The Biggest Mistake Psychotherapists Make with their Psychology Today Profile

 

Do you want to stand out from the hundreds of other therapy profiles in your area?

Is your online profile being viewed but is your inbox empty and is your phone not ringing?

This article will help your psychotherapist online profile stand out from the crowd and increase your conversion from a person viewing your profile to setting up a consultation with you.

One vital tool psychotherapists utilize to grow their psychotherapy private practice are online directories. Here are a few of the top online directions:

Psychology Today
GoodTherapy.org
Theravive

There is one common mistake I see over and over again on all the different directories that will cause your profile to be overlooked, ignored and that will not get you to the next desired step which is a message or phone call from a prospective client that needs your help.

The biggest mistake I see on these online psychotherapy profiles is

Starting your profile with “I”

“I am a graduate of JFK University in Berkeley, CA located in the San Francisco Bay Area”

“I love my work”

“I specialize in helping people with eating disorders”

“I am doing my life’s work and use my strengths of deep listening and compassion to help my clients move through their pain”

This is a sure way for your profile to be overlooked and blend in with the hundreds of other profiles. You must initially think about the prospective clients you want to help and not make it about you. The people that are searching the website are looking for a solution to the problems, issues, and pain they are feeling first and foremost.

Instead of starting with “I” here are some suggestions to start your profile by using a question:

Have you lost a loved one recently and are you having a hard time dealing with the loss?
Are you feeling stuck in your life?
Do you struggle with alcohol and is it starting to effect your life and relationships?
Is the lack of communication with your romantic partner leading to stress?

Starting with questions is a great way to connect to what your audience is going through that is leading them to seek help and support.

From there you can begin to talk about the solutions you provide to the problem such as:

  • I specialize in working with clients to work through the grief of losing a close loved one
  • My speciality is in helping couples improve their communication skills and working together through better ways to resolve conflict
  • I am passionate about helping teens with issues around food and self and utilize empathy and compassion to work through this difficult issue

The next in your profile creation is that you let the potential clients know why you are qualified to help them. This is where you talk about certifications, schooling, and trainings:

  • I received a certification in couples communication in addition to receiving my Master’s Degree at The California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, California
  • My supervised training was conducted at a top 10 Eating Disorder Clinic in the California

Lastly, end with a call to action or next step for the prospective client to reach out to you:

  • I offer a free 20 minute consultation to see if my therapy services will be a good fit please click the link below to email me and set up a time that best works for you
  • Please call me at (555) 555–1212 if you are ready to begin the process of working with me
  • Most online profiles add this into the bottom of your profile already, but it helps to add some additional text above the automated information

To recap do not start off your profiles with it being about you and your philosophy around therapy.

  • Begin with what problem your ideal client may have
  • Move into how you will help the client solve their issues, pain, problem
  • Lastly share your certifications if you would like
  • End with a call to action

Make it about the prospective client that needs your help first and you will see a dramatic difference in consultation appointments set. People out there need your support and expertise, do not forget that!

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