How one clinic admin team turned behaviour change principles into a shared language.
When the pressure is on, this team doesn’t go quiet. They say a colour, name a smashed picture, or call a WHOOPS, and everyone knows what to do next.
The front desk of a multidisciplinary clinic is where everything lands at once. Phones, new client enquiries, booking changes, waitlists, reports and handovers to clinicians all run through the admin team.
The team is a mix of long-standing staff and new starters, some only weeks into the role. Every day they field clients who might be anxious, frustrated or overwhelmed, and they handle documentation where accuracy matters.
Admin teams in busy clinics carry a lot that never shows up on a job description. Stress builds quietly when people don’t have the words to say they are struggling, or worry that asking for help looks like failing.
New starters often arrive carrying fear of mistakes from previous workplaces. Difficult client conversations get taken home. And when something goes wrong, it is easy for a team to look for who is to blame rather than why it happened.
The team didn’t add a new process. They took the core principles of the methodology and made them part of how they talk to each other every day. Five specific tools learnt from The Behaviour Change Academy stood out as the most commonly used by the team.
What it is: A colour-coded scale for how heightened or overwhelmed someone feels.
How the team uses it: “Code Orange” or “Code Red” is a quick, judgement-free call for support. It can be sent as an emoji 🟠 🔴 – no explanation needed, just a signal for support.
What it is: The expectations we hold about how things should go, and the jolt when they don’t.
How the team uses it: Naming a smashed picture turns frustration into something the team can talk through, and learn to listen to and understand the other side.
What it is: A three-step process: what the body is showing, what is happening in life, which skills help.
How the team uses it: Staying calm and practical with distressed clients, then handing clean information to clinicians.
What it is: Looking beneath the behaviour to the reason for it.
How the team uses it: Applied to clients, colleagues and their own learning.
What it is: Treating mistakes as lessons, not failures.
How the team uses it: Supports new and experienced staff to own errors without fear.
The Behaviour Anxiety Scale gives the team a shorthand for overwhelm. Instead of struggling quietly, people name where they are, and colleagues step in.
“It’s a great call for help just saying ‘Hey I’m Code Orange’ and we all instantly know what that means and that the person needs support with something they are feeling overwhelmed by.”
Finance Team Member
“If someone in admin says they’re code red, that’s them communicating that they are feeling not equipped to handle what is presenting. Their code red could look different to someone else’s and that’s important to always see the why behind it.”
Admin Manager
It doesn’t have to be heavy, either.
“I also use it for fun because it’s simple and effective to describe how I feel and how others might feel, without using boring terms — like ‘CODE RED’ if I feel horrible is way more descriptive than ‘bad’!”
Personal Assistant
The language of pictures gives the team a way to talk about disappointment and surprise without blame.
“When something doesn’t go the way we expect it, rather than melting down or freaking out, the simple language of saying we had a smashed picture is much simpler and easy to grasp, and easier for someone else to support.”
Admin Manager
The team has even made a game of it.
“BLS can also be made into a game and doesn’t have to be a serious thing to do… it has actually become fun (and hilarious!) to smash pictures and open up to new ideas, points of view and understanding how other people see and think about things.”
HR Team Lead
Admin staff are often a client’s first point of contact. The methodology shapes how they explain the clinic’s approach and how they respond when a caller is distressed.
“When a client gets stressed or frustrated, I don’t take it personally; I see it as a sign they’re feeling overwhelmed… To help everyone out, I stay calm, use fewer words so I don’t overload them, and offer clear, practical solutions like alternative booking slots or a priority waitlist to make them feel more settled. I can then hand over clean, accurate info to the practitioners so they can focus on what they do best.”
Admin Team Member
“Often clients say after speaking with me how settled they feel and they appreciate the way we make the process of onboarding simple and straightforward.”
Admin New Clients Team Member
For new starters, the principles take the pressure off. Mistakes become lessons, and asking questions is part of the job.
“WHOOPS being one of our favourite words, is constantly asking us to learn if mistakes occur, not beating ourselves up over it. This is massive in administration as so many people come to work being afraid of making mistakes from past experiences.”
Admin Manager
“When learning new tasks I often recall the poster ‘Foundations that Build Our Mental Wellness’ so I don’t feel overwhelmed by tasks I am not yet confident in. It reminds me to do the best I can, be willing to be a student of life.”
Finance Team
“Since I’m still new, one thing I’m learning is to know when I need to ask questions… asking a question at the right time can actually save time and make the process more efficient.”
Admin Team Member
Clear, respectful communication keeps work moving across the team, especially at handover.
“During handovers, I keep my communication clear and precise so our team stays fully aligned on our daily deliverables.”
Admin Team Member
“I try to understand the situation first, communicate openly with the team, and focus on finding a solution rather than blaming anyone when something goes wrong.”
Admin Team Member
“I use the methodology by communicating respectfully, listening actively, and focusing on understanding others’ perspectives.”
Admin Team Member
A shared language has changed how this team grows, handles setbacks and looks after each other.
“It has helped me have greater appreciation for my team, and helped us support each other much deeper than would otherwise be the case without it… It has changed everything for me for the greater.”
Admin Manager
“It’s a must for any team wanting to collaborate in a high functioning, smashing goals, humming along, kind of way.”
HR Team Leader
We deliver a comprehensive suite of consulting services to support individuals, teams, and organisations across the behaviour change industry and beyond.
The Behaviour Change Academy helps organisations, leaders and teams put these principles to work in the real world, through consulting, supervision, workshops and practical resources. Support that is practical, clear and built for real-world impact.
