1. Begin with a warm greeting.
Set a warm tone for the letter with a friendly greeting. Include the provider’s name and title. This personal touch can make the letter more meaningful for the recipient. If you already have an established relationship, a more casual greeting may be appropriate. If it is a newer relationship without much history, it can be advisable to make the greeting more formal without feeling robotic.
Some examples of a friendly greeting include:
- Dear Dr. Smith,
- Hello Amy, I hope this letter finds you well.
- Good afternoon, Dr. Brown,
- Dear Michael, I wanted to take a moment to reach out and thank you.
2. Lead with your expression of gratitude.
After the personalized greeting, highlight your appreciation to the provider. This is the core message of the letter. These letters should be brief, so you should get to the point right away. Be specific about your gratitude for the client referral. You can also acknowledge the time and effort the provider took to connect the client with you.
3. Be mindful of confidentiality.
With this new client who was referred to you, it is essential to uphold their confidentiality. Unless there is a signed release of information (ROI) in place, you cannot acknowledge the name or any identifying information of your new client. This is clearly stated in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Code of Ethics. You can say “thank you for the recent client referral” or something similar. Even if the referring provider can infer which client you are referencing, you still cannot disclose any identifying details.
4. Provide additional helpful information.
This section gives you a chance to briefly tell the other provider anything else that you might like for them to know. This could include, for example, another specialization you have that you want the other provider to be aware of.
5. Make an offer to return the favor.
Offering to add value to the referral source’s business is a great way to build further trust and relationship. You can offer to send referrals or promote their business in some way. A therapist and psychiatrist who provides medication management services, for example, can form a mutually beneficial referral partnership. Even if the other party does not respond or ask for help, simply making the offer is a sign of partnership and good will.
