Benefits Of Blogging For Your Private Therapy Practice

I recently had a delightful chat with Australian counselor and consultant Clinton Powers via Skype about my evolution as a blogger. We talked about the many benefits of blogging as a marketing strategy, unexpected benefits that I've experienced through blogging, how to find your blogging voice, and how to address ethical concerns. I hope you enjoy the interview. Below, I've summarize the main points of our lively discussion.

What are the benefits of blogging as a practice marketing strategy?

• Grow your practice by making it easier for clients to find you
• Build your brand online
• Fresh content improves SEO for your practice website
• Establishes you as a credible expert in your field
• Online networking with other mental health professionals
• Positive impact on readers all over the world

What are your tips for developing your blogging voice?

• Start where you are
• Reject perfectionistic tendencies
• Remember that you can edit
• Re-purpose previously written content (papers, presentations, other media interviews)
• Read and model after other therapists blogs

Where do you find inspiration for blog post topics?

• Share your philosophical background
• Write about themes you're seeing in therapy
• Write about related news and current events
• Summarize new research and add your take on it
• Share other experts' content, including videos

How do you make time to write?

• Write about the things that energize you and sound fun
• Schedule time to blog once a week

How do you avoid ethical concerns?

• Don't share client information
• Don't share personal information

This interview first appeared on AustraliaCounseling.com.au

Multiple Income Streams Soothe Therapist's Financial Anxiety (part 1)

Relying solely on direct clinical hours may leave private practitioners financially vulnerable to income instability. Since client hours in private practice can vary greatly depending on the time of year, state of the economy, number of new referrals, and several other factors, developing multiple income streams can help you to create a more stable income. "By having the other income streams in place, I have been able to be less susceptible to the ebbs and flows that occur in private practice during difficult economic times," says The Rev. Christopher L. Smith, LCAC, LMHC, LMFT. In addition to providing income stability, diversifying your professional activities with multiple income streams allows therapists to explore a variety of interests, to express creativity, and to get paid for their passions.

In addition to clinical hours, I own and serve as clinical director of a private therapy clinic where I oversee and supervise 10 therapists, write for PsychCentral and other publications, work as a relationship and emotional health media contributor, do public speaking, provide consultation to therapists building a private practice, and I'm currently writing my first book.  Curious about what other private practitioners are doing to add to income stability I reached out to several successful colleagues to see what additional income streams they've developed. Here's a sampling of what other therapists are doing to diversify their professional life and achieve greater income stability.

Write and publish a book

Many therapists have taken their clinical expertise and turned it into a book. For example, Frank J. Sileo, PhD has  written three children's books, including Bug Bites and Campfires: A Story for Kids about Homesickness (Health Press, 2009). Clinical Psychologist Dr. John Duffy took his passion for parenting and authored a book The Available Parent: Radical Optimism For Raising Teens and Tweens (Viva Editions, 2011). What areas of expertise could you write about?

Write for print publications

Supplementing clinical work, Terrie Browning, LPC, CFC, DCC writes for a column "My Healthy Mind" for a local magazine My Metro You. Not only does it provide additional revenue but she says it's also personally fulfilling. Of writing for publications she says, "Writing allows me to share knowledge on topics that are a concern for many people and offers a way for me to network myself."  Therapist Karen R. Koenig, LCSW, M.Ed. has successfully written for professional publications including Social Work Focus, Social Work Today, Addiction Treatment Forum, and The Newsletter for the Society for Family Therapy and Research, adding an additional income stream.

Create a therapeutic product

Have you considered creating and selling a product based on your clinical expertise? Stephanie Ann Adams, M.A., LPC of Beginnings Counseling & Consulting, created a hybrid counseling/video series for premarital counseling through Twogether in Texas. To help families deal with the stress of relocation Jill Kristal, President of Transitional Learning Curves, developed a game and book series called 'Our Move'.

Develop a professional online network

The internet allows for many options for therapists to create passive income through membership sites. In addition to writing a local magazine column and providing clinical work, Browning, with the help of her adult children, developed a professional wellness center online called Experts Now. This online center offers wellness experts an avenue to offer services and sell products for a commission creating additional income for Browning.

Contract as a consultant

Consider asking yourself, "Which companies or organizations may want to tap into your areas of expertise?" Therapist Dr. Mario Kirk, LPC, Director, A Blessed Child, LLC, performs psychological testing for local attorneys and schools. Women's reproductive health specialist Pec Indman EdD, MFT consults and trains for county health programs and for the US Federal government.

Are you developing multiple streams of income to supplement your direct care hours? Please share your ideas in a comment below.

Watch for multiple income streams part 2 later this week!

