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The best way for people to request biblical counseling

There are five primary ways that people request counseling and complete pre-counseling forms like your intake form, personal data inventory (PDI), care request form, etc. Here are the pros and cons of each method:
 

Email

While email is a quick method of communication that most people know how to use, most of the time, email is not confidential. If a counselee tells you their problem and/or sends you their completed pre-counseling forms (like a PDI) through email, your counselee will come face-to-face with the confidentiality concerns listed in this article.

Your Website (Recommended)

You could have people request care and fill out your pre-counseling forms via your website. The trouble is, you may be using a website like WordPress (the most hacked platform in the world) or a similar platform. Unless you know for certain that your ministry’s website is built upon a secure platform, it’s best to avoid counselees filling out any private information through your website.

How then can you have counselees request counseling through your website (even a WordPress site) without compromising their confidentiality?

Provide a phone number to call.

• Pros: During ministry hours, there’s an instant personal connection with potential counselees, you can discuss the problem over the phone and pray with them, and it’s easy to schedule an appointment immediately (that is, if you don’t want people to fill out pre-counseling forms before they’re seen for the first time).
• Cons: This method can be labor intensive, depending on how many people are requesting counseling. The administrator must ensure that each counselee’s call is returned, when possible. If you miss a call (and the counselee didn’t leave their number or a voicemail), the caller’s need will slip through the cracks unless they call again.

Provide a link to a separate, secure platform (i.e. BibliCare).

• How would you do it? You could put a link on your ministry’s website (or email new counselees a link) saying, “Please click here to request care.” This link would take the counselee to your Client Portal. From there, the counselee could securely record their contact information, complete your pre-counseling forms, and state the reason that they’re requesting counseling.
• Pros: Counselees can request counseling whenever they need to, counselees can fill out all your pre-counseling forms in advance, all counselee records are stored in one secure place, all counselee records are automagically organized, and you don’t have to copy and paste any counselee records. In addition, counselees are far less likely to slip through the cracks.
• Cons: Requesting counseling online isn’t as personal as a phone call, but you can add a personal connection by calling the counselee as soon as you receive their counseling request, or at whatever time is most convenient for your team.

If you have any questions about how to have people request counseling online, click here to schedule a call with us. 

In-Person

• Pros: Having a counselee turn in a printed or handwritten copy of their pre-counseling forms can be helpful if a trusted secretary is always at their desk, ready to file away private documents. You’d have to avoid having a situation where the counselee leaves their pre-counseling forms on the secretary’s desk, where anyone walking by could see them (or worse, take them!).
• Cons: While handing in session notes in-person may be helpful for those who are tech-shy, it can be cumbersome for counselors who must drive over to unlock a filing cabinet and read through their pre-counseling forms.

Through Pigeons

• This is the most inconvenient way to send and receive pre-counseling forms, as the forms have to be lightweight enough for the pigeon to carry (lengthy PDIs will have to be reduced to small, illegible print). The forms may also be intercepted by bird watchers.

Through Mail

• What are the odds that someone would open an envelope addressed to your church’s office? Fairly low, since that would be a felony. However, it may take a while for the forms to reach your office, and time (for some cases) is of the essence. And again, it may be troublesome for counselors to drive over to a locked filing cabinet only to pick up their pre-counseling forms.