In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is essential for any counsellor looking to grow their practice.

But with so much noise and competing advice out there, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, especially when it comes to marketing.

The good news? You don’t need to become a marketing guru to make an impact.

One of the most effective and ethical ways to attract clients and establish your credibility is through blogging.

Blogging allows you to share your knowledge, connect with potential clients, and build trust all while staying true to your values as a counsellor.

Whether you’re new to blogging or looking to refine your strategy, this guide will show you how to create content that not only resonates with your audience but also drives growth for your practice.

Ready to see how blogging can be a game-changer for your counselling practice? Let’s dive in.

'Attract Therapy Clients by Blogging (Even if Writing Isn’t Your Thing)' is run with Onlinevents and is an hour a day over 17th, 18th and 19th September.

This event is on a Pay What You Want basis, making price not a barrier to growth.

For more details and to book go to janetravis.co.uk/blogforclients

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For all my free and paid resources go to janetravis.co.uk/starthere

NEWS: I'm restarting the podcast on 5th Septrember 2024, so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode.

I’ve talked a lot about the importance of consistency AND the power of taking breaks when you run a private practice

And I’ve also talked about the importance of self care and the need to change, grow and develop. 

So today I’m sharing why, after 168 consistent weekly episodes, I’ve decided to hit pause on the podcast.

FREE and paid resources

Post-Christmas, everything feels a bit... off, doesn't it? The excitement of the festive season is behind us, and we're left with cold weather and what feels like an eternity until spring

And there's this gnawing anxiety about whether your counselling practice will weather the storm of the cost of living crisis. Fun times, right? 

But before we decide to hibernate until spring, I've been toying with an idea. Let's call it the 'work diet.' It's about doing a Marie Kondo on our professional lives, keeping only what truly 'sparks joy'—or, you know, actually benefits our practice—and ditching the rest. Because maybe, just maybe, simplifying is the secret to not just surviving but thriving right now.

So in this episode I share 5 simple ways to conserve your valuable energy for both you and your practice.

Do you take advantage of video in your marketing, whether that’s on your website, social media, YouTube or somewhere else?

There’s no denying it, video has become increasingly important in marketing. So if you’re thinking of utilising the power for your own practice but don’t know where to start this is for you.

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If you don't use video on your marketing, could it be that you…

• Maybe you have a fear of visibility?
• Perhaps a fear of being trolled?
• Maybe you’re not sure what to say?
• Or maybe the tech scares you?

If you answered yes to any - or all of those, this is the episode for you, because we are exploring making videos for social media and I’m delighted to have therapist and YouTuber Sarah Dosanjh here as my guest. 

Sarah wrote the book ‘I can’t stop eating’ and co-hosts the podcast ‘Life After Diets’. 

But she has her own successful YouTube channel ‘The Binge Eating Therapist’ since 2019, and as such knows a thing or two about using video.

Today Sarah shares some advice about

• How to get started
• Managing fears around visibility
• What tech you will need
• Some practical tips about editing

So take a listen - I think you’re going to like this one!

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See, I told you she’s great! And I’m feeling so motivated, in Q2 (April - June) I am going to focus on starting to produce video and get more comfortable with it. 

There, I said it out loud. So are you going to join me? Hop on over to my socials and let me know.

So if you’ve been thinking about dipping your toe into video, I hope this has inspired you to take the plunge too. 

Sarah Dosanjh is a TA psychotherapist and author of the book ‘I Can't Stop Eating’. She is passionate about helping those struggling with binge eating and/or body image to find peace and freedom around food.

And if you are in or around Bournemouth or are happy to travel there, Sarah is offering to help you 1:1 to get started. 

So if that sounds good to you, or you want to check out her YouTube channel, podcast, book, training or anything else, check out her 'How I Can Help' page

Sarah has  been a guest on my podcast before - so check out ep 81, ‘The Reality of Consistency’, and ep 37, ‘How Having a Niche Diversified My Business’.

...And just a note, the lapel mic Sarah talked about is no longer on Amazon, so look for a lapel mic that connects directly to your phone

When you think of counselling, what comes to mind? Maybe 2 people sitting facing each other talking. But that’s not going to work for everyone.

