Leveraging Technology in Private Practice

How do blogs, podcasts, and eBooks fit into professional psychotherapy? (I mean, what’s the point really?)

The beginning of the answer lies in Seth Godin’s concept of Permission Marketing. In summary, blogs, podcasts, and eBooks are three ways of bringing ideas into the world while not interrupting people. It’s hard to interrupt someone with a blog. Psychotherapists generally don’t like to interrupt people. People usually don’t like to be interrupted. However, someone interested wants to learn more. Next thing you know, a relationship is formed. The professional has permission to tell someone more and answer questions—this is a great opportunity.

A client knowing the professional’s conceptual framework holds value for both parties. People want to make informed buying decisions. Professionals are supposed to hold clients’ best interests in mind, right? A word of caution: This approach won’t work from a self-negating place.

My argument is that part of building a practice today is through disseminating ideas into the world. People who want to know more become clients. I don’t know of a more ethical way of marketing a practice than giving clients access to the professional’s conceptual understanding. Conceptual understanding where the therapist herself has control over what she discloses. Therefore, blogs, podcasts, and eBooks are powerful vehicles to let potential clients make informed buying decisions. Ultimately, they are what’s best for clients, and how professionals attract their ideal client base. Of course, selling a good product always helps!

Marketing happens through resonance not through a photo of you with your cheesy smile in some New Age magazine.

~Mike Harris