I would like to say first, that I have been approved to offer CEU's to MFT's & LCSW's, I am really excited about that.

I also believe the August 8th presentation was highly successful. In large part to the wonderful participation by those who attended. I look forward to doing it again. I am also putting together the ongoing group, where we will take the information we went over in the presentation, create and implement it.

Building A Successful Private Practice

I have been meeting with lots of new friends and colleagues over the summer. I had lunch today with a colleague and friend and we were talking about the business of psychotherapy. What makes a successful private practice? What makes anyone successful? It got me thinking about all the people I know and the different fields they work in and how hard everyone works, their desire to achieve and willingness to take risks. It seems success comes with drive and attention to detail. What makes a private practice successful? I think it is the quality of the therapist, the work and time they devote to developing their skill, the marketing or advertising they do, their willingness to step outside their comfort zone and the relationships they build.

Domain Names and the value of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

I know I keep talking about this but I am so surprised by how many websites have little or no optimization and have low ranking with search engines. I only harp on this topic because if you can understand and teach yourself to optimize you can have great positioning for nothing but your time and initial investment. I was emailing with someone about trying to find someone to do the optimization and maintenance, so I started to search for people that do this and it is expensive (it can start at about $300 a month). If you have any level of comfort with the computer it's something you can learn, I taught myself. I wouldn't say I am an expert in the area but I am able to optimize my site and others and keep them updated. Creating a website is only the first step, how you design it and how you optimize are the final steps to having it generate referrals.

Again as I was noodling around on the computer I came across a post about marketing and to google yourself to see how you are found. I think everyone trying to do a business should look into how easy or hard it is to find you. There have been times when I have tried to find someone quickly online for their phone number and have come up empty, and I am a pretty good searcher too!

But what I found interesting about the article is their target market would be people who already know your name. I look at marketing to those who don't know me but are looking for a psychotherapist, addiction specialist, psychoanalyst or marketing coach. I think one of the biggest mistakes is having your domain name your name. I know a lot of the good domain names have been taken and I am not saying you can't use your name but then you need to optimize your pages in a different way. If you already have a website start running searches on search engines as if you are a potential client, i.e. Beverly Hills psychotherapist, Beverly Hills psychotherapy, Beverly Hills counseling, etc. then look at where your site comes up, which page? Ideally you should be on the first page beneath the paid ads, if not the first they say no farther then the 3rd. Apparently research says people stop looking after the third page.

To make a website generate business you need to think about a professional look, user friendly, good content and optimize it. The initial investment might be around $1000.00, the hosting yearly doesn't have to be more then $100.00 and you have years of referrals. I think it pays well for itself.

Upcoming Events
Presentations

September 23, 2009 2 hour intro presentation 7 -9pm
September 26, 2009 2 hour intro presentation 10 -12pm
January 11, 2010 Interactive Presentation to the Introduction to Building a Successful Private Practice.
Santa Barbara AAMFT Meeting
On-going support group designing and implementing the tools of a Successful Practice - starting soon.

Thank you

I have gotten great feedback about my newsletter and really appreciate hearing from you. Some of you I have met and know personally others I have come to meet through meetings, groups and online. So please, if you do not wish to receive this newsletter or other announcements from me please remove yourself, it is a safe link. And please keep sending me the feedback, the good, bad and the ugly.
Contact Info
Licia Ginne
3201 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 209
Santa Monica, CA 90403
310 828-1256
LATherapists
licia_ginne@LATherapists.com