The Grow Your Private Practice Show

What do you need to know before you start marketing your private practice?Whether you want a full time practice and bring in a full time income, or a small one that fits in around other commitments, you will need to attract clients and keep attracting them consistently. This way you’ll have a steady flow of client enquiries to avoid the ‘feast and famine’ situation. So you have a new set of skills to learn. And as with all businesses, it takes time and effort to attract clients and keep attracting clients.So lean closer, I'm going to share with you 5 things therapists need to know before starting in private practice.In this episode we look at:Why it’s a marathon, not a sprintWhy it’s important to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’How to increase the ‘know, like and trust’ factorHow progress beats perfection every timeWhy it’s important to find the marketing activities you enjoyConsistent marketing activities are essential in private practice, so make it a priority. Consider how you can make them part of your regular weekly activities and it’ll make your life easier and your practice more profitable. And if you need help getting started attracting clients, in the Grow Your Private Practice Club, I have 2 courses that will really help. The Foundations course gets you off to the best possible start. It covers time management, personal development, who you want to attract and the way you can start attracting themThe Quickstart course. How to get started quickly and without a website. Links:Episode 20: ‘How to banish shiny object syndrome and stay focussed’For full show notes, go to janetravis.co.uk/21

This week in the GYPP club one of my members said ‘Well, I've just set up a Twitter account. No idea what to do next or who to follow lol’It turns out she already was on 2 social media platforms And I thought hhmm… whats going on here. So I thought it would be a great subject for the podcast. So let’s look at how to banish shiny object syndrome and stay focussed.In this episode we look at:What IS shiny object syndrome?Why it's badWhy do we do it?How to get focussed5 things you can do to banish shiny object syndromeShiny object syndrome is extremely common and is just one more hurdle to get over when in business. But as with everything, once you’re aware of it you can protect yourself.And if you protect yourself, you can move your practice forward by focusing your precious time, energy So it’s got to be worth taking stock of.And I really DO want you to spend less time and energy on your marketing and get better results. Imagine how that will feel?Marketing your practice is actually not that hard, you just follow some steps and there you go! It's your mindset issues that really hold you back. Fears, and things like Imposter Syndrome, procrastination, perfectionism, shiny object syndrome syndrome, inner critic, comparisons and money mindset. Phew! In the Grow Your Private Practice book there is a whole section devoted to mindset issues to help you manage these so they don't stop you from the success you have worked so hard for. Check it out on Amazon, just click here. 

If you’re a counsellor or psychotherapist, CPD is something you’ll be doing throughout your professional life. So today we have special guest John Wilson from Onlinevents who knows a thing or two about training and CPD. A psychotherapist since 2005, he’s also a trainer at Temenos and has run Onlinevents with his sister for 10 years.Onlinevents provides a vast range of varied CPD activities for counsellors and psychotherapists, from interviews with specialists, trainers and authors to interactive workshops. Today he shares some of his vast experience to help us get the most out of the CPD we consume.In this episode we look at:Where would you recommend a newly qualified counsellor start with CPD?The benefits of ‘dipping your toe in’ with different training and trainers before you commit to a larger piece of trainingHow there’s more to training than just learningThe importance of personal development for both you and your client work.I do hope you’ve enjoyed this episode. If you did, please be sure to hit subscribe so you get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device. Have a fabulous day and hope to see you next week.About JohnJohn has been facilitating Counselling & Psychotherapy programmes in the UK for more than 10 years.Currently the director at Temenos Education he also has a private practice where he offers online Psychotherapy and Supervision using video and chat communication platforms along with virtual environments. He is also the co-founder of Onlinevents which has grown to be the world’s largest library of online video and audio content with instant certification and a learning log.As well as this, he is also a past chair of the Association for Counselling & Therapy Online (ACTO) and has served for 6 years on the board of the World Association for Person Centered & Experiential Psychotherapy & Counselling.His passion to bring online learning into the field of Counselling & Psychotherapy has also led to the development of online experiential learning within the Temenos programme, facilitating the exposure of Temenos students to external tutors who are located in different parts of the world. Links to follow:You can read an article John co-authored about online group facilitation hereTemenos Onlinevents CPD LibraryFind Onlinevents on all the social media platforms - NOTE there is only one E in the middle! Onlinevents' Twitter