So today I’m going to explore walk and talk counselling with counsellor Eileen Fisher.

We’ll take a look at her experience of offering this type of counselling so you can consider whether it’s something you want to offer in your own practice - or even for your own counselling. 

We talk about:

• How she got into walk and talk counselling
• The benefits of walk and talk counselling
• Is this more useful for a certain type of person?
• How do you choose where to walk
• Should you charge more for walk and talk counselling?
• How do you approach safety?
• How to handle confidentiality?
• Can I do this if I’m in an urban area?
• What about insurance?
• How to handle bad weather
• Introducing creativity

Eileen has such a calm and reassuring voice, I could talk to her all day.

So over to you, is this something you’d be interested in doing?

Well if you are and you’d like a chat with Eileen, she offers a power hour where you can get together and get your questions answered.

And as she mentioned, if you are in the Greater Manchester area, you could even have your chat while on a walk - how cool is that? CLICK HERE to learn about walk and talk therapy for therapists

Eileen is a TA therapist who works with adults in Cheshire and Greater Manchester.

Her practice is a mix of online, face-to-face and walking clients. She sees clients face-to-face at her office in Wilmslow and walks with people at nearby locations.

She started walking with people in 2018, and now walking therapy is integral to her practice.

Eileen now offers walking therapy training to therapists interested in working with clients in this way. If you'd like to learn more visit Eileen Fisher Therapy HERE

I hope you found this podcast as interesting as I did, and if you decide to offer walking therapy, I'd love to know!

And remember to hit subscribe so you don't miss a episode.

January is traditionally a time reflect on the previous year and make plans for the coming one.

So to get things moving, I’m going to talk about the benefits of setting intentions.

We’ll look at the difference between an intention and a goal, why an intention might be a better choice for you and how to decide what yours is.

I’ll also share some of my own intentions for 2024.

Sounds good? Ok, lets gets stuck in and take a look at your 2024 private practice roadmap!

3 Differences Between Goals and Intentions  https://theempowermentdynamic.com/3-differences-between-goals-and-intentions-2  

I am delivering the Private Practice Success Roadmap LIVE over the first 6 months of 2024.

We look at:

• You and what you want from your practice - because self care is vital (your business, your rules)
• Your clients, and understanding their wants and needs
• Your website - how to turn it into a powerful tool to attract your dream clients
• Being relatable by producing content to connect with your dream clients
• Using socials to attract and engage with your dream clients
• Mindset, and learning how to stop self-sabotaging

This gives you all you need to get clear and confident with your marketing - and remember, we are looking at what’s right FOR YOU - there is no one size fits all answer.

And the beauty of delivering this live is you’re not alone! You’ll do doing this along with a supportive community

I’ll be delivering it in small, manageable steps which will stop that nasty overwhelm AND you’ll get that accountability, which will keep you motivated.

Also, because it's being delivered live, you will be able to ask all your questions as we go along, both in the member community and in monthly dedicated Pick My Brain calls.

Can’t make the calls live? Don't worry, everything will be recorded so you can catch up at a time thats convenient for you.

Oh, and you get a CPD certificate for all training you complete.

I’m buzzing about this, because yes, it’ll be great for you, but also I’ll be there with you, and that’s what I love doing most of all. Delivering live workshops, getting to know members and helping them grow their confidence - and hearing about their successes is why I do this.

This is a live programme is led by me personally and will give you all you need to get clear and confident on your marketing message, but there will even be occasional guest experts to come and share their wisdom.

This change came about because I knew I needed to get intentional about how I spent my time, and because I had to make the most of the time I have available in order to practice really fundamental self care.

So, if you’ve reached the end of 2023 and feel frustrated that you didn’t get as much done as you’d hoped, this is for you.

Or if you’ve lost your mojo and feel dissatisfied, this is for you.

Or if you’ve been getting overwhelmed by how long your to-do list is, this is for you.

Beat the price increase

Oh, and also the price for the membership is increasing. If you join now on an annual membership it's £450, which includes 2 months free, so you save £90.

