9 Ways To Get Doctor Referrals

Want to build strong referral relationships with medical professionals? The key is offering them something of value.

A few therapists at my clinic have been focusing on networking with Doctor's offices as potential referral sources. Through my 10 years in private practice, I've wasted a lot of time visiting medical practices with little result. However, during that time I found a few doctors or health practitioners who have consistently referred to me so I put together an training and presented it at our staff meeting yesterday. I thought that some of you might appreciate some tips on how I've built relationships of trust with medical practices who have referred patients for mental health or relationship therapy.

1) Ask for referrals

Don't be afraid to be bold and ask specifically for referrals from the physician or health provider. Let them know that you currently have openings and will get their patients in as soon as possible. When they refer, be responsive and get their patients in as soon as possible.

2) Face to face builds trust

While sending an email or making a phone call are convenient ways to reach out to physicians, nothing can replace face-to-face interactions when it comes to building trust.

3) Educate them on your specialty areas

Be clear and concise about who you are, what you do, and how you can help their patients. Be clear with them about who you want to see: your ideal client. For more information about how to craft your basic practice message see my post Why Therapists Need An Elevator Speech.

4) Teach them how to make strong referrals

• Suggest that they write the prescription for therapy on an official RX pad
• Suggest that they (or an office assistant) call your office while the client is still in their office to make an appointment.
• Suggest that they strongly recommend you, specifically.

5) Make friends with the office staff

The office support staff, receptionist, nurse, medical assistant, or office manager may actually do more of the referring than the provider. Don't over look the power of building trust and rapport with the support staff in medical offices.

6)  Follow up every three months

Periodically following up with providers is important to staying at "top of mind" for referrals. I've found that contacting the provider every quarter is a good time frame for following up. You don't want to be a nuisance to busy medical practices, or appear desperate by following up too often, however, if you wait six months they may have run out of your cards or forgotten about you entirely.

7)  Make sure they have plenty of cards

Even though we live in a digital age, paper is sometimes the best method for communication. Having professional business cards and brochures printed and regularly stocked give physicians offices something concrete to give to patients and increases the likelihood that they will actually contact you after they leave the office.

8) Offer to be a resource

Healthy relationships need to be mutually beneficial. So, when you ask the doctors for referrals, be sure you have something to offer. I've offered to be an ongoing resource should they have questions about referrals. I often say, "Refer anyone to me and I'll make sure that your patient's get the mental health or relationship counseling they need." Another service you can offer is in-service trainings for their staff on topics relevant to their patients, speak at their staff meetings on something that is valuable to them.

9) Send personalized thank you cards

When you receive a referral from a physician office, be sure to acknowledge and share your appreciation. I've found that sending a personalized physical "thank you" card via "snail mail" makes an impact. Always include a few of your business cards, and ask for more referrals.

What tips have helped you build referral relationships with medical professionals? Please post them below.

(c) Can Stock Photo

Best Of Private Practice Toolbox 2011

As 2011 comes to a close, I wanted to review which posts have had the most views since I launched this blog in August 2011.  It also gives me an idea of which topics are most relevant and interesting to other mental health private practitioners. Is your favorite article on this list?

Here are the most viewed articles for 2011:

1. What I wish I'd Know Before Starting A Private Practice
2. A Day In the Life Of A Private Practice Therapist
3. 5 Self-care Tips For Therapists
4. 8 Real-world Marketing Strategies From Successful Therapists
5. Getting 3 F's In Private Practice Is A Good Thing
6. Multiple Income Streams Soothe Therapist's Financial Anxiety (part 1)
7. Therapist Roll Call: Join The Private Practice Twitter List
8. Why Therapists Need An Elevator Speech (part 1)
9. 5 Free Ways To Market Your Therapy Practice
10. Facebook Pages For Therapists: How To Set Up A Practice Page

I'd love to know which posts have been most helpful to you in creating your dream practice during 2011.

Do you have any areas of practice that you need help with? Please post any specific private practice questions or practice related topics that you'd be interested in hearing more about in the coming year in the comment box below.

Happy New Year!

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Therapist Roll Call: Join The Private Practice Twitter List

I recently blogged about ways to use Twitter to build your private practice, and encouraged you to tweet your elevator speech/basic practice message in 140 characters or less. Those posts got me wondering, "How many therapists in private practice are actively using Twitter?" So, I'm taking a roll call to help you use Twitter to connect with other like-minded therapists around the world to share ideas, resources, and referrals. Only licensed mental health therapists will be listed.

