Managing Complaints in Private Practice: What to Do When a Client Raises a Concern
Resource - Policy and Email Template
A few weeks ago I wrote about how to respond when a complaint first lands. But since then I’ve been thinking about the next bit the bit therapists often forget until they are already panicking: having an actual complaints procedure in place before you need one. Complaints are one of the parts of private practice that most therapists hope they will never have to deal with.
And yet, if you are in practice for long enough, there is always the possibility that a client, former client, parent, referrer or another professional may raise a concern about the work.
That does not automatically mean you have done something wrong.
It means something has happened that needs to be taken seriously, slowed down, documented and responded to carefully.
As therapists, we meet people at vulnerable, distressed and sometimes highly defended points in their lives. Therapy can bring up disappointment, anger, shame, dependency, misunderstanding and rupture. Sometimes a client has not had the experience they hoped for. Sometimes expectations were unclear. Sometimes endings are painful. Sometimes there has been a genuine mistake or a communication gap. Sometimes the complaint is not straightforward.
Whatever the situation, the way you respond matters.
A complaint can feel threatening, especially when you are working alone in private practice without an NHS service, agency, referral company or manager sitting around you.
There is no MDT to talk it through with.
No complaints department.
No service lead to hold the process.
No one automatically stepping in to help you write the response.
That is why private practitioners need a clear complaints procedure before they need it.
Not because you should expect complaints every week, but because when one lands, your nervous system may not be at its most measured, organised or proportionate.
A good complaints process protects the client, protects you, and protects the integrity of the work.
The first thing to remember
Do not respond in panic.
When a complaint comes in, it can trigger a huge threat response. You might feel defensive, ashamed, angry, frightened, exposed, or desperate to explain yourself.
That is human.
But your first response needs to be calm, brief and boundaried.
You do not need to answer every point immediately.
You do not need to defend your whole practice in the first email.
You do not need to offer a long explanation before you have reviewed your notes, spoken to your supervisor, checked your complaints procedure, and considered whether you need to contact your insurer.
This is the point where some therapists accidentally make things harder for themselves.
Because it’s scary!!!
They over-explain.
They apologise too quickly.
They argue the details.
They send a long emotional reply.
They try to resolve everything in one email.
They forget to document what they have done.
And once something is in writing, it is in writing.
This is where a clear process matters
If you are in private practice, you need to know:
What to say when a complaint first lands
What not to say too early
What to document
When to take it to supervision
When to contact your professional indemnity insurer
How to review your notes
How to respond without becoming defensive
How to signpost to your professional body
How to learn from it without collapsing into shame
This is not just admin.
It is part of practising safely.
And it is one of those areas where therapists often only realise there is a gap when something stressful happens.
For paid subscribers, I have created a practical complaints toolkit you can adapt for your own private practice.
Continue reading and download the practical complaints toolkit, including:
What to do when a complaint first comes in
An initial acknowledgement email template
a private practice complaints procedure template
What to document
When to contact your insurer
How to use supervision
What to include in your complaints policy
How to signpost to BABCP or another professional body
Reflective questions to help you learn from the experience without spiralling into shame