Or you can pay monthly, which is £45 a month.

The price is increasing on 10th Jan and will be £50 a month or £500 for the year, which saves you a not to shabby £100

So if you’ve been on the fence about joining, this is literally the best time to do it,

Oh, and if you’re not really sure, join and take a look around. If you join and realise its not for you, no problem, just email me and I’ll repay you in full, no questions asked. It’s a no brainer really because there is no risk.

You can find out more and join at Grow Your Private Practice

Have you noticed how the dream of Christmas and the reality of Christmas rarely look the same? 

So how can you extend all that goodwill to include yourself?

Because you deserve all the good stuff too!

So in this episode, we check out how to get some real counsellor self-care this Christmas.

We look at

• The importance of self care for counsellors
• 5 ways to nurture yourself over Christmas
• The importance of personal development
• How you do life is how you do business

So this year, make sure Santa has you on his 'nice' list, and take it easy.

2 part self care blog mini series 'Therapist Self Care: Why it’s vital for you and your clients', and 'Real Therapist Self Care: 22 Practical Ways to Increase Self Care'. 

How being a people-pleaser can affect your private practice – and what to do about it

This episode is the last of a 4 part mini-series where I talk with neurodivergent counsellors, about their experience of running a practice.

They may have autism, ADHD, be dyslexic or a combination of these things.

Today I have Carly Radford with me, who shares her experience of running a private practice while having autism and ADHD.

This includes her diagnosis experience, misconceptions about autism, and the challenges of masking and hiding in the neurodiverse (ND) community.

She also delves into managing autistic burnout, the significance of a conducive work environment, and hurdles in organisation, time management, and productivity.

Additionally, Carly offers tips for those at the beginning of their neurodivergent self-discovery and neurodivergent business owners, emphasising the importance of self-compassion and embracing sensitivity for a more authentic existence.

I learned such a lot from our talk, and something that particularly resonated with me was how she manages autistic burnout, and this has changed my own working practices. I often have a critical voice buzzing around in my head telling me I’m lazy and suchlike, so I found how she prioritises her needs inspirational - thank you Carly. 

In the new year (2024), Carly is running an adult late-identified autistic group with another counsellor and is planning to speak more about the above topics on her social media channels.

To follow her work you can find her on Instagram, so go and say hi! : @the_sensitivity_therapist and tiktok: @sensitivity_therapist

Carly is an integrative psychotherapist who predominately works with trauma, anxiety, high-achievers and more increasingly, neurodivergence.

She is passionate about working with these difficulties through the lens of highly-sensitive nervous systems, cultivating self-compassion and embracing our sensitivity to lead to more authentic ways of being in the world.

Carly has a particular interest in supporting those at the the start of their neurodivergent self-discovery and in working with neurodivergent business owners, so if that sounds like you, drop her a line at [email protected] 

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This is the last of the Neurodivergent Voices in Therapy mini series, and I hope you’ve found it useful. I certainly have.

I feel so honoured to have had such inspirational people here sharing their experiences.

I’d like to thank Carly Radford, Chris Oxborrow, Eve Menezes Cunningham and Tracy Clark for talking with me. I’ve learned lot - and especially around my own self care needs. 

So go check them out on social media and say hi 😀

Thanks for listening to The Grow Your Private Practice Show. If you've found value in this content, I’d be really grateful if you could share this podcast with your counsellor colleagues and friends. 

Word of mouth is a powerful way to spread the word and help me reach more counsellors who could benefit from this content. 

So take a moment to tell your friends about the show and invite them to tune in. You never know how much of an impact you can make! Thank you for your support, and let's continue to grow together.

This is the third of a 4-part mini-series where we explore running a private practice when affected by autism, ADHD, dyslexia or a combination of those things. 

This week I am talking with Tracy Clark about running a practice with dyslexia.

I’ve known Tracy for some time: she used to be a member of the Grow Your Private Practice membership, and I couldn't be happier to have her as a guest in the Neurodivergent Voices in Therapy series.

Tracy is a neurodivergent counsellor who supports and works alongside neurodiverse young people, adults and couples. 