Here's what I'd like you to do...

Post a comment below and include:

1. twitter handle & link
2. your city and state
3. specialty area

As the comments come in I'll post comments and paste your info in the body of this post below.

Therapists on Twitter

@julie_hanks Salt Lake City, UT: women's emotional health, EFT couples, family therapy, private practice consulting, media

@soultenders1 Arcadia, CA: marriage/couples, domestic violence, anger management, parenting

@soulhealr Studio City, CA: trauma, abuse, grief, loss, anxiety, stress, yoga therapy, teens and adults

@drtrentevans Baltimore, MD: anxiety, depression, anger management, bariatric surgery, cognitive/mindfulness

@metrocounsellor Perth Western Australia, Mount Lawley and Duncraig: Family,couples, teenagers, children and relationship counselling

@Grevgatan24 Stockholm, Sweden:, 6 psychotherapists, PDT, CBT, Affective Shortterm, individual/couples, systemic, crises/trauma

@juliejeske Portland, OR: relationships, intimacy and sexuality

@DrMarsha Washington DC: neuropsychology, and mindfulness

@LisaKiftTherapy Larkspur, Marin County, CA: Individual (family of origin, emotional health) and Couples (communication, infidelity, premarital education)

@JoelCarnazzo CBT, Motivational Interviewing, Family Systems Therapies, depressive disorders, anxiety and panic, & substance abuse

@SentierTherapy Couples & Family therapy, teens/adolescents, parent consultations, sexual abuse/assault

@Mindful4Health Milton, Ontario: depression, anxiety, stress, major life changes, chronic illness, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

@jeffbrandler Mountain Lakes, NJ: addiction, couples, anxiety, mood disorders

@daryljo Trinidad & Tobago, West Indies: EAPs, Adults, Teens, Couples Counselling

@aposterioris Manhattan, NY: helping children and adults, as a disabled person I can also help those w/ disabilities

@emmakviglucci NYC: Self and Relationship Expert pre-marital, codependence and being stuck, infidelity

@DrRanjanPatel Burlingame, CA: Couples counseling, depression/anxiety, chronic illness/pain, grief/loss, mindfulness training

@DrTanyaHilber San Diego, CA: life balance, middle-aged women, children/teens with ADHD or Autism/Asperger’s spectrum

@pnetworker Psychotherapy Networker: Learning, Connection, Community for Psychotherapists Year-Round

@brucenystrom evaluation/therapy clinical, forensic, disability, ADHD, medical compliance, law enforcement, critical incident stress management

@marianneclyde Warrenton, VA: relationship issues, anxiety/depression, eating disorders, stress, trauma, Holistic approach

@geoffsteurer St. George, UT: pornography and sexual addiction recovery, affairs, marriage counseling, men's issues

@rhetter Plano, TX: Marriage and Family, latent adolescent/emerging adulthood, adolescent boys, spiritual issues

@drkkolmes San Francisco, CA: Anxiety, depression, relationships, sexual problems, working with LGBTQ, poly, kink

@TherapyWithJen Salt Lake City, UT:  Marriage and Family, anxiety, depression, parenting, communication skills, trust, LDS-based therapy

@cesargamez Phoenix, AZ: Eating disorders, Marriage/Family, Teens/Adults, Group Therapy

@johnleemsw Chattanooga, TN: individual & family therapist, children and adolescents, emotional intelligence

@josephab100 Mechanicsburg, PA: Online Relationship advice; online life and business coach.

@njpsychotherapy & @debrafeinberg Maplewood, NJ: Relationships, anxiety, gay & lesbian issues, multicultural issues, Internet Marketing consultant for therapists

@JaniceMaddoxMFT Reno, Nevada: couples and family counseling, individuals w/ anxiety, depression and adoption related issues

@Betrayalcoach, marriage and relationship counseling, psychotherapy for intimacy, trust,conflict, and issues of infidelity

@luciacassar Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Teenagers, adults and elderly

@kamahiner Private Practice in Boise, ID: Individuals & Couples- Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Sexual Issues/Addictions, Autism/Behavioral Consultations

@crutherfordphd psychological and neuropsychological assessement, test report writing software

