Motivating Clients: Simple Therapy Incentives

Incentive: “A reward that encourages someone to do something.”

In the field of Behavioural Psychology, this is also referred to as reinforcement, which can either strengthen a behaviour or completely discourage it. Now, who doesn’t love a little push or a reward at the end, right? I’m sure clients would love it!  So, if you’re a therapist who wants to do something a bit different in this field, this blog post is my answer for you. And as a reward for yourself, don’t forget to offer some self-reassurance and treat yourself every now and then!

The below mentioned reward system is something that can be incorporated into different population samples, so feel free to use them, and make therapy a safe place for everyone:

🎁 The Goal Chart 

Have you ever used those fancy to-do lists with the really pretty pictures that sometimes make us push ourselves to do better and complete our tasks (maybe not completely, but somewhat)? Using a similar method, ask your clients to do a little homework.

Have them list their therapy goals into two types: Teeny Tiny goals and Long Ladder goals (short-term and long-term). After that, you and the client can use a template from Canva or Pinterest to list them down too. This way, goal tracking can be more “fun” and much more than just a task. To make it more rewarding, give them some self-affirmations after each task so that it encourages them to do better.

🎁  Candy and Stickers

Candies are something that always work! I still remember that at one of my internship places, there was a tiny bowl of candy placed at the reception. Everyone, both adults and kids, used to smile a little extra when they saw it.

This tip is for all child psychologists and clinicians! Apart from planning fun and effective interventions, whenever a child achieves something in a therapy session, make sure to cheer them on with candy or stickers. This can make therapy fun and engaging for even the tiniest toddlers.

🎁  Token Economy System:

Tokens are so much fun! These could look like little chips (like poker ones), seeds, or paper tokens even. By keeping a jar, bowl, or box aside and filling it up with these tokens every time they complete a task or make progress in their sessions, you can encourage consistent effort.

In return for a set of tokens, they can reward themselves with something that makes them happy, whether it’s a material item or a fun experience. Once that is done, the process can be repeated.

🎁 Verbal acknowledgement and Reassurances 

“You got this,” “I believe in you,” “One day, all of your efforts will add up to something big”...these aren’t just sayings. They genuinely do something to a person when they’re said consistently.

And that alone can act as reinforcement for many out there. So next time, use this superpower of yours…as a therapist, and more importantly, as a human…to its fullest. That reassurance, in itself, can truly motivate your clients to do better.

🎁 Using Creative Arts to Celebrate Wins

During the initial stages of therapy, we as trainee counsellors are often encouraged to make note of a client’s interests and hobbies. And if you’re a professional who already does this, use it to your best advantage. The next time your client achieves a big or small milestone, you can celebrate it… and help them celebrate themselves… by using creative arts of their choice. This could include painting, art-making, singing, expressive dance, among many others.

The most commonly used reinforcement methods that have worked well with clients, based on my experience, are token economies and verbal encouragement.

You can track all these wins, incentives and reinforcements on Zensible, so that appreciation and rewards feel intentional, timely, and meaningfully connected to their therapeutic journey.

I hope these methods feel achievable and attainable for most of you, whether you’re a practising therapist or a therapist-in-training. And with that, I’ll see you all in the next blog post.