Selling the Couch

Today’s topic is a relevant one for any clinician interested in diversity and multiculturalism. It can be fulfilling and empowering to show up in authentic ways for your clients, especially with today’s increased awareness of diversity and social justice. I hope you’ll join us to learn more. Our Featured GuestDr. Lindsey BrooksDr. Lindsey Brooks is a licensed psychologist. In these times of racial injustice, many of us wonder how to be a clinician in private practice who shows up in multicultural identities. Lindsey is here to share what she’s learned along the way in her niche of underrepresented achievers. We’ll talk about how Lindsey came upon that niche and how she gathers ideas to speak to that population on her website. She has helpful tips for taking and transcribing voice notes. Lindsey shares what a multicultural practice looks like for her and common mistakes she sees other clinicians make. WebsiteSexual Empowerment SchoolYou'll Learn:●     How Lindsey determined to present herself as authentic and genuine with her clients●     How Lindsey connects with those whom she serves●     How Lindsey goes “old school” and transcribes voice memos as if she’s having a conversation with a client●     How Lindsey decided to work with underrepresented achievers●     How to determine which parts of yourself to hold back in private practice and how much personal detail to share●     Why Lindsey is intentional about serving a multicultural and diverse community in her practice●     A practical first step toward a multicultural practice is to have a small group community (For Lindsey, it’s a book club) to learn and grow regarding social justice issues●     Common mistakes that clinicians make in developing a multicultural practice:○     Not doing the ongoing work required○     Not “talking the talk” when opportunities arise to use your voice●     Lindsey’s sexual empowerment groups for womenTranscript:Melvin:Hello, hello, welcome to session 262 of Selling the Couch. I hope you are doing well having a good start to the New Year. I'm actually recording this in late December, two days before Christmas. And yeah, I am doing well given everything I know that vaccines have started to roll out and I'm hoping by the time this episode starts, it becomes live that more of us will be able to get the vaccine; if you would like to get the vaccine, of course. And yeah, just more than anything, just wanted to encourage you to continue to lean on your loved ones, your social support, lean on our side of the couch community as we navigate all of this.Today's podcast session is with Dr. Lindsey Brooks. Lindsey is a licensed psychologist; her website is at drlindseytherapy.com. And we're talking all about developing a multi-cultural niche in private practice. I know that especially given everything that has happened in our country, particularly this year, and definitely in years past, but I think really has been magnified with racial injustice, the continued murders of black men and women and all of those different things.I know that many of us are thinking about what it looks like to be a clinician in private practice, and how do we show up in our multicultural identities, I guess is what I'm trying to say. And so Lindsey is here to share some of the things that she has learned along the way.Her niche is underrepresented achievers. We're going to be talking about how Lindsey came upon that niche, how she gathers ideas, to be able to speak to that population, on her website, and all of those different things, including some really cool tips for like taking voice notes, and all of those different things. And even some of the things that I started doing just to make that process a lot easier to be able to get a good copy content versus sticking to more academic language, which I know a lot of us struggle with.We are going to then transition to talking about what a multicultural practice looks like for Lindsey and then a common mistake that Lindsey sees when clinicians do try to develop multicultural practices. So we'll get right to today's podcast session. Here's my conversation with Dr. Lindsey Brooks from drlindseytherapy.com.Hey, Lindsey, welcome to Selling the Couch.Lindsey:Hey Melvin, thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here. I've listened for so long, so I can't believe I'm talking to you live.Melvin:Well, I'm really grateful for your time. I know you're out in California, and you're a trooper for being willing to record this at 7am and yeah, so thank you on my end as well.Lindsey:Of course, no problem.Melvin:You have been busy in private practice doing like so many interesting things and before we get into our conversation, I just wanted to tell you like just looking through your website, I felt like there was just a real sense, I got to know you and I feel like that's something that a lot of clinicians struggle with. So I just wanted to give you like props on that because you did that so well.Lindsey:That means a lot. Yeah, I put a lot of thought and effort into it and want it to really be genuine. So that means a lot.Melvin:I know and maybe we can actually just kind of start there. You said you did put a lot of like work and thought into that. I guess what did that look like? Was it like brainstorming? What does that even look like at a practical level?Lindsey:Yeah, well, I spent a lot of time really just thinking about my niche and thinking about who I wanted to serve, and then wanting to make sure, okay, I'm really speaking to that, I'm speaking to the people I want to speak to and I'm speaking from a place of service. So just having that mindset was a big piece of it to switch from like, let me present my CV and all the things I've done. Just kind of get away from that academic mindset and think about I'm speaking to a real person and make sure I'm speaking to them and to give myself permission to be more real and not a blank slate. So I think it was a lot of mindset work was the main thing.Melvin:Yeah, I feel like this is even so many of us struggle with, I struggle with as well right? Because we go through undergrad, grad school, apply for jobs, all these sorts of things and it's always our achievements or what's told should be emphasized. But especially in developing a private practice, particularly one that's more niche there's a lot of wisdom I think in showing up in the way that makes the most sense for you.How did you even again, just sort of at a practical level, we all grew up with this training like you got to highlight your CV, you got to do all of this. How did you hold that sort of fear or anxiety or even power, but then say, “You know what, I have to show up on my website, in a way that connects with those who I've met serve.”Lindsey:Yeah, I think building community that shared a different story. It really helped. I found a community of folks who were also starting private practice and trying to kind of undo that learning. So surrounding myself with those people and talking with them really helped. And then also something I did that I just this idea came to me, I don't know where it came from, but instead of like sitting down and writing, I did like voice memos into my phone. Like, I just started talking to my phone, almost as if I was talking to a person and that generated a lot of ideas. And then I just actually, like, just started transcribing that and took that as my starting point and I think that just helped kind of break out of the old patterns.Melvin:That's so awesome. Okay, the nerded me is going to totally try to dissect all of this. So you transcribed voice memos, and I