Private Practice Workshop

Want to learn how to market your testing and assessment practice? Look no further, because Dr. Jeremy Sharp, clinical psychologist from www.thetestingpsychologist.com is here to fill you in.

Don't miss this unique episode that was recorded live in a dorm room in northern Michigan! Jeremy and I talk all things testing, with a focus on how to market a testing practice. This is a great episode for you if you not only currently run a testing practice, but are a group practice owner considering adding testing to your business. Also included in this episode:

1. How testing can positively impact your client's life
2. How to ensure quality in your testing practice
3. How to genuinely connect with testing referral sources
4. The testing report as a marketing tool
5. The role of reputation in a testing practice
6. Making a lasting impression on your testing clients
7. Jeremy's top marketing strategies for a testing practice

Dr. Jeremy Sharp is a licensed psychologist and the founder of www.thetestingpsychologist.com. Jeremy is also owns and operates the Colorado Center for Assessment & Counseling in Fort Collins, CO. He helps psychologists all over the country start and grow successful testing practices. Listen to The Testing Psychologist podcast, and join his growing Facebook community.

How do you define marketing, and what's your marketing philosophy?

In this solo episode, private practice expert John Clarke is revealing the essential tenets of his marketing philosophy, which include:

1. A strong brand
2. A catchy slogan
3. A clear mission statements
4. Striking a balance between in-person and digital marketing strategies
5. Fast-acting and "slow-burning" solutions
6. Using common sense in your marketing
7. Focus on just 2 strategies at a time
8. Ignore social media

Ready to grow your practice and get a handle on your marketing? Don't miss this episode.

This episode is brought to you by www.unconditional.media, the digital marketing team for therapists specializing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Google AdWords, and custom Wordpress website creation. Book your free consultation today.

Today's episode is brought to you by Unconditional Media, the digital marketing team for therapists, specializing in Google Adwords, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and custom website development. Book your free consultation at:

www.unconditional.media

Offering a free 15-20 minute phone or Skype consultation to a prospective client is a popular approach of many private-pay therapists, and one that can really pay off if you know how to handle it well. On the other hand, if it doesn't go well, it can discourage a client from further pursuing therapy with you.

How does it usually go for you?

As I've said in an earlier post, when clients finally take the next step of calling you, they're ready for their search for a new therapist to be over. Your job is to make this easier for them, to make it clear that yes, they're in the right place. In fact, I often use that very language. Here are my 6 essential tips for navigating that first phone call:

1. Answer the phone in a professional manner. This might seem obvious to some, but it's worth mentioning. If you use your personal cell number as your business number as well, maybe you just answer with "hello." Clients are going to be confused right off the bat, and often they're already anxious. Make it clear that they have dialed the right number. Something as simple as, "Hello, this is John" is a great start. Even in my small group practice, I answer the phone with "Charlotte Counseling and Wellness, this is John" every time, because I want to convey professionalism and high value from the very first interaction.
2. Use your counseling skills to get the conversation started. Again, they're nervous, and most people don't know where to begin once they have you on the line–they're hoping you'll take the reigns right away. Maybe start out with something like, "I'm so glad you called. Tell me a little bit about what's going on for you," and see how comfortable they are answering that question. Do a little bit of reflection, but don't overdo it.
3. Demonstrate your expertise. Expanding on using those basic listening skills, the first conversation is the perfect opportunity for you to also convey your value and expertise. You can really reach a client by saying something along the lines of "it sounds like you're struggling with X, Y, and Z. You're in the right place–I treat issues like the ones you're describing everyday. Here's how I've helped people through these kinds of issues in the past..."
4. Be prepared to talk about money. Especially if you're running a private-pay practice, you need to be ready to talk about your fees. When the client asks, start off by stating your fee plainly and with appropriate confidence. Have a second part to your fee spiel ready to go–otherwise you end up with an awkward silence after you state your fee and the client sits there on the other end thinking it through, and maybe waiting for you to say you'll slide for them. You might try saying something like "I'm a specialist with advanced training in X, Y, Z, and my fee is $150 per session. I provide statements to my clients at the end of each month, and many are able to be at least partially reimbursed for the cost of therapy." Stay positive, and help them get the information they need. You should already know before you pick up the phone whether you have a sliding scale slot to offer at the moment, and how far you're willing to slide, based on your current caseload of full-fee clients.
5. Have your calendar ready. Most clients will benefit from booking their first appointment at the end of the phone call. Many have already waited weeks or months to start therapy, so this is a big deal, and you want to both acknowledge and validate that, and be ready to convert this prospective client into an official client. I tell each new client that even if they end up needing to reschedule, let's go ahead and put something on the books. Most clients are relieved to be able to do so, and they can rest easy that their search for a therapist has just ended.
6. Instill hope. We know from common factors research that hope is a significant factor in predicting therapeutic outcome and success. You want to convey a sense of hope from the very beginning. This happens when you accurately capture the picture that the client is painting for you during the phone call, summarize their needs, and communicate to them that things will get better. This sets the stage for great therapy work and a satisfied consumer.

