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Clinician Transfer Requests

Sharing your feelings and experiences with a mental health professional can be difficult and misunderstandings are not uncommon. Usually those misunderstandings are opportunities for discussion and growth. In exceptional circumstances, there may be cases where it is appropriate and valid to transfer to a different clinician.

We take these situations seriously and take appropriate measures to resolve them.

Requests for transfer may have an impact on our ability to serve you and your fellow students by increasing wait times and reducing the number of students we can serve. Please take a few moments to learn more about transfers and therapy before deciding your next steps.

The therapeutic relationship with your clinician can be complex and isn’t like other social relationships. Challenging your views and beliefs — which might be considered rude or judgmental in other social contexts — is a normal part of therapy.

There can be moments in therapy where you may feel like things aren’t working well with your clinician. For example, you might feel misunderstood or like you’re not “clicking.”

Your clinician is ready and willing to talk about these issues. And the research shows therapy is even more beneficial when you encounter a misunderstanding and then repair it.


Why are you considering transferring from your clinician?

It's not a good fit personality-wise/We don't click.

It's not uncommon for issues of fit to come up in treatment and an important part of making therapy work is having this discussion with your clinician. 

Recommended Next Step: Schedule a follow-up appointment with your clinician to talk about this. 

I don't feel like I'm progressing.

One of the most important parts of benefiting from therapy is to have honest discussions about how you may, or may not, be progressing in therapy. Clinicians recognize that change can be challenging and they're ready and happy to discuss ways of adapting your wellness plan to help you start feeling better. 

Recommended next step: Talk to your clinician about how you feel like you're not progressing. That way, the two of you can adjust your wellness plan so you can get more out of it.

I don't like my clinician's approach/I want to see a clinician that works from a specific approach.

An important part of therapy is talking to your clinician about their treatment approach and the rationale behind it. Due to the high demand for services and our limited resources, we are unable to match students to a specific treatment approach.

Recommended next step: It is best to talk to your clinician about community referrals or to consult with the Order of Psychologists' therapists directly.

I had an upsetting experience with my clinician.

We're sorry to hear that and we take your feedback seriously.

If you have the capacity and willingness to do so, we would appreciate a brief summary of the details of this experience through our Transfer Request Form so that we can take appropriate action to ensure that everyone has a positive experience. In some cases, we may speak with your clinician to get additional information. 

Next step: Your request for transfer will be reviewed and Student Wellness Hub leadership will get back in touch with you. Please note that there may be a wait time during this process. If you wish to speak to someone sooner, consider peer support or online resources

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