5 Common Website Mistakes And How To Fix Them

Your most powerful tool to build your private therapy practice in the digital age is an effective practice website. The Internet allows us to talk directly to potential clients who are seeking mental health information and services. The majority of Americans, 62 percent, use the Internet to find health care information (Pew Internet and Family Life Study, 2009). Few therapists have training in website programing and design, but as technology evolves, more options become available to create a cheap or free website that looks professional and accurately represents your practice. My websites are built on Wordpress, a fairly easy platform on which to build a website or blog. There are thousands and thousands of free Wordpress themes that you can use to customize your practice website. Therapy Sites, another website resource for therapists, allows you to select a template and customize it for your practice based on a monthly fee.

As I've consulted with therapists, developed my own websites, and done a lot of internet research, I've noticed some common mistakes that therapists frequently make when it comes to building websites.  These are the top five mistakes I've seen and suggestions for how to fix the problem to make your website more effective.

Mistake #1: Contact information is difficult to find

How to fix it --> Put contact information on every page in a prominent place

Even if you are starting small with a single page site, your contact information is the most important information to feature. After all, you want clients to actually contact you to schedule a session, right? I suggest putting your contact information on every page of your website with a "call to action".

Mistake #2: Feels too Impersonal

How to fix it --> Write website text in first person and include a photo

When potential clients visit your site they should have a feel for who you are as a person. Always include a photo and a personal statement. While your bio can be written in third person, the rest of your site should feel like you're talking to your potential client.

Mistake #3: Too much "psychobabble"

How to fix it --> Focus on benefits of your service in layman's terms

Most potential clients aren't going to be familiar with psychological acronyms or detailed information about every credential and training. Your potential clients care less about your training and more about if and how you can help them. Write your website text with your ideal client in mind.

Mistake #4: Confusing site navigation

How to fix it --> Feature the the four topics above in your site navigation

Your website should be easy to navigate. You don't want your site to be an additional source of stress for potential clients. Visit other private practice therapist's websites and notice what you like and don't like, what works and what doesn't. Put yourself in the client's shoes. What information are potential clients looking for? Here are the top 4 things potential clients want to find on your website:

• who you are (your basic information)
• what you do (services)
• how you can help them (benefits of your services)
• how to contact you (contact information)

Mistake #5: Bad design

How to fix it --> pick one or two fonts and stick with a consistent theme throughout your site

Simple and clean is best when it comes to websites. Unfortunately, many therapists with "do-it-yourself" websites, in an attempt to be creative, end up using too many design elements. When designing your website, keep in mind who you're ideal client is, and let your basic message guide your choice of colors and fonts to create a cohesive feel that represents who you are as a therapist.

Are you guilty of making any of these mistakes on your private practice website? Post the link below and I'll give you feedback about your site.

photo credit: twm1340

To Tweet or Not to Tweet? Using Twitter To Grow Your Therapy Practice

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a popular social media platform where users can send short updates that are up to 140 characters long.  Twitter is basically the equivalent of a Facebook status update newsfeed. If you have no idea what a "newsfeed" or "status update" is, then you may want to stop reading here and start by setting up a Facebook account.

Facebook is THE social network site and is the most effective way to build your practice through social media because of it's high number of daily users. Here's an article on how to set up a Facebook Page for your practice.  If you want to know how to use Twitter, here are a few suggestions on how to effectively tweet to build your practice.

How can Twitter help you build your practice?

Twitter, like all social media platforms, is a forum for conversation and connecting with other people online. It is also a great way to spread the word about your practice, to educate the public about issues you care about, and to share your areas of expertise. The point of social networking sites like Twitter is...uh...the social networking. If your Twitter followers find value in your tweets they will share them by retweeting your information their Twitter followers. Over time you can grow a network of people who are sharing your tweets which helps you get the word out about your private therapy practice.

Ways to Build Your Therapy Practice Through Twitter

1) Follow local businesses and professionals

Following potential referral sources on Twitter can help you build referral sources.  If you specialize in helping clients with chronic pain, then you may want to search for pain clinics, chiropractors, and other health professionals in your geographic area and start a conversation with them about your services.

Don't limit who you follow to only mental health or other psychotherapists. Referrals can come from any kind of social networking relationship. Let your definition of an ideal client help guide who you follow on Twitter so you can attract the kind of client you want to work with. Twitter can also be used a search engine to find other businesses or people in your area and see what they talking about.

2) Don't just tweet, have conversations

Don't just send out information or tweets into the social network universe. Take a few minutes each day to respond to others who mention you or who retweet your tweets. "Mention" other users by using the "@" sign followed by their twitter handle and it will show up on their Twitter page. This builds rapport and relationships. For example, my user name is @julie_hanks. If someone posts a tweet and mentions me, I will be notified of it and it gives me a chance to respond to them.  I've found Twitter to be a source of professional support too, meeting therapists all over the world and sharing ideas. I've found some therapists in private practice featured in recent articles on Twitter.

3) Tweet links to your practice website

Increase traffic to your therapy website by tweeting links to your website. If you have a website blog, you can automate your site to tweet every new blog post. Here's a screenshot of my Twitter page. The yellow text are links that mostly go to on of my websites or blogs to increase visitors and provide helpful information.