Today we talk about:

• The impact of a dyslexia diagnosis
• The benefits of self-disclosure
• Dyslexia and running a business
• The importance of trusting your intuition and trusting the process
• The need for robust self-care
• Positives of dyslexia in the therapy room

Tracy says:

"I am a neurodivergent counsellor who supports and works alongside neurodiverse young people, adults and couples. 

Within my working week I can be found working 2 days a week in a charity in the central belt of Scotland and the rest of the week in my private practice. I am also a supervisor of trainee counsellors as well as qualified counsellors. 

My interest in working alongside neurodivergent individuals comes from both a personal perspective as well as a professional capacity, also as a supervisor being able to support other counsellors.

I have also delivered workshops in this area, as well as being invited to chat with the lovely Jane Travis now twice on this topic, which is very close to my heart. 

More awareness, more conversations means embracing the amazing uniqueness of human beings. 

For some downtime and self-care I also offer doodle workshops check out the links for more information, as well as workshops with CTUK (Counsellors Together UK) or Onlinevents."

Connect with Tracy on LinkedIn

Website

How making a typo changed Tracys business

How can I help you? Here are my free and paid resources

Welcome to this, the second of my 4 part mini-series, Neurodivergent Voices In Therapy.

In this series, I had the pleasure of speaking with 4 amazing therapists about how their neurodivergence impacts them as private practitioners. 

We explore what it’s like to run a practice when you have autism, ADHD, dyslexia or a combination of those things. 

So if you are neurodivergent, or know people that are, this is for you.

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I'm delighted to say that this week I have Eve Menezes Cunningham with me.

I’ve known Eve for some time, she was also in the Grow Your Private Practice membership, and I can tell you she is one of the kindest people you will ever have the good fortune to meet.

And I am delighted to have her as a guest in the Neurodivergent Voices in Therapy series.

Eve specialises in all things self-care (she describes it as ‘ Self-care for connecting with and taking better care of your highest, wisest, truest, wildest, most joyful, brilliant and miraculous Self - how cool is that?!)

I could talk with Eve for hours, because we are quite different in our outlook - Eve is a very spiritual person, and I’m not spiritual at all, so I always learn so much a lot from her.

She is an author, therapist, supervisor, master NLP practitioner, advanced EFT practitioner, experienced yoga teacher, and more (read 'About Eve below).

In this podcast, we chat about:

• Self-care and people-pleasing within the therapist community
• The benefits of self-knowledge
• ‘Addictive personality’ Vs impulse control
• The importance of rest
• The benefits of Yoga Nidra

...and more. 

Eve is a very busy person! She is the author of 365 Ways to Feel Better: Self-care Ideas for Embodied Wellbeing.  She also runs Feel Better Every Day (aka selfcarecoaching.net).

Integrating a wide range of therapies, coaching and supervision, she specialises in all things self care especially around trauma, anxiety, stress, sleep issues and finding more purpose, meaning and joy.

Eve offers free resources via selfcarecoaching.net and runs the Extra Embodied (Wellbeing with Eve) online membership (evemc.substack.com) with exclusive content live coaching calls each week helping people integrate self care practices into their daily lives.

Eve’s work incorporates traditional talk therapy and coaching as well as somatic (body based) and energy approaches for a holistic approach.

She is a British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Senior Accredited Supervisor and Past Chair of BACP Coaching, an Irish Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP) Accredited supervisor and counsellor, EFT International Accredited Mentor and Advanced EFT Practitioner, a Yoga Professionals UK Experienced Yoga Teacher and NLP Master Practitioner.

She has been on the editorial team for Rapport, ANLP’s NLP journal, since 2007. Eve’s work been featured in titles including Psychologies, Therapy Today, Coaching Today, the FT, Guardian, Evening Standard, Metro, Telegraph and Daily Mail.

A member of IACP's editorial committee, she edited the Summer 2022 edition of the Irish Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Based in Westport, on the west coast of Ireland, Eve works online and by telephone with clients and supervisees across the UK and Ireland with some nature based outdoor sessions in Westport.

So go and say hi to her!