When I asked counsellors what they struggled with when it comes to blogging, knowing what to write about was a common concern. So in this episode, I share 7 ways for therapists to find with blog post ideas. In this episode I share:Why blogging is so good for your businessWhy you can relax - you don’t have to answer lifes questionsHow blogging is no place for perfectionismHow to avoid procrastination7 Ways for therapists to find inspirationSo there you are, inspiration for blog post ideas. All of them simple, all of them effective. And for a little extra inspiration, download the free guide ‘101 headlines for your therapy blog’, which shows 101 headlines for just one niche. You will find this at janetravis.co.uk/18Blogging can be an excellent way to attract more clients and more income to your practice, so is it time you got started?And remember, the Blogging With Confidence course will help you with all aspects of blogging, whether you are new to blogging or want to improve your results. It includes everything you need, including:A quickstart section for if you’re brand newThe Blogging Blueprint, which is a system to simplify writingTemplate to get you goingHow to never, ever run out of things to write aboutHow to make the most of every blog post for years to comeSo come and join us in the Grow Your Private Practice Club for this and a comprehensive training library, along with a supportive group of peers. Have a great week, and see you again soonLinks from this episodeTrelloEpisode 4: 7 Steps to sharing great quotes on social mediaEpisode 15: What to include on your FAQ pageEpisode 17: 10 Reasons why blogging will attract more counselling clientsBrainyquoteAnswerThePublic

Content marketing is all about creating and sharing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract followers and ultimately clients.So this means you can stop panicking about having to sell yourself, and concentrate on simply helping people. Doesn’t that feel better?So it's basically writing blogs, producing podcasts or videos, using social media, webinars and workshops.All are good, but most counsellors choose blogging from those, so that’s what we will focus on in this episode.And there is also a free guide '101 Blog Post Titles for your Counselling Blog' you can find at janetravis.co.uk/17In this episode we look at:How we used to attract clients before the internetWhat is content marketingWhy does it work so well for counsellors?10 benefits of writing a blogI hope you can see how beneficial content marketing is for your practice and how it will both help your readers and attract more clients. If you need some help getting started blogging, or you’ve been blogging a while and want to up your game, the Blogging With Confidence 2.0 course is released 23rd October 2020 completely updating the current course.It includes everything you need, including:A quickstart section for if you’re brand newThe Blogging Blueprint, which is a system to simplify writingA template to get you goingHow to never, ever run out of things to write about.As a member of the Grow Your Private Practice Club you not only get access to the Blogging With Confidence course but everything else you need to go around it.This includes choosing your niche, time management, managing the mindset with issues like imposter syndrome, perfectionism, procrastination etc, social media, website and much more, along with a supportive group of peersIf you’d like to know more, check out the Grow Your Private Practice Club

If you have an inner critic or get Imposter Syndrome, then it can become second nature to kick yourself whenever you do something you consider wrong or not good enough. Not only is this exhausting, it’s debilitating and can significantly reduce the success of your private practice. So it’s important to address this.The good news is, you can do something to neutralise this that’s not only simple and effective, it’s also fun and pleasurable.And I share this super simple trick in this episode. In this episode we look atA practical, effective way to reduce overwhelmWhy we shy away from sharing our successesHow there’s only one way to failThe importance of recognising your achievements2 really simple but highly effective ways to develop your inner cheerleaderA fun, pleasurable way to make this a habitThat critical inner voice can be a real bully and if left unchecked can have a detrimental impact on your business. Stand up to it, strengthen your own inner cheerleader and get the success you deserve.And if you need some help with that, join us in the Grow Your Private Practice Club, where you not only get training on all aspects of growing your practice, you get support from myself and all the other members too. Take a look at the Grow Your Private Practice Club here.

