Expect that good services will adapt to your specific situation rather than forcing you into standardized approaches. Client needs are genuinely diverse; situations have particular requirements. Good providers should have the capability and orientation to customize their approaches, to respond to your specific circumstances, to adjust when situations change. Be skeptical of providers who insist on rigid standardization, who cannot accommodate reasonable requests, who respond to special needs with refusals.
For providers, develop range and flexibility; understand that responsiveness and adaptation signal quality while rigidity signals limitation. This does not mean abandoning all standards—expertise involves knowing when adaptation serves clients and when consistency protects them. But default toward flexibility, and expect services to be discussable and adjustable rather than take-it-or-leave-it propositions.
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