What is your current conversion rate for when clients call? How many book that first appointment with you? How could you improve your approach to this critical aspect of your business?

Ready to build your online counseling practice? Clay Cockrell is our expert on this exciting episode of the PPW podcast. Clay and I connect over our Southern/Appalachian routes (turned city dwellers…), how he started "walk and talk therapy" in NYC, and how he built the online counseling directory. Clay walks us through, step by step, how to build an online counseling practice, how to optimize your website for online clients, how to advertise internationally and across your state, and his specific tips for actually performing counseling online.

Clay offers PPW podcast listeners a special discount when you join the online counseling directory:

https://www.onlinecounselling.com/list-your-practice/

Choose the Freedom plan (which is the month to month plan) and then use the code above.

Promo code "JohnClarke"

Fee will be $19.95 a month instead of $24.95 a month.

Clay Cockrell, LCSW is a therapist based in New York City and is the founder of several counseling oriented endeavors. Most recently he is the founder of Onlinecounseling.com – a listing directory with the mission of helping clients all over the world to find the therapist that will best meet their needs. The site also works through their educational resources and podcasts to help counselors work online in an ethical, responsible and legal manner. A majority of proceeds from the site are donated to non-profit arts.

Clay started his career as the creator of Walk and Talk Therapy (www.walkandtalk.com). Instead of meeting in a traditional office, he conducts counseling sessions while walking through Central Park in NY.

Originally from Kentucky, Clay moved to New York City with his wife in 1997. He has been featured on ABC's Good Morning America, CNN and National Public Radio as well as in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, WebMD, and The Times of London. Most recently he was featured on CBS's "The Doctor's".

www.onlinecounselling.com

www.walkandtalk.com

www.maritalcounseling.com

STARTING SOON: NEW online masterminds group for private practitioners: practice building without the hysteria.

This group is for you if you:

1. Are ready to invest back into yourself and your business 2. Are ready to outsource the $10-15/hour tasks of your practice 3. Have big visions for your business but get stuck 4. Want help prioritizing and organizing yourself and your business 5. Want to hire clinicians and other staff 6. Want to create multiple streams of income

This group will be limited to 6 therapists who are ready to work harder and smarter, and we'll meet 2x per month for 6 months.

Are you ready to finally invest in yourself and your business?

One of the joys of being in private practice is the ability to manage your own schedule. This enables you to have the kind of life you want. Maybe it's a 4 hour workday, a 4 day workweek, or 3 consecutive weeks off every summer. There are also some downsides to managing your own schedule. You have to make difficult decisions about how much you'll work (hopefully you're making at least some of these decisions based on hitting your bottom line or income goals), what times you'll offer to clients, and how much vacation time to take in a year.

I would recommend you first figure out how much you want to make in a year, and then break that down by how much you need to make in a week. I make my own calculations based on working 48 weeks per year, and set my weekly goals accordingly. I also use this math to determine my fees, rather than the other way around (setting your fees and then blindly accepting how much you'll make this year). If you need to see 18 clients per week, how many days are you going to split that into? Maybe you're used to seeing 8 or more clients in a day, but are you really doing good clinical work with that 7th and 8th client? Are you holding your value, and are your clients getting better?

