In this training segment, Kelly Alhooie provides clinic staff with two scripted approaches for responding when a patient, exemplified by "Sally," calls to cancel remaining appointments because she feels better. Both scripts begin with empathetic praise, then explain the risk of losing progress if treatment stops prematurely. The first script proposes booking 2–4 additional sessions to solidify gains, while the second script uses goal‑oriented questioning to remind the patient of unfinished treatment phases (lengthening, strengthening, return) and the importance of completing them to avoid regression. Kelly also outlines when to involve a physical therapist (PT) or occupational therapist (OT), advising admins to handle the conversation themselves unless they cannot address specific goal details, in which case they should defer to the clinician. The overall message emphasizes maintaining momentum, preventing relapse, and using clear, supportive language to secure a few more sessions.
Chapters
All right, let's go over another objection. Someone calls on— Sally calls on the phone and she says, I'm feeling so much better. I will call you and come back in when I need you, but right now I'm feeling pretty good, so go ahead and cancel the remaining visits that I have on the schedule. So this is what we're going to say. Hey Sally, I'm so, so proud of you, and it's so wonderful that you're doing so well. That's so amazing. Pretty much everyone at this point says a lot of times that this is the point that they're feeling much better and they don't need to continue to come. However, we know that if you stop now, you will lose progress and what you have already made so far. And I know if we do like 2 to 4 more sessions, I know that that's going to make sure that this problem never comes back. So is that okay if we— let's go ahead and book out 2 to 4 more sessions and get you on the books just so we can make sure that we don't digress and keep progressing towards that goal. So that's one way that you can hit it. Another way that you can approach Sally when she's feeling good and she wants to cancel is say this. Hey Sally, yeah, I'm so proud of you. That's so amazing. Pretty much everyone here, when they get to this point, they think it's over. They think that they've, you know, reached the top. Uh, you're not the only one. But let's go back. Remember when you started and you said you wanted to, uh, not have leakage with running? You still want to get to that, correct? Have you gotten there? Then Sally's gonna say, no, I haven't gotten there yet, but pretty much a lot of my symptoms are resolved. Well, remember something. In order for us to get you there and then pull out the method, we have to get you through the lengthening phase, then the return phase, or then the strengthening phase, and then the return phase. We haven't gotten there, but we are so close so this— so that this problem doesn't come back. You're on the strengthening phase, and if we miss these last couple of steps, We will probably have some regression and it's going to take us longer for then for you to complete your goal. I know the pain's gone, uh, when we started 5, 6 weeks ago, but if we don't do this, um, if we don't do the last part of this, it will come back. So we've just got to see this out and complete this plan of care. So, um, let's go ahead and book 2 to 4 more sessions to make sure that we get into the return phase part Part of our method. So we get into the return phase so that we can get you to never have this issue again. Also, if you want me to have the PT or OT to call you and discuss more about this plan of care, I'd be happy to. Just let me know what day and time you are free, and we will go ahead and I will leave a note for them and they can give you a call back. Does that sound okay as well? Yes. Um, personally, I don't like to try to involve the PT or OT unless I really have to. In this case, you may be able to speak on this and you may not. How an admin or a manager can speak on this is because in Jane, if you have the goal written there, you can speak and say, hey Sally, have you reached your goal yet? I know you're feeling a lot better, but if we haven't gotten there, then some kind of Uh, sometimes you're like, the progress is not going to be had, basically. Um, and if you don't know how to very specifically speak to that, then that's when you can call the PT or OT in there. Otherwise, just make it very general and say, um, we're going to, to digress, and we don't want to do that, and we want to keep making progress because we know we've treated thousands of people with this condition, and we have got to get you over this hump. Otherwise, things will come back.
