Writing the perfect psychology today profile
Your online presence as a professional counselor (or LLPC) is more important than ever. Through one Google search or another, hopefully, a potential client finds their way to your psychologytoday.com page (SEO is a thing that can help clients get you to more efficiently. My knowledge on this is limited but CTA Digital Marketing can help you out.) and begins to look through the information you listed. This makes the following questions SUPER important to consider:
How does your profile represent you as a professional?
What message do you want a potential client to receive?
How do you want a potential client to feel?
Here is how to create a profile page that will draw in potential clients
1) Use YOU more than I
Want to get a potential client’s attention? Include in your profile questions they may have and answer them. Do you want to feel more energized? Do you often wake up ready to go back to bed? Have you noticed that you’re no longer that interested in activities you once enjoyed? This does sound a little like an infomercial- but adding questions that your potential client may have draws their attention, and gets them thinking this person gets it, they understand.
2) Write your profile for clients NOT for other counselors
As counselors, I think we put too much “counselor speak” into materials that are meant for clients or non-mental health professionals. Keep terms like maladaptive, therapeutic techniques, and person centered out of your profile. Focus instead on relaying the same message, just in a more client friendly way such as “I help clients move toward change by starting to gain a better understanding of the connection between thoughts and feelings and how both motivate behavior.” See how this statement follows a CBT approach - but explains it in an understandable, digestible way for a potential client. I’m reminded of a quote from one of my favorite characters on one of my favorite tv shows;
“Stop writing copy for other writers” - Don Draper (Mad Men)
3) Think about your ideal client while writing
While you’re writing anything that will be client facing - marketing materials, websites, flyers, your clinical biography - picture your ideal client in your mind. What kind of information would they be looking for from a professional counselor? What would they want to know? What would cause them to click contact now to schedule an appointment? If you’re unsure - ask your family and friends (NON mental health professionals) If you were looking for a therapist online, what would you look for? What would you want to know right away? What would make you choose one therapist over another?
4) Keep it to the point
Short and sweet, no filler. How long do you think the average person spends looking at the top Google search hits? Or looking over your profile page? I don’t know the answer, but my guess it’s not very long. When I’m searching for another type of professional, I quickly breeze around their website looking for the answer to can this person help me? If that answer isn’t easily found, I’m on to the next hit on Google.
5) Let yourself shine through
Add yourself into your profile page. It helps for a potential client to be able to get a sense for what you’re like as a professional, what they can expect by working with you. You don’t have to get into nitty gritty deal - but make your profile page look and sound like YOU.
6) Include media
Psychology today has this new feature that allows you to add a short video clip into your profile. What a great way for a potential client to get a feel for you as a professional! If you’re not using a database platform like Goodtherapy.org that has media capability written in, you can record a video, post it to Youtube and then link it to your profile page.