imagine like you're going on a walk, you're taking a hike, maybe you're at the grocery store, I don't know, like random cooking, right? What are you transcribing? Just random thoughts or things that you could say, take us a little inside that?Lindsey:Yeah, sometimes just random thoughts like, oh, make sure you include this or make sure you include that. But I think what was most helpful was talking as if I was actually talking to the client like, “Oh, you're going through this or that.” My niche is working with underrepresented achievers. So a big part of that as often like, struggling with believing you're enough. So I say things like, “Oh, so you're dealing with that feeling that you're not enough.” That feeling comes up again, like talking almost as if it was a real conversation, which sounds a little kooky as I say it out loud. But I think that helps me get into more of that conversational style and come up with some of those more genuine words and language that I can translate over to the website.Melvin:Yeah and I don't think it's kooky at all because I think one of the things is, it's helping you to break out of that academic mindset and into almost like human language, right?Lindsey:Yeah.Melvin:I do something like very similar with voice dictation and one thing I've recently been doing is, I have a friend who's actually also in California, he's a YouTuber, he's an online creator and so entrepreneurs are sort of MySpace and so obviously, he's not a client, but he's like my perfect client. And so one of the things we do is like a mastermind, and we discovered recently that you can use zoom, and there's a software program called otter.ai, which is like artificial intelligence transcription, like real time transcription.Essentially, what we'll do is we'll get on zoom, and I'll ask him stuff, like, “What are your biggest fears as an entrepreneur? Or what are your biggest hopes?” And this thing will transcribe our conversation in the background, so that at the end of it, we have this nice transcription. And then I can go through and highlight key things he said which to incorporate into a website. I don't even think what you're doing is like crazy at all. I think it's smart because, for example, in clinician speak, we might be like seems your self-esteem really is at a certain place and that's maybe not what underrepresented achievers are necessarily saying, right?Lindsey:Exactly! Yeah, I don't think I've had anyone say, “Oh, I'm struggling with self-esteem.” You have to think about one of the world’s real people use not just us in our jargon.Melvin:What are you using to just dictate; the voice thing on your iPhone or what?Lindsey:Yeah, just the voice app.Melvin:And then how are you transcribing it, what do you usually use?Lindsey:I'm old school, I listen to it, and then I type.Melvin:Nice, back to our grad school; transcribing our practical videos.Lindsey:Exactly.Melvin:I joke about that, but I actually think that would be really kind of empowering because it would allow you to hone in on certain phrases and things like that.Lindsey:Yeah, exactly. I found it useful for my process, just to be really engaged with it and that it was many iterations and tweaking, and I will still continue to tweak it, but it's going to have my hands in it more, I think helped me.Melvin:Are these recordings more spontaneous? Or do you like set aside time to almost brainstorm or think through things?Lindsey:It’s spontaneous. Yeah, I usually get the most creative ideas, when I just let them come spontaneously.Melvin:Really random questions; I feel like many of us have really great ideas and we have those ideas that spontaneously come. At least for me, there's a moment where I have an idea and then I'm like, “Oh, that's a dumb idea.” Versus like, “Oh, I should probably write that down or record it.” How do you take that step to actually record it? Versus being like, “Oh, Lindsey, that's a dumb idea.”Lindsey:Yeah, I just think I really practice that self-compassion, and just really give myself permission to just say whatever is coming to your mind, it doesn't have to be good, it doesn't have to be perfect, and just put it out there. And I'm going to hone it and make sure I like it before I put it out there into the world; but when I'm just with myself brainstorming, just really trying to quiet any of those voices of judgment.Melvin:I have this image of like, working with clay on a potter's wheel, when you first have that piece of clay, just a lump of clay and the most important step you take is to put that clay on the wheel and slowly over time it molds. I just had that image as you were talking, because I think that's right. Like the most important step is to put it on there, get that idea out there and then you can tweak and refine and all those things.Lindsey:Yeah, I love that.Melvin:So on your website, you share that underrepresented achievers are my people, which by the way, I love that phrasing. Tell us more about how you found this space?Lindsey:Sure, yeah. Well, that was a phrase that came to me in a brainstorming and talking out loud session and I found it really fit. But how I came to that and thought that's what I want my specialty to be and my focus as with everything. I think commonly starts back with our family. And when I look back out my story, and I think back to my mom, and growing up with her as she was an awesome badass first generation college student and she was going to college when I was growing up. So she grew up in a time in the 50s, and 60s, in a more conservative area where there wasn't an expectation or resources for her to go to college, and that woman particularly would go to college.And so I grew up in a situation where she was going to college, working, and taking care of two kids and seeing her deal with the barrier she was dealing with just to get her college education. I'm sure I could not articulate it at the time as a kid. But now looking back, I can see how that planted a seed of empathy for anyone struggling with these systemic barriers that get in the way of something as simple as wanting to get education.And then as I got to know myself more and have my own experiences, understand my own identities, having my own experiences with that, both as a woman, as a queer, bisexual person, I've had experience of being the only one of those identities in the room, or the one a very few have experienced that pressure of oh, I've got to represent my group. I want to make sure I'm advocating for my group and speaking up for my group and also everyone is looking at me as the representative and the pressure that's there and so I've had my own moments of struggles with those feelings as well.But then over time learning, okay, I also have privilege that has helped me navigate those barriers for myself as a white person, a white therapist, thinking about how all those things weaved together began to form an ally identity. So it was kind of my journey over college and graduate school, and so then once the time came to start a private practice, it just felt really natural that I wanted to bring all those pieces of my experience together that I really wanted to serve people who have similar experiences to me and support them, as well as different experiences to me that face different systemic barriers, and be an ally and be of service. So just felt like a really natural outgrowth that. Of course, I want to serve the communities I'm most passionate about supporting.Melvin:Yeah, I think we just articulated that so well. I feel like some of the best private practitioners are the ones, who private practice is not just a