When is it Time to Make a Referral?

The Importance of a Team

Anyone who watches sports knows that it is not one player that wins the game, it is the team. Yes, there are MVPs (Most Valuable Players) but the game wouldn’t be the same without a goalie… without defense… without a coach. This is a good principle to bring into mentoring and professional supervision. We are not competent in every area. We all have our strengths and our weaknesses, our own set of skills and our own experiences to draw from. Even the best mentor or supervisor has limitations. 

When I was going through burnout, I had a full team of people helping me. My friends, family and coworkers noticed the symptoms, my GP diagnosed me, and a psychologist confirmed the diagnosis. When recovering, I had work cover, my GP, physiotherapist, exercise physiologist, pastors and mentors, besides many others. My point is that no one said, ‘This one’s mine!’ and tried to help me through every aspect of my problem. My doctor didn’t try to psychoanalyse me and my pastor never prescribed me medication. They knew they were all a smaller part in bringing me to full health. 

Understanding When to Make a Referral

As mentors/supervisors, we should know our boundaries. There may come a time when a client needs more from us than we can offer and we need to make a referral. There are times where making a referral is no big deal; for example, when a problem is persisting in a client’s life that is clearly physical (for example, insomnia). We can offer some advice, but ultimately it’s easy to see that this is an issue that should be taken to a medical doctor. This doesn’t mean the client stops their sessions with us, just that they are seeking another member to join their well-being team. Likewise, if a client has financial or legal issues, are you licensed to advise the client on what to do? We recommend that they seek a professional in those fields. 

It is more difficult to recognise the need for a referral when a client’s issues are straddling the boundaries. How do you know when to refer them to a different mentor or supervisor? 

• Lack of improvement. If you have been working with a client for months and see either a decline in health or that they are stagnant, the first step is to make sure you are truly addressing the root causes. What else might they need? Why are they in a rut? However, if even after adjusting your sessions to try to reach the crux of their problem, the client is not improving, it may mean they are unwilling to put in the work and aren’t serious about your sessions, or you are out of your depth. There can be many reasons behind a client’s lack of improvement. Still, if you find that you are taking their money and not helping them, have the integrity to refer them to a different mentor/supervisor who can provide them with a different approach. 

• They need a specialist. People and their pasts are complicated and can be incredibly difficult to navigate. There are many issues that I can help my clients through. However, there may be some traumas that I am not equipped to handle. For example, if someone has dealt with severe childhood abuse, I can offer some help about how to handle some symptoms they might be experiencing, like trusting others. Additionally, they would also benefit from seeing a specialist. 

You should also know the professional you are referring your client to. It would be a useless and lateral move to send them to another mentor or supervisor with the same skills, temperament, experience and competencies as yourself. You should refer them to a professional who can meet the needs that you are not able to meet. 

Reflection Questions: 

• What am I providing for my client? 
• What are my client’s needs right now? 
• Am I meeting their needs?
• Have their needs changed at all since I began working with them? 
• Who could meet the needs that are not being met? 

What’s Next: Consider the Christian Leader Mentor assessment to assist you in identifying areas for your professional development. https://vervelead.com/tools/#mentorq