@bbhabash Gaithersburg, MD: Individual & Family Therapy for children 3-12yrs, Child-Centered Play Therapy, Parents, Teens & Young Adults with various mental health disorders/life transitions

@pamdysonmalpc St. Louis, MO: Parent coaching, play therapy for children 3-12 years of age

@drkipmatthews Athens, GA: Sport and Performance Psychology, Consulting, Career & Life Planning, Mind-Body Health

@InfertilityMind @psych0synthesis Northern Beaches, Sydney, Australia: eating disorders and addiction, infertility and alternative parenting paths, anxiety and depression, life crisis and relationships

@KatMindenhall Lakewood, CO: CBT, SFBT – Parenting, depression, couple/family

@BCordermanMFT Brea, Orange County, CA: Empowering teen girls and women; pre-marital & couples counseling; family of origin work; co-dependency; trauma

@taoi_uk Merseyside, United Kingdom: A psychosexual and relationship therapist working with all kinds of sexual and relationship issues

@stlcounselor  Webster Groves, Mo: Marriage child and Family, couples counseling. expert child and teen counseling

@drjlgibson, Holland, Michigan psychologist specializing in adult psychotherapy for depression, anxiety, and relationship concerns.

@onlinecounselor London, UK: Accredited Psychological Therapist providing Online Counselling, Telephone Counselling & Face to Face Therapy.

@JasonEsswein I specialize in individual psychotherapy with men.

@fystherapy Kim McLaughlin, LMFT Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Roseville, CA: specializing in therapy and counseling for compulsive and binge eating disorders.

@DrReginaMendoza Licensed Psychologist in Miami, Florida. Psychological testing and individual therapy for children, adolescents, and adults.

@GregDorter Toronto, ON. Therapist specializing in helping people overcome depression, anxiety, stress & low self-esteem through CBT and mindfulness.

@DrCunninghamMFT  San Diego, CA, Family Systems expert specializing in couples and individuals challenged by relationship issues.

(I'll add your Twitter info here...)

Tweet Your Elevator Speech!

How's your elevator speech coming along? Are you ready to try it out in "public"? One of the most helpful ways to refine your elevator speech is to practice it and ask for feedback. Here's your social media challenge to help you get the word out about your practice message and to get feedback. Twitter Challenge

Tweet your elevator speech (in only 140 characters or less) to me @Julie_Hanks and I'll give you feedback on it. If you tag your tweet with #elevatorspeech then other twitter users can find it and give you feedback, too.

If you're not on Twitter, post your elevator speech or basic practice message as a status update on any social media site. Ask for feedback from other mental health professionals and people outside of the field on the clarity of your practice message. Here are some suggested questions.

Elevator Speech Feedback Questions

• Is my message in layman's language without "psychobabble"?
• Is my ideal client clearly identified?
• Does it focus on my ideal client's potential problem?
• Does it clearly state a benefit that my services offer?
• Is it succinct (2-3 sentences)?

I'm looking forward to reading your elevator speeches. If you're not on social media yet, feel free to post your basic message below as a comment below.

Why Therapists Need An Elevator Speech: Crafting Your Basic Message (part 2)

An elevator speech, or practice message, is the building block of marketing your private therapy practice. Getting comfortable saying what you do and how your work helps your clients is essential to drawing additional clients to your practice. In case you missed it, here's a link to Why Therapists Need an Elevator Speech (part 1). A great resource for developing your basic practice message is Lynn Grodzki's book Building Your Ideal Practice. Ms. Grodzki outlines four styles for crafting your basic practice message. Try these out and see which one flows most naturally.

Style 1 “I specialize in______________;

I really enjoy______________________.”

Style 2 “I support ____________________

in their desire to ______________________

by means of _________________________.”

Style 3 “You know how __________________?

Well I ___________________________.”

Style 4 “If you ______________________________,

I’m the kind of therapist who can help you to  _____________ .

Practice, Practice, Practice

Once you've crafted your message, practice saying it out loud to yourself, and to others, until it becomes second nature.  Next time someone asks you what you do for work, you'll comfortably and succinctly be able to talk about your practice in a way that accurately describes who you love to work with and the benefits that clients receive from working with you.

Elevator Speech and Social Media

An elevator speech is particularly important when interacting and networking on social media sites because you have a limited number of characters to use in your descriptions, tweets, status, or posts.

Work on your basic message and get ready for a social media elevator speech challenge later this week!

photo credit: dj venus