Fear, Shame & Stigma Objections

Addiction is deeply stigmatized. ~155 objections in our data.

Recognition Signals

"I don't want anyone to know"
"Would anyone find out?"
"I'm really worried about the facility being like a psychiatric hospital"
"What will people think?"
"I'm scared"
"I don't want to be locked up"

Understanding the Fear

Callers fear:

Judgment - Being seen as weak or flawed
Exposure - Others finding out
Loss of identity - "I'm not an addict"
Failure - What if it doesn't work?
The unknown - What actually happens in treatment?

Primary Response Scripts

Privacy Concerns

"I hear you. Privacy is a big concern for a lot of people. We're bound by HIPAA and federal confidentiality laws. Nobody finds out you're here unless you tell them."

Fear of the Unknown

"It's not like what you see in movies. It's a medical facility—comfortable rooms, good food, clinical staff. You're not locked in. You can leave if you want. Most people are surprised at how... normal it is."

Stigma Around Identity

"A lot of people I talk to feel the same way. Here's how I think about it: getting help isn't a sign of weakness—it's the opposite. It takes courage to make this call. The people who never ask for help are the ones who stay stuck."

Fear of Failure

"What if it doesn't work? That's a fair question. Here's what I know: the people who try have a chance. The people who don't try have zero chance. And if it takes more than one try, that's normal too. Most people's recovery isn't linear."

Normalizing Help-Seeking

"You'd go to a doctor for a broken leg, right? This is the same thing—it's a medical condition that needs medical treatment. There's no shame in that."

By Caller Type

For Self-Callers

Validate their courage in calling
Normalize the fear—everyone feels it
Focus on confidentiality and what to expect
Reframe treatment as strength, not weakness

For Loved Ones

Help them understand why the person is scared
Equip them to address fears in their conversation
Provide specific information they can share

What to AVOID

Dismissing fears ("You're overthinking this")
Pressuring ("You just need to do it")
Minimizing stigma ("Nobody cares anymore")
Making promises about outcomes

Trust Recovery Scripts for Skeptical Callers

Some callers have been burned by broken promises or scams. Here's how top agents rebuild trust:

The Recorded Call Accountability (Tyler Glass)

Caller: "I've been through this before. Places promise one thing and deliver another."

Agent: "I get that. And look, our calls are recorded. Everything I'm telling you is on record. If I mislead you, that's on me. I'm not going anywhere - you can call back and ask for me by name."

Why it works: Creates accountability mechanism. The agent stakes their reputation on their word.

The Recovery Credibility Build (Jake Smith)

"I'm in recovery myself. So, you know, I've been through that. I've been through treatment, you know, jail, stuff like that too. Right? So, yeah."

Impact: Personal disclosure creates instant credibility. Agent has lived experience, not just sales training.

The Direct Contact Offer

"Here's what I want you to do: take down my direct number. If anything doesn't match what I've told you, call me. I'll personally follow up."

Why it works: Puts agent's name and number on the line. Shows confidence in facility and creates personal accountability.

Validating Previous Bad Experiences

Caller: "I got it. I just I'm a little cautious. I've got promises before and then I show up and it's different. Or I'll call a number and it's some answering service and they got me all excited."

Agent: "I understand that. You're right to be cautious. There are a lot of bad actors in this industry. What I can tell you is this facility is accredited, licensed, and we've been operating for [X] years. But don't take my word for it - look us up."

Technique: Validates skepticism rather than dismissing it. Offers verification path. Shows industry awareness.

The "I Know This Industry" Script (Tyler Glass)

"So I just wanna say that, you know, if you call any facility, they will tell you the same thing, unless they're just trying to grab your insurance money and get you in the door. So I'd be doing you a disservice if I said anything else."

Impact: Acknowledges that bad actors exist. Positions self as honest alternative. Creates trust through industry transparency.

The Bottom Experience Reframe (Tyler Glass)

Caller: "I'm just at the bottom right now. I've never done this before."

Agent: "Okay, man. Yeah. Dude, I've definitely been there before. That's the perfect spot to be. I know it doesn't feel good, but that is the best place to be for starting this process."

Why it works: Validates current pain while reframing it as opportunity. Personal disclosure ("I've definitely been there") creates instant peer connection.

Overcoming Fear of the Unknown

Many callers fear what they don't understand about treatment. Demystify it:

The Environment Differentiator (Jake Smith)

Context: Caller traumatized by previous psych ward experience

"I will tell you as far as, you know, like, inpatient, live in treatment with us, it looks much different than, you know, your experience at the psych ward or hospital type place. Right? Like, those people are gonna be more, you know, mental health and, like, schizophrenia, like, things like that, multiple personalities disorder, like, things like that. Right?"

"Whenever you come into a facility like ours we're a private facility. We don't have anyone here that's, like, you know, straight from jail or, you know, anything like that. Like, our demographic is much different than you saw there."

Impact: Directly addressed trauma, created clear mental picture of safe environment. Differentiated facility from negative past experience.

The "Opposite of Hospital" Script

Caller: "I just need it to be, like, comfortable, like, not too institutional."

Agent: "Absolutely. Yeah. And that's definitely the type of environment we have. It's very nice. It's very comfortable. I mean, it's like being at home. Right? Like, it's the opposite of a hospital."

Impact: Used caller's exact language ("comfortable", "not institutional") and affirmed it directly. Created positive mental image.

Building Trust Through Consistency

Throughout the call, use consistent validating phrases:

"You're fine." (When they apologize for asking questions)

"I got you." (Repeated acknowledgment of concerns)

"I understand that. Totally." (Validation without dismissal)

Frequency data: "I got you" appears 40+ times across calls. "You're fine" appears 3+ times. These micro-validations build cumulative trust.

Key Insight: Trust is built through many small moments of validation, not one grand gesture. Consistent empathy phrases throughout the call create cumulative credibility.