Plain and simple, here's what I recommend doing to maintain your most efficient schedule and minimize no-shows:

1. See no more than 6 clients per day. I find 6 to be a relatively heavy day for me in private practice, and if I see 6 in a day, I'm sure to schedule myself at least an hour and a half break in between two sets of 3.
2. Be clear and firm with your cancellation policy. You can try 24 hours, though I find 24 hours just isn't enough time to fill that slot, and that clients are more likely to cancel last minute when they have that window. I hold my clients to a 48 hour cancellation policy and charge their credit card (which I have on file) if they cancel. Because I'm clear about this in the beginning of our work together, I've never ever had any client push back on it. In fact, most clients are gracious, understanding, and encourage me to charge the cancellation fee.
3. Use a scheduling or practice management software that sends automatic appointment reminders. By doing so, I am able to go for weeks and sometimes a couple months without any no-shows or even late cancellations. For those who do cancel late without an urgent reason, my clients know that I'll hold to my policy by charging them the full fee session. Simple Practice has an appointment reminder feature that will send an email to clients 48 hours before their appointment (which is also their reminder to cancel right away if need be), and a text message 24 hours before the appointment. Afraid to spend the money on Simple Practice? For $50 a month, you can have a comprehensive practice management software that includes appointment reminders and even the ability for clients to book their own appointments. Let's say your fee is $150 and you had a no-show that never came back and paid. You pay for 3 months of Simple Practice (or its equivalent) and it reduces your no shows to zero. Even if the software prohibits just 1 no show without payment, it's already paid for itself for 3 months. What's not to love?
4. Offer 2 weekday evenings of appointment times. Especially if you are running or want to run an entirely fee-for-service practice, you need to offer times that best suit your working professional clients who are at the office from 9-5 with little flexibility. Hold your full fee for those slots, and stay firm. Start your evening hours at 530 PM so you give time for that first 9/5 client to get to your office on time, and then you might end the day with a 630 and a 730 slot. Then you can sleep in the next day and watch Netflix until 11 AM.

I know plenty of therapists who choose to offer a "free pass" to their clients during the first no-show or late cancellation (though they usually don't tell the client about this until it first occurs). I think that's a good practice to have because we do have to think about how our business operations affect our therapeutic relationships. At the same time, you have a business to run, and you must constantly convey your value to your clients.

Experiment with your schedule, and when you find what works, stick to it. Be flexible, but stay within your own boundaries. You're probably in private practice, after all, so you can have more time to yourself, investing in your health, family, and relationships.

I've learned an unbelievable amount about marketing from my dog trainer. Katrina Kensington, founder of Keen Dog in Charlotte NC is on the show to talk to us about building a community around your brand. Katrina also tells us how to differentiate your business, build lasting community partnerships, and how to gain and keep the attention of your audience.

Also included in this episode:

The OFFICIAL launch of Unconditional Media, a new digital marketing team for therapists, specializing in SEO and Google AdWords. Book your free consultation today at

www.unconditional.media

KeenDog is a lead by husband and wife team Katrina & Phillip Kensington. For nearly 7 years this dynamic duo has worked side by side to create innovative training techniques for both their clients and their trainers, with a mindset that every day we can improve as a company. It is our belief that dog training should be a fun and interactive life experience for both owner and dog, coaching both equally on how to properly communicate between two species and live a happy life together.

Katrina and Phillip exude our training philosophy of active training – they run, hike, bike, swim and weight train all with their four dogs – Zoey, a rescue Chow-mix, Bullet, a Cooper's Australian Shepherd, Carmella, a Season's Gold Golden Retriever, and Opie, a Southern Soul Australian Shepherd. Advocates for animal rights (Katrina herself is a vegan), this love for animals shows in their dog training techniques as they believe that training a dog to understand our language should be done using a variety of methods that is fair and fun.

Katrina has an eye for training both dogs and people, and her ability to multi-task at a quick speed, allows KeenDog to constantly be evolving. Katrina has also appeared in a variety of commercials (Cosequin) and television appearances (Good Day Charlotte), and is a leader in the dog training world with her many YouTube tutorial videos. Katrina is a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals and has completed PTSD Service Dog Training from This Able Veteran.