means of income, but it's rooted in their own story and how they've been able to weave their own stories and narratives into their private practice. How do you figure out for you because this is honestly a struggle for me, how do you figure out what parts of your story or identity show up in private practice and what parts you kind of hold back? Just because like privacy, or any of those kind of things?Lindsey:Sure. Yeah in general, I think I take a pretty feminist perspective, which is that we're all real people with real experiences, and we can't pretend that we can totally keep those at the door. So, to a degree, I think I bring all of those things into the room. As I say that, though, I don't disclose a lot, which is interesting. But I think it's just in the way I embody it and the way people seek me out knowing oh, okay, she holds a social justice perspective, they see that on my website, I think they see that in how I interact with them and the questions I ask them. So it comes through, but also without me sharing a lot of detail.So I think where the line is, for me, I don't share a lot of detail about, “Well, this is the personal struggle I had, here's the emotions I had, and here's the thing I had to get over.” I don't share that. But it may make statements as like, “Oh, as marginalized people, we sometimes go through blah, blah, blah.” So I might join with them to help them feel seen and understood. But making sure of course, the space is about them, and them getting support is not showing a lot of detail about my experience.Melvin:Yeah, that makes perfect sense. So it's almost like you focus on the overarching value and the overarching experience, as opposed to going into the details, at least in session. Now for things like a website, or even like when a client calls like, I guess what does that line for you too? Do you self-disclose more on your website? And if so, what's that? And again, I know, this isn't so black and white. But just kind of curious, because I've always been...

Like many of you, I’m looking forward to a different 2021, but I am grateful for what we’ve learned about ourselves, our businesses, and our resilience. Today’s topic is more relevant than ever, as we all want to learn more about improving our private practice website. Join us to learn more! Our Featured GuestDaniel FavaDaniel Fava, from Private Practice Elevation, is my friend and an expert in website design. I trust his insight and advice, and I rely heavily on him for everything website-related. Daniel is here to share what is working for private practice websites post-pandemic. Much of what we think about our private practice websites has shifted greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what used to serve us well may not be working now. As many of us are transitioning to full-time online counseling or at least some increased element of online therapy, Daniel’s advice is relevant and timely.WebsiteROI ReportWebsite AuditYou'll Learn:What has changed about websites and online traffic since the pandemic beganThree things that are working well for private practice websites:A professional website is more important than ever.People are searching online, so you need to have a presence there that stands out.Content is the foundation for getting found online.Foundational content includes your home page, service pages, and specialty pages.Online therapy has become an essential part of private practice.Your website audience is now expanded throughout your entire state, instead of just your local vicinity. How to incorporate non-written content, like videos and podcasts, into your websiteWhy you should take this opportunity to view your website through new eyesTranscript:Melvin:Hello, welcome to session 262 of Selling the Couch. I hope you are having a good start to the New Year. Man after the fun adventure that was 2020 I am really looking forward to a different 2021. At the same time, I feel like I'm so grateful. As hard as this has been that in some ways that we were able to go through this because I think it's definitely taught all of us just how resilient we are; especially if you have been able to manage a business and during a pandemic, you're pretty legit.So today's podcast session is with my good friend Daniel Fava from Private Practice Elevation. Daniel is an expert when it comes to website design. It's someone I rely on for both STC and my private practice website. And Daniel is here to share three of the things that are working for private practice websites post-pandemic. I know that how we think about private practice and even how we think about our private practice websites has shifted in the midst of this pandemic.There are just things that were working in the past that are not working as well now and we've learned a lot of insights and key things in terms of what could work and what will be working going forward. Especially as many of us transition either fully to online counseling or maintain some element of online counseling in our practices. I think there are just a lot of different things there. So we'll get right to today's conversation. Here is my conversation with Daniel Fava from privatepracticeelevation.com.Hey, Daniel, welcome back to Selling the Couch.Daniel:Hey Melvin, how's it going? Thanks so much for having me back.Melvin:You're welcome. And Happy New Year, because by the time this releases, it'll be the New Year.Daniel:That's right. That's always the interesting and strange part of recording podcasts is the timing bit because we're recording before Christmas, but we're saying Happy New Year.Melvin:Yes, absolutely. We have to get it all in our mind.Daniel:Yeah.Melvin:I'm really excited for our conversation because this pandemic this past year has up ended so many things. Even I think about like just across but especially in the mental health field. Many of us have had to transition to telehealth, think differently about marketing, and think differently about our websites. Even as we record this right now, we've had one vaccine that's I guess been approved for emergency use, but looks like a second and potentially third and fourth ones on the way. So we see the dim light at the end of the tunnel.But I do feel like this is definitely going to change our field and how we see private practice. And I'm grateful for this conversation because you're my friend, first of all, and second here, someone that I really trust when it comes to just learning about what's working for private practice websites and websites in general. So I’m grateful for this time together.Daniel:Yeah, thank you so much. I'm grateful for it too. I really appreciate you having me on and it's always fun to chat about this stuff. I know that we tend to geek out a bit and so you're kind of like an equal with me as we nerd out on some of this stuff and dig into it. It's a lot of fun.Melvin:Yeah, absolutely! About you, I would say you're probably a little bit more. I love websites, but when it comes to at least a website, I think you take it to a level that’s more than I can go. So perhaps you’re my nerdy friend.We were thinking about the topic for this podcast conversation, and one of the things we just realized is, websites are changing, and how we think about websites are changing in the midst of this pandemic, and even afterwards, and what I asked Daniel to share was the three things that are working for private practice websites post-pandemic. So we'll just jump right in.Daniel, what would you say is like-- well, I guess maybe even before we get into those three things, if you could sort of give a big picture overview, how did