What should I ask about a counselling practice’s waitlist and intake process?

Have the owner walk you through intake as a real example. Who answers the first call or form? What information is collected, where is it stored, and how is a therapist chosen? Ask how long people tend to wait, and how that has changed. Ask what happens to someone who cannot be seen soon.

Next, look at the waitlist. An anonymized list shows how many people are waiting, which therapists they are waiting for, and how long. A long list for one therapist may signal strong demand, or it may signal that capacity is the limit. Ask why people drop off.

Then check who runs the process. If it lives in the owner’s head, a change of ownership could disrupt it. Written procedures, a trained administrator and a booking system the practice controls are good signs. Your lawyer can advise how the waitlist, which holds personal information, may be shared and transferred. Notice how comfortable the owner is explaining the process. Openness here usually means the system works. Hesitation often means the process depends on workarounds nobody has written down yet. Also ask how urgent cases are handled, because the answer shows whether intake is thoughtful or merely fast.

Key takeaways

• Have the owner trace a real enquiry from first contact to first session.
• Review the waitlist in anonymized form and ask why people drop off.
• Check whether intake runs on documented steps or on the owner’s memory.