4) Use hashtags to attract followers interested in your expertise

A hashtag is a "#" followed by a topic. For example, if you're specialty area is parenting, you can use #parenting on tweets about anything related to parenting to make it easier for others interesting in parenting to find you. When you click on a hashtag it will bring up other tweets mentioning the same topic. Hashtags make it easy to find, follow, and converse with others who have similar interest or expertise.

Do you use Twitter as a mental health professional? What are your suggestions for using Twitter to build your practice?

What Do You Love About Private Practice?

Ask me about my private practice and I light up. I love it. I just spent the last day and a half furnishing and decorating an additional office location in a neighboring city. I'm excited to be able to expand the reach of my practice and help clients in other geographic locations. There is such a satisfaction in feeling fully self-expressed professionally and to make a difference in the lives of my clients and my colleagues. My passion for building a private practice is why I asked Dr. John Grohol, CEO of PsychCentral.com if I could start this blog. I can't imagine being happier with a work situation and I want to help you develop the tools to feel the same way about your practice. I asked several successful private practice therapists the question, "What do you love about being in private practice?" I wanted to share their answers with you to inspire those of you who are considering going into private practice to do it! If you're unhappy with your practice, I hope you'll draw from these successful private practice experiences to create a practice that you love.

It's not "work"

Lynn Krown MA, MFT:

When you do something you are passionate about it's not work. I intend to work well into old age. The more life experience and mindfulness I have, the more wisdom I have to offer. I'm grateful to feel so fulfilled and alive as a psychotherapist age 70 this month.

Accurately represents who I am

Julie Jeske, M.S.:

I love it because it is mine. It is an accurate representation of who I am and the work I do. I truly love what I do and having a private practice gives me the freedom to really design and build my ideal practice. I can work when I want...in fact this summer I spent 5 weeks in Paris. I don't know if I could have done that if I didn't have my own practice.

I look forward to work

Gabby Acord, LCSW:

I look forward to my work and the days fly by. I don't get insurance benefits or paid time off, but I also earn 50% more than I would working full-time for the local University hospital and they pay very well. I feel good that my children know that my work is to help people and they don't resent the time away.

I'm my own boss

Amy Luster, M.A., LMFT:

I am passionate about maintaining a private practice as it grants me the ability to participate in the way that best suits me. I am an active parent to four elementary school aged children and I am able to schedule clients in a way that permits me to be present for my children. As they grow older and more independent, I am able to increase the amount of hours I can see clients in my private practice. I am not beholden to a specific way of working with each client, but rather, I'm able to respond to the needs of each individual, couple or family.

Allows me to refine my specialty

Geoff Steurer, MS, LMFT:

Private practice allows me to refine my specialty in working with marriages impacted by sexual betrayal. When I was working in an agency setting, I was required to see whatever cases walked through the door. So, in any given day I could end up working with children, teens, couples, elderly, and families. Even though I certainly enjoy the variety that comes from working in an agency setting, there is something deeply gratifying knowing that I'm developing a skill set that comes from working with the same types of cases day after day. I love knowing for certain that I can make a difference in the lives of the clients sitting across from me in my office.

I set the rules

Esther Kane, MSW:

I set the rules and love it! I’m independent and it suits my personality. I love the flexibility- going away whenever I choose and working hours I prefer. I get a highly-motivated client-base who are ready and willing to do the work. I own my own office overlooking the ocean and it’s like my second home.

It adapts to my changing lifestyle

Shannon Purtell MA, LPC:

In the last 3 years I have gotten married, and had 2 children. Private practice has allowed me to adapt to my changing lifestyle. It worked great when I was single and could work evenings/weekends, etc. and it works great now when I need to be home evenings and weekends to be with my family. Private practice affords me the opportunity to build a company that makes a difference in the lives of our clients, and provide a healthy work environment for my associates and interns.

It's a thrill to see people change

Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD:

There is no greater thrill than seeing people make real change for the better in their lives and being part of that change process. I'm grateful for the opportunity to do work I love, as my own boss, with hours that mesh with my family needs.

Meaningful connection with others

Loren A Olson MD, who is in the process of retiring from his psychiatry practice:

I have experienced the joy of connecting with people in the most emotionally intimate ways. I *know *them deeply and meaningfully. And although I've always maintained professional boundaries, I find that they know me, too. And so I grieve the loss of these relationships even while knowing that I am responsible for my own happiness. And as I retire I will find new ways to find pleasure in my life, but I also look back with a sense of satisfaction about having chosen such a meaningful profession.

Do you love being in private practice? Tell me about it! If you're not happy with your practice, what would you like to change?

If you have any topics you'd like me to write about, or specific questions for me comment below, ask me on Twitter @Julie_Hanks, or contact me directly here.