people look at websites pre-pandemic and what do you think has changed since the pandemic?Daniel:Yeah. Well, I think that for a while, I kind of noticed, and I've been doing websites for therapists and private practice owners for little over four years now. And so I have seen sort of a shift and it's been kind of slow going from people were like, “Oh, maybe I need a website, maybe I don't. I've got referral networks going on. Maybe just having really basic website is enough and it's just a place that I can send people to.”But then over the years as platforms like Squarespace have evolved and they've become more popular People are starting to see really the importance or have been seeing the importance of having a website and how it can be really an asset in their business to get more clients. That shift has really been happening slowly over the years that I've been noticing.I remember when I first began this work and kind of just talking to people and looking at in like social media and Facebook groups and stuff like that. A lot of people there are still in this mix of like, “Oh, I'm thinking about starting a website, do I really need a website?” That sort of thing, but I feel like people have kind of really grabbed hold of; yes. “Yes, I do. I do need a website.” And especially with the shift to more online therapy, and not being able to do in person marketing and networking and stuff like that; it's become more important than ever.Melvin:Yeah, absolutely! I forgot who mentioned this. But this phrase has always resonated with me that, website is the modern day business card and I feel like that that statement is true now more than ever. Like you said, because of like, so many restrictions and having a presence online is just really important, especially because telehealth was growing, and it's definitely not going away post-pandemics.Daniel:Yeah, absolutely, and that's really my point number one was kind of just starting at the beginning. And I wrote down in my notes here, a professional website is more important than ever, because so many people are turning to online, so many people are turning to searching- clients are searching for these services in Google and if you're not able to do in person networking, and you don't have a number of different streams for your marketing, you could be missing out on a lot of potential clients there.Melvin:Yeah, absolutely! So you said a professional website is more important than ever. So what's the difference between a regular website and a professional website?Daniel:Well, with the shift that's been happening is that a lot more people are as we said, getting smart to the fact that you need to have that presence online, especially if you're doing online therapy, you can reach more and more people and we'll talk a little bit more about that later on. So many people really hustled to get their online presence in order. And that was really what we saw a lot in my business was, I got all this influx of people who were like, “My website is just, it's really crappy, I haven't done anything with it. It's just kind of there. But now we are really in need of more clients especially with the uncertainty of COVID.”When all that started a lot of people weren't investing in their online marketing or their website. So a number of therapists came running to us like, “Hey, I need help, I got to get this in order, we need to get this up, so our clients don't dry up.” That's great, but when you kind of look at the big picture for each of those individual therapists, that often lead to even more competition; more people are investing in their websites, more people are getting their SEO in order. So that means that there's more competition, especially if you're in a densely populated area or largest city.So it's important not to only have a website, but you have to have one that really stands out, because people are going to be doing those searching, they're going to be researching who do they want to work with, who's the best person to help me with my challenges. So you want to make sure that your website stands out. So when I talk about professional, and this is not just because I am a web designer, yeah that can be a little bit of part of it.But you want a website that does what it's meant to do. It's got to be clean; it's got to be modern and easy to use. And if you really want to stand out among that crowd of competition, you want your website to look stellar, you want it to be professional, you want it to work the way it's supposed to work to get you more clients.Melvin:Yeah, absolutely, and I think both with selling the couch as well as my private practice website, I felt like, especially with selling the couch, I felt like I was like a little bit naive to it. I just thought, what website is, I can kind of use a template and put my main sections up and put the words up. But I think what you're saying is a website in a way is kind of this living, breathing thing and evolving thing. So just because you post something or have a certain sections doesn't mean you stop tweaking it.Daniel:Yeah, absolutely, and I understand that there's certainly a starting point for everybody. Budgets are super important when it comes to should you invest or should you build it yourself? You want to make sure that no matter what stage you're at, you are investing whether that's time or money into your website to make it better and better and make it stand.One client of ours comes to mind and she is in New York City and so there's a lot of competition in her location and she had a website that she put together herself on Wix, and there was a lot of just for me, as a designer, when I come to it, I can see all the things that are just kind of out of place, or it's missing the right content, or it's hard to schedule that first appointment or a consultation call. And so we worked on her website, and we redesigned it made it beautiful, professional, easy to use works on mobile, and then when her website went live in just three months, she went from about eight clients a week to 25 clients a week.That project actually, funny thing, it didn't really have a lot of focus on SEO. But because she was getting a number of people searching through Psychology and landing on her website, because we focused on that conversion optimization, she was able to get more leads, have more phone calls with people, and then sign those people up.So certainly investing in a website; it's my hope, it’s my desire and it's really our goal to make sure that we help our clients reach those goals and impact their business. Like I don't want to just create pretty websites to create pretty websites, and that's something that I’ve really been passionate about over the last year, is I want to dig in and be a partner with people in their private practices, in their business and how many more clients do they want in their business? What goals are they trying to achieve?Melvin:Yeah, I know. Absolutely, all are really good points. I wanted to come back to something you said a little bit earlier.Daniel:Sure.Melvin:A professional website-- like this is can really be silly question; should there be like, especially in 2121, should there be like certain core elements in a professional website? Like, you should have a homepage, you should have a specialty page, like any of that kind of stuff? I'd be like, really interested to hear from you and pick your brain on that.Daniel:Yeah, absolutely, and we can actually go there. That's kind of part of my point number two here for things that are working post-pandemic.Melvin:It's so funny. Like I asked Daniel like to