NETherapist

Are You Media Ready?

In a few weeks, APPT will be co-sponsoring a "Media Training 101" workshop for mental health professionals. There are many reasons why therapists should be media trained. Among them are:

To promote the profession and the practice of mental health therapy.
To be able to speak to the media clearly in the event of a mental health-related crisis.
To generate attention for mental health-related issues, including mental health coverage and parity concerns.
To increase awareness of specific areas of practice (for example, eating disorders, or depression).

Even if you are shy and are not planning on seeking publicity for yourself or your practice/organization, you should be media trained.

Here are some tips to help you be more media savvy:

DO monitor the media to keep abreast of news being printed or broadcast about issues affecting the mental health community (public funding for mental health services, community-based treatment, consumer advocates and their impact on mental health services, "Safe Haven" legislation, etc.) and the mental health industry as a whole.
DO NOT be overly aggressive in seeking media coverage. Do not demand that a reporter cover your story. Instead, be courteous and respectful when dealing with media contacts and expect some disappointments along the way.

If you are interested more information about the Media Training 101 for Mental Health Therapists presented by Margaret Bumann, call Bridget at (402) 393-4600.

Marketing Your Practice Online and Offline

As promised, here are the notes from my presentation on "Marketing Your Practice Online and Offline," at the APPT Fall Conference "Back to Basics" on Nov. 7.

There is no secret formula or magic bullet to filling your private practice - the key to success is to select a few simple, effective tactics and do them consistently.
These should be things that you are comfortable doing: newsletters, talks/workshops, writing articles, networking, articles, etc.
In order to build your private practice, you need to cultivate relationships -- with prospective clients, new clients, referral sources, and influential individuals (this can be members of the media, insurance company representatives, and affiliates).

People do business with people they know, like, and trust.

Tell people what you do -- over and over again. And get your message to the same people over and over again -- because consistency creates familiarity.

Be sure you track how you are getting clients. Ask them how they heard about you.

In Ellie Fields' presentation in the morning, she mentioned that you can be a generalist, but should have something to hang your hat on -- something you are known for.

There is a five-step process to cultivate your brand identity.

You do NOT need a website, but you should have an online presence.

Call other practices (mystery shop) -- block your caller ID. Pretend to be a client seeking therapy services. Look at their websites. Google other therapists. Google yourself!

There is still a lot of value in printed pieces. Not all clients are technologically savvy -- nor are all therapists. Printed brochures are still very much widely used! And on-demand technology (print-on-demand, or color copying) lets you print as few or as many as you need.

DO put your website address (your domain name) on everything.

Do make sure your business card is a mini-brochure.
Free Samples - Business Cards, Return Address Labels, Rubber Stamp and Many More!

Your business identity is vital to creating your brand identity. A professionally designed logo will help you build visibility and credibility.

If you are thinking about going out on your own, get a dedicated business cell phone, domain name, and associated e-mail address. Then you can create your business card.

I'll share more marketing tips from my presentation in a future blog post!

Your Website

I probably get more questions about websites than about any other tactic for marketing your private practice. Therapists often ask me, "Do I need a website?" My answer is: "No."

Should you have an online presence? Yes ... but it doesn't have to be a website. You can have a simple profile online, contribute to online forums, write a blog ... even use Google's AdWords service to market yourself.

And even if you DO have a website, it doesn't have to be elaborate. It can be as simple as one page (although I recommend 3-5 pages, including sections for your Bio, Services, Articles/Resources, and Contact Information).

An easy way to get started is a paid profile service, like that offered by Psychology Today. For just $29.95 a month, you'll have your own web page online, and Psychology Today's The Therapy Directory service also promotes you online on major search engines and health websites. Watch the demo on their site to see how to set up your profile. (Use this link to receive a free listing for 90 days!)

Once your profile is online, register your own domain name, and "point" it to your profile.
Check if your domain is available, and register it now!

The cost of developing a "standard" private practice website can be as little as $400-$600. Contact us for more details.

Marketing Shouldn't Be Painful!

I often talk to therapists who are uncomfortable with marketing because they think they have to do things that they don't WANT to do in order to successfully market their practice.

That's not the case at all! There are so many marketing strategies out there that it is possible to pick a couple that won't cause you any anxiety at all. If you don't like public speaking, don't select "Giving workshops and seminars" as your marketing strategy of choice. (Instead, write articles or do a newsletter or send e-mails.)

If you're not tech-savvy, don't focus on e-newsletters and your website. There are plenty of ways to get the word out about yourself in the "offline" world. You can give talks or workshops, network, or use traditional publicity (radio, television, newspapers).

Five Steps to Developing Your Brand Identity as a Therapist

The first step in developing your brand identity is identifying what your identity is. What makes you unique as a therapist?

Specific training or credentials
Working with special populations (i.e., disabled individuals, geriatrics, individuals with addictions, middle-aged women)

Next, identify the target audience for this brand. Who needs your help? What is their gender? Age? Work status? Where do they live? What do they read/watch? What other professionals or companies serve these clients? (Schools, churches/clergy, physicians, other therapists, nonprofit organizations)

Cultivate a list of outcomes these clients can expect -- what are the results?

Develop your message: What do you want to say to your target client? What problems can you help solve for them?

Next, develop your messaging strategy -- how do you want to communicate with your prospective clients? (website, brochures, newsletters, articles, public speaking engagements, fact sheets, fliers, posters, banners, magazine ads?).

Finally, develop your "product" -- what services or product will you deliver them to generate revenue? These can include: individual sessions, groups, phone coaching, on-site consultation, tapes, books/booklets, etc.

These are the first steps to marketing your practice online and offline.

Looking for EAP Affiliations?

I came across this website -- EAPBridge.com -- and found it to be an interesting concept. For $18/year, your application is submitted to EAPs across the nation for consideration to join their panels. While I'm generally not a fan of paying to join individual provider panels, you might find this a useful strategy to find out about a large number of panels at once. (Basically, it's like paying $18 for a mailing list of EAPs who have indicated an interest in receiving information about providers.)

There is at least one Omaha-area EAP on their list -- Best Care EAP -- which is affiliated with Methodist Health Systems. I'd be interested in hearing from therapists who may have used this service ... and please note, this is NOT an endorsement of this service, as I don't know much about them beyond what I read on their website.

Men & Anger Group Starts Nov. 12

'Men and Anger' is a structured, time-limited group therapy experience designed to explore individual and shared types of anger and anger expression in men. The program will be led by Jim Haley, M.A. and Tom Haley, Ph.D. of Psychological and Counseling Services, P.C. They will be discussing triggers, risks, benefits, consequences, and interventions. They will also examine learned messages about anger for men as a group as well as for the individual. A primary goal of the group will be to access complex emotions often suppressed or stunted by the anger response.

The group will meet Wednesday evenings from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. for 6 weeks (Nov. 12 to Dec. 17). Referrals will ideally be individuals previously or currently in individual therapy, although this is not a prerequisite. You may refer prospective group members to either facilitator for a brief phone screening. For more information, call 330-1537.