From First Appointment to Third Visit: Strategies to Reduce Premature Dropout

Premature dropout remains one of the most pressing and costly challenges in behavioral health today. On average, clients attend just one session with a provider, and only about 1 in 4 ever make it to a third appointment. Many people drop off at intake, while others disengage after assessment and treatment planning — often because the system itself makes it hard to stay engaged, not because they don’t want help.

At the same time, organizations face mounting productivity pressures, documentation requirements and workforce strain that can unintentionally get in the way of building a real connection with clients.

By the end of this webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Understand the client journey from first contact to ongoing care, and recognize the most common reasons people stop coming to treatment.
• Spot the signs that your intake process may be pushing clients away, and identify practical steps your organization can take to keep more people engaged.
• Explain why getting clients back for their second and third appointments is one of the strongest predictors of long-term success.
• Recognize how clinician workload, paperwork demands and the way services are delivered can affect whether clients stay in treatment.
• Apply operational, clinical and technological strategies to build stronger therapeutic relationships, improve client experience and help people stay in care as long as they need it.

Attendees will leave with a practical framework for diagnosing engagement breakdowns within their own systems and actionable steps to reduce premature dropout while supporting both clinical outcomes and organizational sustainability.

Featured Speakers:

• Denny Morrison, Chief Clinical Officer, Eleos
• Scott Lloyd, President and CEO, MTM Services