share these tips, but I haven't seen the tips, and it's funny how we're on the same wavelength. So yeah, let's jump into point two, then.Daniel:Yeah, you're tracking with me here. So number two is that content is still the foundation for getting found online. With the folks who have come to us over the last year who are really starting to focus in on their online marketing, I would hear time and again, “We're not getting found for these keywords, the right types of clients that we want to track aren't coming to the website.” And when I dig in and look at their current website, I can see just clear holes in their content.I've really been working on really our process at Private Practice Elevation, like what do we do to elevate people's practices with their online presence, and I've been working on this diagram. I think we've spoken about this before. But I have these three circles, and in the first circle, the very first thing that we focus on really is the foundation, the foundational content for your website.What I mean by that is yes, definitely having a homepage. Your homepage is super important, because it's often the most visited page on the website, and that homepage really serves to get people to the information that they're looking for as quickly as possible, and as easily as possible. So that could be an introduction to you and your private practice, followed by the services that you offer, and getting people to those services pages; and that's really the second most important thing, if not the most important.It's kind of like a toss-up between the homepage and your service pages, because your service pages are so specific and that's really where the SEO piece comes in; and I encourage people to get creative, and it might sound like a lot of content. But this is something that you can develop over time, you can start with your initial services, might just look like individual therapy in Atlanta, or whatever the city is, couples counseling in Atlanta. But then over time, you want to build those things out to have subpages even under that and all of those really act as ways for Google to see those services.Because people are more likely to search for anxiety therapy or counseling after divorce, something like that, and maybe not just couples counseling, but it's related to couples counseling, you understand what I'm saying?Melvin:Yeah.Daniel:You got to really dig into the services and the topics and the things that you help your clients with. And that's really the best way even before you start building links back to the website or doing other things that are off of your website, you really got to focus on that content.Melvin:Yeah, that's like really good stuff. So I wanted to just understand because you said like specialty pages. So would that be like I often get confused between these. Like it's a specialty page saying like, you do individual counseling versus couples counseling, those are separate pages or are the specialty pages like the niches that you serve?I can even give like a practical example from my own private practice. So in general I think my niche is successful by overwhelmed entrepreneurs. But within that, like I have pages for entrepreneurs with what's called founder depression and then I have like specialty page for entrepreneur from a dysfunctional family or alcohol dysfunctional family. So I guess, are those the examples of the specialty pages?Daniel:Right, yeah. That's what I consider the specialty pages. And another example, just to kind of drive this home, we just worked on a website for a psychologist, Long Island, New York, which I'm super excited about, because that's where I grew up. So it's fun to look at their content and see all the towns nearby where I grew up at. So my Long Island accent kind of came out while I was working on that project. But anyway, so they have done a great job; their website was very outdated, but the content that they had was incredible. It was like 95 pages of content and I was like, “Oh, my goodness, they have done a really great job and they’re getting great traffic, because of all the different content that they have on there.”So what it kind of looks like and how it's organized. And I just pulled it up just to get this right. So they've got services on their homepage, they

I’m hoping 2021 will be a new year of great experiences and opportunities after what we went through in 2020. Today’s show covers one specific way that clinicians have had to adapt to new ways of doing things because of difficult circumstances. Join us to learn more.Roseann Capanna-Hodge is an integrative and pediatric mental health expert. She’s the founder and director of the Global Institute for Children’s Mental Health and Dr. Roseann and Associates.  Roseann had a simple idea during the pandemic about doing therapeutic activities via Zoom and telehealth sessions. This realization led to her writing the first-ever book on the subject. She’s here to share about her book, its inspiration, and the mental shifts that have become necessary.www.sellingthecouch.com/session261Transcript: Melvin:Hello, welcome to session 261 of selling the couch; Happy New Year. I hope that you are doing well. It's so good to be back with you. With the way 2020 was I'm really hoping that 2021 would just be a new year, year of new opportunities and new experiences and new podcasts episodes. This is my wish for all of us because I feel like I shared this toward the end of last year in our community.But I felt like one is just how resilient we have all been in the midst of all of what's happened with the pandemic and even as I'm recording this right now we're in mid-November. And here in Philly, we are about to go into a second modified lockdown and trying to navigate all of this and so even I, I'm hoping when this episode releases that we'll just be in a different space, that there will be vaccine ready and that distribution channels and all that stuff will have been figured out and navigated through and all of those different things.Today's podcast session is a special episode. My guest is Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge. Roseann is a integrative and pediatric mental health expert. She's the founder and director of the Global Institute for Children's Mental Health, as well as Dr. Roseann and Associates.Roseann had a simple idea during the midst of this pandemic, which is many of us are doing zoom sessions and using various other online platforms to do telehealth, and how do we do activities in a zoom session? So she did a quick search on Amazon and discovered that there weren't any options out there, and so she decided to create the first ever book on Teletherapy, therapeutic activities, and we're actually talking about the process of creating this book, where her inspiration came from, and some of the mental shifts that Roseann had to really consider and own in the midst of this pandemic.Roseann was actually super busy; as you'll hear on this podcast. She actually wrote four books in the midst of this pandemic, which is just an amazing feat. So we'll get right to today's podcast session. Here's my conversation with Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge.Hey, Roseann, welcome to Selling the Couch.Roseann:Well, thank you for having me Melvin.Melvin:I'm so grateful that Christy connected us; shout out to Christy.Roseann:We love Christy.Melvin:We do. We really do love Christy. Selling the Couch would not function and exist without Christy's editing. So thank you Christy, for connecting us and Roseann, I'm really excited for our conversations. You are doing so much in