You know that having a high quality video on your website could give you the marketing edge you need, but you're worried about how you'll come across on camera and how you'll perform when the camera starts recording. Connor McClenehan, a clinicial psychologist and cofounder of Cupla Media, is on the show to talk to us about how to speak to your ideal client through video. Also included in this episode: how video has advanced Connor's practice, how to deal with performance anxiety, and how to deal with imposter syndrome on video. Finally, a big announcement:

On October 20, 2017, the Cupla brothers will be in Asheville NC for a day-long video retreat where you can have a super high-end video made for your practice at a fraction of the normal cost. What's even better: I'll be giving away FREE coaching at the event. Don't wait, reserve your spot today before it's too late:

www.privatepracticeworkshop.com/cupla

Connor McClenahan, PsyD creates videos for therapists so they can grown their practices. Connor founded Cupla Media when he realized the power of video marketing for his own practice in Downtown Los Angeles. Connor lives in Northern Los Angeles with his wife and 3 kids, and you'll find him cycling often in Angeles National Forest.

Even just hearing the term "SEO" gives you anxiety. It's one of many things in your practice that you know you need to address, but is likely to get neglected. Great SEO can be the difference between a practice that stagnates or thrives. In this solo episode, I help you first make the decision as to whether you want to try to do some SEO work yourself, or leave it to the pros. Next, I offer a wealth of really concrete, simple steps to follow for those who are ready to start tweaking their site right away. Also included in this episode:

1. How to do basic keyword research
2. The importance of services pages
3. Creating eye-catching page titles
4. Editing headings and subheadings
5. Formatting URLs
6. Revising page descriptions
7. Do I really need to blog?
8. The role of linking to and away from your site
9. Some lesser known ways to rank higher on Google

Sign up for the Business Basics Workshop course for free:

www.privatepracticeworkshop.com

ANNOUNCING: www.unconditional.media, the new digital marketing team for therapists.

You know your practice could be more successful if you really knew how to manage your time, minimize distractions, and prioritize the right task next. Ready to learn how to get more done in less time?

In this solo episode:

1. Creating effective boundaries with technology
2. How email creates mini-emergencies for you all day
3. The Pomodoro technique
4. Multitasking isn't real
5. How to plan your next 5 years and let that determine what you need to do this week
6. How to do your own time-study
7. Outsourcing the tasks that you don't need to be doing

www.privatepracticeworkshop.com

JUST LAUNCHED: JOHN'S NEW DIGITAL MARKETING TEAM FOR THERAPISTS:

www.unconditional.media

There are so many decisions to make everyday as a private practice owner. When it comes to making decisions about your marketing, it's easy to spend tons of time and money on things that just aren't working for you. Joe Sanok from Practice of the Practice is here to talk to us all about how to make decisions in marketing your practice, and how to know what's working. More in this episode:

1. The importance of including a personal touch
2. How to sketch out your ideal client
3. The importance of focusing on the outcome of therapy in your marketing
4. Good products integrate with our lives
5. How to work through "imposter syndrome"
6. How to make decisions based on what phase of growth your practice is in
7. How to remove yourself from tasks you don't need to be doing
8. A/B testing
9. Return on Investment (ROI) to inform decision-making
10. How to know if your marketing is working
11. Joe's 3 tips for success in marketing your practice

Joe Sanok is a speaker, mental health counselor, business consultant, and podcaster. Joe has the #1 podcast for counselors, The Practice of the Practice Podcast. With interviews with Pat Flynn, John Lee Dumas, Chris Ducker, Rob Bell, Glennon Doyle Melton, and Lewis Howes, Joe is a rising star in the speaking world!

Joe is a writer for PsychCentral, has been featured on the Huffington Post, Forbes, GOOD Magazine, Reader's Digest, Bustle, and Yahoo News. He is a keynote speaker, author of five books, and is a top-consultant.

Links:

Promo: www.practiceofthepractice.com/package code "john" gets $400 off

Webinar for Ideal Client: www.practiceofthepractice.com/idealclient

28-step checklist to start a practice: www.practiceofthepractice.com/start

Webinar Series: www.PracticeofthePractice.com/PracticeEssentials

Challenge: www.practiceofthepractice.com/challenge