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Most of us came
into the world of therapy because we had been helped by it and wanted
to help others. We all went through long and costly years of school,
but most of us never had a class or internship that taught the business
of psychotherapy. We struggle with networking, knowing our value,
how to set our fee and whether or not to be on managed care or insurance
panels. I think most of us just followed the mentors we trusted. Our
caseloads can be enough to handle without having to try and do the
paperwork, insurance billing, collecting and marketing.
When I speak to people and talk about my services they are often quick to tell me they have little money or any idea where to start. (It seems many of us don't think of ourselves as business owners). Well the old adage is true it takes money to make money, but it doesn't have to take a lot, and I know where to start. Your investment in your therapy practice is an investment in yourself. I have made it my business to learn how to do things with as small an investment as possible. The initial outlay may seem overwhelming but there are ways to do things on the less expensive side and remember this is an investment that over the years will keep giving you returns on your dollar. I have been working with a large organization to help them with their website and they have spent over $15,000. I not only think that's crazy in this day and age but the service they get is far inferior to the people I work with who might at the most charge $1000 for a complete, originally designed website. You can manage the costs by doing as much of the work as you can.
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Some of the people
I talk with seem afraid of marketing. Most often you are marketing
and don't even know it. When I opened my first office, I shared space
with a friend of mine, neither one of us had any clients but we had
a lovely office all ready to go. It was a risk and we knew we needed
to take the risks to get started. There are lots of ways to get going
that minimize the costs and risks, like renting space in someone else's
office. I think many of us have a hard time networking and feel uncomfortable
attending group events. Think about your school or training programs
and start networking with the people you met there. Wherever you are
in your career start networking, start developing a referral network.
Let people know where you are, what you specialize in and how you
can help people. I've spent time, money and energy
going to school, interned for next to nothing, studied for my license
and now I have to go out and sell myself?
Well, the brief answer is yes The longer answer - You are not selling goods. You are investing in yourself and I will not hide the unpleasant truth you are selling your expertise, skills and experience. The good news is it can be done with creativity, beauty, grace and a tremendous amount of professionalism and ethics. |
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THERAPY MARKETING COACH
3201 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 209
Santa Monica, California 90403
info@therapymarketingcoach.com
310 828 1256