the world and including creating the first ever book on Teletherapy therapeutic activities. You've been busy.Roseann:I have been busy Melvin during what I call my Corona creative period, I wrote four bucks.Melvin:Oh my Gosh! That's crazy.Roseann: Yeah, and I did a bunch of other things including; getting a podcast of my own, which is how we both know Christy.Melvin:Yeah, absolutely. I wanted to ask you; maybe we can even start there. With this pandemic, I feel like a lot of clinicians when it happened, it was almost like you got sideswiped right?Roseann:Absolutely!Melvin:How in the world did you find the energy to write four books and do a podcast in the midst of something that's just so chaotic and uncertain?Roseann:Yeah, we all have different superpowers, and I think one of my absolute superpowers is really thriving during points of crisis. I'm one of those people like I can visualize being an undergrad, and somebody got in a motorcycle accident literally right in front of me. Like 15 feet away from me, and everybody was totally immobilized and I remember looking and thinking, why isn't anybody moving? And I just sprung into action and helped him and I just have that ability to future think, think about what needs to happen and take action.So during this time, I think like all of us, all the therapists in the world, we thought, “Okay, just going to be like four to eight weeks, and we'll all be back at work.”Melvin:I remember those early posts even in the selling the couch Facebook community like, “Yeah, we'll do our quarantining for like, three, four weeks, and we'll be good.”Roseann: Yeah, I said to myself during this time, when do I have time off? I have a large practice with many therapists, and we do a lot of Neurofeedback, and I do a boatload of media, and I was on an airplane or driving into New York City a minimum of once a week. Sometimes I'd be in L.A in New York, and then seeing clients in between in the same week.And literally up until March 5th, that was what was happening. And when I had time off, I knew when the pandemic started, I said to myself, “Oh, they're saying a couple weeks,” I said, “This is got to be at least four weeks” My sort of prediction was eight, we went to closing our Center for 10 and we were able to open up on May 20th.I knew during this time, after the four weeks, I was like, “When we come back to work, it will not be the same.” And I had said, I have worked with a lot of special needs parents and we work with people of all ages, but our specialty really is kids with ADHD and do a lot of work with PANS and PANDAS and autism, all of these things that are common today.And so I wrote my first book was, It's Gonna be OK! And I worked on that, and then we've two books to support that book. And then June happened, and I said, “Wow, people really aren't coming back to in person.” And I was surprised on that. I thought, “Okay, people are going to come back in person.” I knew Teletherapy was here to stay and we've been doing Teletherapy for 10 years at our center in Ridgefield, Connecticut.But I didn't realize that almost nobody was going to come back in person, and then we really have very high level training at our center. Everybody gets a least one supervision a week. Some people we do ERP. So there's ERP supervision. We do EFT tapping, we have supervision for that, we do group supervision and all the new clinicians have to have at least one supervision on their own a week for like the first two years.So we're really serious about supporting therapists and blossoming them. And so I started to get worried; what were my therapists doing? Did they have enough activities? And I started doing what all the other therapists were doing; scrolling on their phone, checking the Amazon, looking for a book on Teletherapy activities.I remember this so vividly; it was a Wednesday night was late June, and I'm sitting in my hot tub and I put in Tele, and then mental health activities came up, and then it just dawned on me, there wasn't a book. So I said, I'm going to write this book; and I wrote it in 31 days, it's 420 pages and I just came very fast at writing and also done a boatload of Neurofeedback. So my brain works really fast.I started with wanting to support my own therapist, and then I realized that like therapists Melvin, during this pandemic, they all are feeling like they just got out of grad school because nobody was trained for Teletherapy.Melvin:Yeah, and I think many people are like, yeah, it's a new skill set. A lot of folks I think, what we talked about earlier they’re dealing with their own emotions, and then the practical things. Like a lot of therapists are, for example, caregivers or parents, and they're trying to navigate changes on multiple levels and on multiple systems.Roseann:Absolutely! And practical like, before we started Melvin had me do a tech check, and a lot of therapists that regardless of age may not have the comfort level with technology, and just even that was a barrier then supporting your clients’ technology. There were a lot of hurdles to face.I think people now are in their stride with that, like everybody knows zoom now or different platforms that you're using, I use the HIPAA compliant version of zoom and have always have. And then, like you said Melvin, people who are like feeling their own raw emotions; we've been on a roller coaster during this whole pandemic, not just with COVID, but with many other issues.Melvin:Yeah, absolutely! I wanted to shift a little bit and the question is actually about mental shifts. So I totally did not do that on purpose. But what do you think like a mental shift is that a clinician needs in working with kids and teens because you said that's like a big part of the population in an office versus a Telehelp, so like mentally, what's the shift they need?Roseann:For those of us that work with kids and teens, we all know that a requirement is actually really enjoying kids and teens and thinking they're fun. So it's the same in Teletherapy. I think the first mental shift that all therapists need to have in Teletherapy, is that they absolutely can be a rock star teletherapist, and they can be as good in Teletherapy as they were in person. And I think that's the first, aha, because I think that I've met a lot of therapists who are like, wow, it's just not as effective, and that's not the truth.We know, through the research that it is. And just like everything else, there needs to be in terms of efficacy in therapy, there are so many factors, but the client motivation, and the skill set and experience of the therapist is another huge factor. So the shift that needs to happen, and I'm basing this on being in a lot of Facebook groups with therapists is, we need to shift back to therapeutic activities.I think a lot of people jumped in to tell us therapy, and not knowing what to do, are overusing activities for engagement. I see therapists doing Minecraft with kids, still playing Scrabble on the regular and just different things; and why?I think it's because they didn't have a resource and that's why I wrote this book, which is like literally dozens and dozens and dozens of activities that are therapeutic and just ridiculously easy to use. You get this book, you open it up. But they also can go to their own toolkit and just look what I did is, I modified solid therapeutic activities to be done in a really either visual and or tactile kinesthetic way on they need to get creative, Melvin and I think some people really are.Melvin:Yeah, I think absolutely. I would say the vast majority of clinicians are quite creative. Again, I feel like this