How to Handle a Client Who Isn’t On Board

Every now and then, someone books an appointment for a loved one—who then walks through my door clearly not wanting to be there. And let me tell you, a resistant client can lock up their body so tight, no amount of skill is getting through until they decide to engage in their own healing process.

I’ve learned that forcing it never works. Instead, I back way off, meet them where they are, and look for ways to help them reconnect with their own body—sometimes it’s a conversation, sometimes it’s a shift in approach, and sometimes… well, they just aren’t ready. Or maybe I just lack the skills.

What about you? Have you ever worked with someone who just wasn’t on board? How did you handle it?

Avoiding the Stubborn Client Struggle

Over time, I’ve found a simple way to prevent this before it even starts:

When someone wants to book an appointment for their spouse, I always say, “I’d be happy to schedule them! Just have them text me to confirm.”

Once they reach out, I send all the appointment details—what to wear, how to get inside, what to bring, my rates—and I always end with: “I look forward to working with you to increase your health!”

That one small step makes a huge difference. When they take the time to confirm, they’ve already agreed to engage at least a little—which means we can actually get somewhere in the session.

Every once in a while, the person who is trying to schedule for their spouse balks at my tactics, and pressures me to go ahead and schedule their spouse without compliance. He’s just so busy, they say, he doesn’t have time to schedule his own appointments, or something of the sort.

People are pretty smart, though, so I trust them with the information about why I require the spouse to reach out to confirm the appointment, and almost always they get on board, the spouse confirms the appointment, and we’re off to the races, letting the healing begin!