video, or either.
  • The most you can pay per session. If you are asking for a sliding scale, be ready to say roughly what you can afford; some therapists ask about income.
  • Whether you plan to use insurance or pay yourself. Sliding scales usually apply only to self-pay.
  • A list of three or four therapists to contact, since the first one may be full.
Subject New client inquiry: availability and fees 
Hi [therapist name or clinic name],

I'm looking for a therapist and found your [profile / practice] through [where you found them]. I'm hoping to work on [general topic, for example anxiety, grief, or a recent life change], and your approach looked like a good fit.

Could you let me know:

- Whether you are currently taking new clients, and if so how soon a first session could be
- Your standard fee per session and how long a session runs
- Whether you offer a sliding scale, and what range it covers

I'd be paying [myself / through my insurance plan name], and I can attend [days and times] [in person / by video / either]. My budget is around [amount] per session. If that is outside your range, I'd appreciate a referral to a colleague who might be a fit.

Thank you for your time,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • Therapists often reply within a few days, sometimes a week, since many answer email between sessions. A short "I'm full but here are two names" is a good outcome; follow those leads.
  • If the reply offers a brief phone consultation, take it. Most are free and it is the fastest way to know if the fit is right.
  • If the fee is above your budget and no sliding scale is offered, ask about the clinic's intern or associate therapists, who are supervised and usually charge less.
  • No reply after a week or so usually means the therapist is not taking clients. Move to the next name rather than sending a second note.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Find me a therapist with openings I can afford 
Hi StandIn,

Please contact therapists for me and find one who has openings and a fee I can manage.

What I want to work on: [general topic].
Format and schedule: [in person / video / either, plus days and times].
Budget: [most I can pay per session, and whether I need a sliding scale].
Insurance or self-pay: [plan name, or self-pay].
Therapists to start with: [names or links, or find some near my zip code].

Ask each about availability, fee, and sliding scale, follow up with anyone who does not answer within a week, and bring me a short list with who has room and what each charges.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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