was such a unique time where there was like, such a profound grief around whether it's having shut down an office or try to think about things differently and all of the different other stressors that have come with this pandemic. But to your point, I feel like so many clinicians now, like we really are blossoming and emerging…Roseann:Blossoming for sure.Melvin:Yeah, even yesterday, I wrote this post in the community, just about like, “Hey, guys, I know we've been doing telehealth for a number of months, can you share what your office space looks like? And what tech are you using? And what's not working? What’s working?” And it's just some of the stuff like that our colleagues are creating. It's just absolutely beautiful.Roseann:Yeah. I think like you brought up, Melvin some grief points, but I think one of the biggest grief points that I hear from therapists is that, even though they're bracing teletherapy, they feel isolated. And we have two therapists in my office that are like, “I got to see people in person.” They do different kinds of things. One works with a lot of really littles and so that presents us a different challenge. And she's great in teletherapy. But I know both the therapists what it is for them, is they need the interaction with us, the office staff, me, our Neurofeedback staff. So, everyone's got to do what's right for them, but therapists, you're right, like they're getting into technology now. They're putting up beautiful backgrounds and getting great lighting. I love all that stuff. And then they're really creating a lot more exciting activities that they can use with their clients. But kids, they're very different working with kids and teenagers than adults. Adults are going to come in, I'm going to tell you, I always prefer working with kids to adults. And it's not that way, the majority of therapists work with adults, but kids are open, and they're open to creative things. But they need a lot more in this virtual world because they're doing many of them virtual learning, and then we're asking them to get on and do a virtual session. Again, they need movement. They need a focus on activities that are stimulating that are visual, otherwise, you're just not going to get that same kind of therapeutic growth.Melvin:Yeah, right. Absolutely. So really random like, not at all to put you on spot like, what's an example of an activity in the book?Roseann:Oh, yeah, you're not putting me on the spot; I could talk about this all day. I have some activities that are coming up on my YouTube channel, Dr. Roseann, that are there and people can just see them. One of the activities that we have is calm my brain and so there's different ways to do it.So you can use this if you're anxious, if you have OCD, if you have social issues, whatever the issue is, but we know most people are experiencing stress and clinical anxiety at this point. And so its calm R activity is what it's called. And so it's a brain and with my book, you can get PDFs. So you can either email a PDF, or pop it on the screen, or you can draw a brain, and you get into habit of a check in with a kid or a teenager, this is a great activity for a lot of things. And then you can say like, what is the issue. They can write it, they can draw it, they can put it right on their brain, and I'm huge into a lot of things, but a big part of my work is psychoeducation and really teaching kids teens and their families about what the issue is. I have a lot of psychoeducation sheets in my book as well. Many people come to me, I deal with a lot of complex issues at my center, Melvin, and it's not unusual for somebody, even with a child have seen 10 or 12 other providers. And often they are craving that understanding that psychoeducation. It’s so important, and we know therapeutically, that when people understand the issue, they're more likely to take action. So this is an activity to bring in psychoeducation about the brain, but it's really for them to connect with their body to understand. So the other part about my book is all the activities have a somatic component to them because I do a lot of work with trauma. I was one of the approved providers with Sandy Hook. So I did a lot of work with Sandy Hook survivors. But long before that, I've been working with trauma sufferers. It’s important to get people to connect their body. And so that's one of the activities that has the psychoeducation piece, it's got R in there, it's got a kinesthetic and visual part, as well as, it's really, really getting kids to understand their body and be like, “Wow, here's an alert signal. And this means I need to take action.” So that's an activity that I have in the book. Melvin:That's really cool. Our time flew. So I wanted to ask you a final question. Just in general, like, how did you come up with these activities? I mean, was this like, I know I've done this, and it was almost like you sat down and wrote it down? Or how did you even compile? I mean, that's a lot of activities in this book?Roseann:Yeah. It’s 420 pages. So how did I do it? This is what I do with everything. I wrote my other book, 200 pages, 35 pages of citations; it's going to be okay, really quick, too. But what I do is I do a lot of planning and organizing. So writing itself is ridiculously easy for me. I can bang out writing, but where I spend the bulk of my time is planning. So, what I did is I said, “What are the most common issues facing kids that therapist needs support?” So it's anxiety, it's mood, it's anger, OCD. We have an OCD section in the book, so many people have OCD, we had R and psychoeducation component. And so then I started with that, and then I just was like, wait a second, we sort of like just a wave where you're like, I did this activity, and this helps. And then we use this and we use that. I've been supervising therapists for well over a decade. I've been a college professor, even working in mental health for 30 years. There's a lot in my brain, and it's super organized. And it just really honestly flowed. And I also interviewed a few of the therapists in my office and was like, wait a second, I know you use this technique. So I did a little picking of the brain and of my favorite colleagues, but really, honestly, it just poured out of me and I know what works. I think when you deal with really complex cases, you have the best strategies available to you, and they're applicable to the easiest, I should say situations that maybe just need a short term support. But they're also great for challenging cases because in these 30 years, I've been working with kids, cases are challenging now, Melvin, like people have multiple layers younger. So that's how I did it. Started with the need, and I've been often referred to as a walking encyclopedia, and I just got writing.Melvin:Did you organize this? Did you use any…Roseann:You know what I used? A good old Google Sheet, my friend. And I do a lot of color coding. And then I put Google Docs to it. And I'm going to tell you the next time because book editors, somebody edited it for me. Book editors edit in word. So now I know to make it in word because that was a pain. The hardest part about our book was actually, there's got to be probably 200 supporting graphics. And that was the hardest part. Melvin: Oh, I would imagine, like having someone draw this or like what? Roseann:We used a graphic design software. And it's in there, you'll see tons of hands out. There's like 200 handouts in this book. Like, it's no joke. This is why we call it the handbook, the therapists handbook for treating children and teens, because it really has a lot of stuff...