I was terrified before I went to counselling for the first time. (And the second, third and all subsequent times too, actually!) And I know I’m not alone with that. So if clients are terrified of counselling, it’s part of our job as private practitioners to help alleviate that fear. To remove any blocks to accessing help that are standing in their way.And one of the ways you can do that is on the FAQ page on your website. This is your place to spell out the next steps to working with you. So in this weeks episode, I talk about the FAQ section - what it is, what to include and what not to include. And there is even a free helpsheet to get you started. In this episode we look at:The importance of an FAQ pageThe main questions should you includeWhat questions you should leave offWhat other questions might you include.By removing any barriers to accessing counselling via your FAQ page, people will be more likely to take that next step towards getting the help they need - and you making the income you need. So is it time to give your FAQ page a facelift?Grab the free helpsheet from janetravis.co.uk/15

In private practice, you’re going to need a cancellation policy. But these can be tricky as there is an absolute right or wrong way of doing it. So how can you work out what’s right for you?In this episode, Tamara Howell, a psychotherapist in private practice and also founder of Private Practice Paperwork, joins me to explore some of the pros and cons to help you discover what’s right for you. In this episode we look at:How long should your cancellation policy be for?Should you get a prepayment?What are the implications for the therapeutic alliance?Keeping boundariesWhat happens if you enforce a boundary and they don’t return?Tamara also shares a simple trick to make explaining your policy much easier.Handled well, your cancellation policy will help protect you and model boundaries to your clients. So take some time to work out what your policy is and why because the more clear you are both for yourself and your clients, the less stressful it will feel. __________________________________I do hope you’ve enjoyed this episode. If you did, please be sure to hit subscribe so you get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device. Have a fabulous day and hope to see you next weekTamaras free Facebook groupPrivate Practice Paperwork

For some therapists, online directories can be a great source of clients, so in this episode I take a deep dive into the positives and negatives of using directories and how to make them work for you.To start attracting clients quickly, one of the first things I suggest is to get yourself on an online directory - I talk about it in the Quickstart section of the Grow Your Private Practice book and the Quickstart course in the Grow Your Private Practice Club.But with so many counsellors on them, how can you make them work for you?Here’s what we talk about in this episode:Positives and negatives of being on a directoryOverview of directories from the clients perspectiveHow your directory entry is about connecting with your potential clientsSome simple tips for your photo Some do’s and don’t to watch forAnd finally...Directories aren't effective for everyone, so how do you decide whether directories are working for you?___________________________Directories can be a fantastic, cost effective way for you to attract clients. Allow your personality to come through - your warmth, your compassion - in order to help the potential client to feel comfortable about contacting you. Let’s consider the potential client and make this easier for them.And if you need some help with your messaging so you attract more clients more easily, this is exactly what the Grow Your Private Practice Club is all about.Or check out the Grow Your Private Practice book.I do hope you’ve enjoyed this episode. If you did, please be sure to hit subscribe so you get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device. 

How can you make your business work for you on your terms and in a way that is right for you?In this episode, I look at how when it’s your business, you make the rules and what this means for you. How you can maximise your qualities and make them really work for you, and the importance of personal growth and understanding self-sabotage. When you run your own business, you can decide:Your working hoursYour feesYour marketing methods Your work patternsHow exciting is that?! How many other jobs give you that level of flexibility? How many other jobs offer that opportunity. When it comes to marketing your private practice, everything works. The trick is finding what works for you.This is what I LOVE about working for myself - I make my business work around me, my life, my preferences and my wants and needs. And if you need help with your marketing, grab the Grow Your Private Practice book which is available on Amazon now.Or get the free download '54 Specific ways to attract therapy clients'Remember to subscribe so you don't miss a show and it would be brilliant if you could leave a review.