Every once in a while, you’ll hear the success story of someone who breaks the mold and goes against the norms. Today’s show highlights the story of a therapist who bucks the trend of everything we normally learn on the podcast and is the direct opposite of what the experts say about building a private practice. Katie Zimmerman, LMFT, practices in Arroyo Grande, CA. She endured some crazy circumstances that led to her leaving one job and having to quickly figure out how to create and open her private practice---in about two weeks! She found office space that was appropriately perfect, established a name for her practice, and got it going with some foundational clients. It may sound impossible, but it speaks to the importance of intentionality and relationships. Katie shares reflections on the reasons for her success, the narratives we struggle with about what we can accomplish, and the importance of certain training modalities. Join us! You can read the full show notes at: Session163Mentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshopSign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

Balance sheet, profit/loss statements, cash flow, business expense----do these terms send you into a sudden state of anxiety and panic? If so, then this is the perfect show for you! The entire topic of keeping accurate records for your business can be ultra-intimidating for any clinician. Let’s try to make sense of it all together! Greg Higdon is the founder of Grow the Books. He’s here to discuss the biggest bookkeeping blunders that clinicians make and offer solutions that make sense. If looking at your numbers makes you sweat, or if you’ve taken the ostrich approach of hiding your head in the sand, then I hope this episode will make things more manageable and less stressful for you. Join us! You can read the full show notes at: Session180Mentioned in this episode:Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshopSign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshopTry Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s show is one that I’ve looked forward to for a long time. We are covering a topic that comes up frequently in the STC community, which is the process of hiring a virtual assistant. I’ve been through this process more than once, and it was a rocky road before finding Nicole three years ago. Hiring a VA teaches you about your strengths, weaknesses, and communication skills. I’ve learned what tasks I can delegate and what help I need for long-term sustainability in my business.Today you’ll meet Nicole Denison, who is my awesome VA. I found her through my colleague, Laura Reagan, who raved about Nicole and her abilities. I’m so thankful to have found Nicole three years ago, and I can honestly say that STC wouldn’t exist as it does today without Nicole’s hard work and dedication.www.sellingthecouch.com/session232Mentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

Today’s episode is a solo session in which I discuss Smart Ways to Repurpose Blog Content. I tried doing a Facebook Live recently on this topic, but there were technical difficulties. I knew it would be a great topic for the STC podcast, so we’re talking about taking existing content and presenting it in different ways. Join me!   You can read the full show notes at www.sellingthecouch.com/session135Mentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshopSign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

Today’s show is a little different than normal. We’re highlighting the first online marketplace exclusively for mental health professionals to buy and sell their original products. We’re talking to one of the founders of Practikat about her journey--and how this platform might be just what you’re looking for! Katie Englert has a group practice in Paducah, Kentucky, and fills her time with counseling, consulting, and public speaking. Today’s show focuses on her newest endeavor, Practikat, which came about because Katie was looking for a hub of resources for clinicians. She shares how she came up with the name and the branding advice she received from experts and attorneys. Katie explains how to go about setting up something like Practikat, how revenue is generated, how to test it out, and the logistics of the development process. Katie wraps up our time by sharing the advice she would give to herself in the past and the future. You can read the full show notes at: Session196Mentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshopSign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

As clinicians, we often think about creative outlets for our messages of hope and healing. One of those that you might not have considered is creating a conference. It may sound like an overwhelming task, but it’s one that can be effective and fulfilling. Let’s discuss it in today’s show! Mercedes Samudio, LCSW, does a lot of good work around all things related to parenting. She’s written Shame-Proof Parenting and has created The Diversity in Parenting Conference, which explores the diverse ways that clinicians work with parents and families. The conference is coming up soon on September 13-14 in Anaheim, CA. In today’s show, Mercedes takes us behind the scenes to learn what it takes to put together a conference of this magnitude. Mercedes is excited to share with all of us what she’s learned from this first-time experience. She’ll share about the planning process and why she chose a conference as the medium to share her message instead of a webinar. Mercedes also fills us in on how she selected speakers and set fees for the event, along with the biggest lessons she’s learned along the way. You can read the full show notes at: Session201Mentioned in this episode:Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshopSign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshopTry Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Have you heard much about “sales funnels”? If you have, the phrase might have conjured up visions of slick and slimy marketing schemes that haven’t left you with a positive feeling. Today’s show is all about building a funnel in an ethical way, along with things to think about regarding using funnels to grow your business--without the slick and slimy schemes. Joel Louis is the founder of Integrator and Co., where he focuses on funnel-building with his clients, helping them to grow their businesses in profound ways. He’s here to break funnels down so we can understand how to use them to attract our ideal customers. We will cover several funnel-related topics, including the essential pieces to building a sales funnel and why an email list is so important in growing your business. You can read the full show notes at: Session208Mentioned in this episode:Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshopTry Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop