Business Success for Therapists

What does it mean for you to stand in your power?

Stop and truly think about that. Are there certain things you are a stand for no matter what? Is there something that you are so deeply committed to that you have unwavering faith regardless of the circumstances?

Does it mean that you lovingly speak your truth, even if it’s not what others want to hear? Is it respecting yourself and your needs enough that you set boundaries with those you care about? Does it mean you’ll speak up and act when things are out of alignment with your integrity? Does it mean no matter what the outside circumstances are suggesting, internally you know this to be your truth?

Standing in my power for me means upholding the beliefs of what’s possible for myself and others, knowing we all embody resources to reach our divine potential. I also know when I’m out of alignment I am in other people’s business, these are times when I default into believing I can change something or someone, or I become responsive and reactive to other people or circumstances. It’s typically these red flags that warn me I’m not standing in my own power.

So how does standing in your own power impact your clients, as well as your therapy business? Want to help your clients and your business flourish by standing in your power.

When you hold your clients as powerful, you hold the potential of what’s possible for them. You create a safe space that allows for reflection, growth, and transformation. So how can you hold yourself as powerful, respect your boundaries, and model this to your clients. Here are some strategies to help you stand in your power.

1. Allow yourself and your clients be in the gap of the unknown-

It’s often when we are in a place of transition and uncertainty that there is a possibility for tremendous growth and transformation. By being in the discomfort of the unknown without a quick desire to react, fix, stuff, eat, or self-medicate/numb, you’ll create a space to explore new possibilities.

This also occurs in business, in the space where you are longing to create something new, and fearful of the unknown. In this transitional space allow yourself the opportunity to explore the possibilities in your business, even the ones that feel out of reach and daunting to you. It’s often these visions of your business that feel improbable, is where the greatest opportunity for growth exists.

When you stand in your power in the gap, in your own personal life, as a witness to your client’s struggles, as well as your own business goals, you allow evolution of what’s next along the journey, and often this shows up in ways beyond your imagination.

2. Be clear with your boundaries-

I believe that much of the struggle we encounter in our lives comes from our relationships. Typically, we desire someone to act or be a certain way, and when they do not, we struggle with how we perceive this to impact our lives. You can empower yourself, your clients, and your business with clear boundaries. This may mean setting respectful boundaries with those you love, providing clients with clear boundaries in regards to dual relationships or hours you see clients, or utilizing boundaries in your business by reinforcing no-show policies with clients.

When you stand in your power by asserting clear boundaries you model self-respect and positive communication. When you set boundaries in your business, you not only model this to your clients, you also respect and honor your business (which in essence is your time and commitment to helping others).  In addition, you’ll feel less stress because when a problem arises you’ll be able to address in an empowered way.

3. Community-

There have been numerous studies from Durkheim to Bowlby on the influence of social relationships on development, health, and wellbeing. When you connect with others you are impacted on the macro-social to psychobiological levels. Yet, often working in private practice there is a sense of isolation and perhaps a physical disconnect from other colleagues.

So how can you empower yourself by developing peer connection and support?  Look for where you can connect with other therapists and colleagues to receive peer supervision, network, or just blow off some steam. When you have social supports your work with your clients will feel more fulfilling. In turn, as you grow you therapy business you’ll have the feedback and insight from others, saving you time, money and headaches.

4. Grow, Learn, Explore, Play-

When you learn new information or experience something new often the by-product is a renewed sense of energy, excitement, and rejuvenation. We use parts of our bodies and brain in a different and novel way, stimulating new responses and allowing for new perceptions. It’s in the place of exploration, learning, and play, that we expand ourselves, often allowing for new insights and awareness.

How can you empower yourself by learning something new to help you personally grow in new directions? Are there interests you’d like to explore that will invigorate yourself, and help you to show up to work with your clients with renewed energy? What’s something new you can introduce to your clients to help them express themselves in a new way. Can you introduce a new modality to deepen your client’s awareness?

Your learning and exploring not only impact your and your client’s development, it also impacts your business. When you learn something new you feel a renewed energy in your business and you show up in a different, more empowered way. Of course, this is cyclical and impacts your clients and your personal life too!

If you are looking for community connection and to grow, learn, explore, and play, I invite you to join me and 10 other expert speakers at the 1st Annual International Creative Art Therapies Teleconference during the week of August 23-27, 2010.

Imagine attending a conference where you could have access to leading edge creative arts therapists practicing across the globe, without having to leave the comfort of your own home!

Over five days, you will learn from luminaries in the field of art therapies and expressive arts, new techniques and tools to revitalize your practice and bring new knowledge and energy to your clinical work.

The daunting cost of attending a conference, travel costs, taking time off from work, and leaving family often just doesn’t fit into our schedules or budgets. Here’s a way to access affordable, innovative learning through the ease of a teleconference!

You can view more details and register here: http://icatconference.com/

I know that many therapists I talk with have such keen clinical skills. They have invested countless hours and dollars on continuing education, personal therapy, and professional development. Every investment in your personal and professional growth is reflected in your work with your clients. As you expand your awareness of your own issues, and the latest trends and research in the field, you show up to work with your clients in a more empowered way.

Here’s an interesting discovery, one that you may want to explore yourself- the use of marketing to connect and empower your clients.

Okay, so you may think that marketing materials, such as your website copy and your brochures, are just marketing information. Rather dull, yet necessary, to hand-out to those who may be interested in your services.

Honestly, I too thought that way in the past. I know may other therapists who really don’t give much thought to their marketing copy.

Perhaps it feels incongruent, or you’re not that excited about writing, or you believe you’re not a good writer, or it’s not what ‘makes your heart sing”, or you’re afraid the grammar police will give you a citation!

Well, I want to share with you something transformative I discovered, and my Platinum client have also noticed the same thing too, that writing powerful copy for your marketing materials actually impacts your potential clients.

Yes, really!

There is something about reading a brochure or a website that speaks to you. Have you ever had that happen? I have a few newsletters I subscribe to and when I get the newsletters in my email box I feel like they are speaking to my soul. They get me, they understand me, they are speaking to me.  There is this exhale, like I’m among others who understand, and that’s such a comforting feeling.

Now imagine conveying that to your potential clients. You get them, you deeply understand them, they are not alone- how truly comforting.

Your clients are seeking that, and actually aren’t we all seeking that? Aren’t we all desiring to be deeply understood? So your writing is much more than writing. It truly is a beacon of light for your clients, letting them know you are there for them,  that you understand, and you’re there to help.

I want to share with you a few strategies that will help your write authentically, so your clients feel like you are writing to them. It’s a humbling and inspiring experience to have your clients and potential clients say to you, “I feel like you were writing to me” or  “finally I’ve found someone who really gets me”.

So here are some practical strategies to deeply connect with your clients through your writing:

1. Know your client- what they feel and think

Spend some time thinking about who they are, what they value, what they think and feel about the problem they are encountering, and how it is impacting their lives. You can use visualization or art marking process to deepen your awareness of your client’s needs.

2. Write that you understand their pain

Take a moment before you begin writing to focus on your client’s problem and the pain it has brought them and how it’s impacted their relationships. Feel what it would feel like to encounter these problems and allow this to resonate with you. When you write allow yourself to convey in your writing that you understand their pain and how it has impacted them.

3. Write how things can be different

You’ve witnessed the healing process and you know what’s possible for your clients when they release their pain and patterns that no longer serve them.  You’ve seen what’s possible from other client’s healing and from your own experiences. When you write your marketing materials come from a place of possibilities and hope. Write how things can be different based upon the changes you have witnessed. Remember to be respectful of your client’s confidentiality and not to write about specific clients.

4. Be of service

Your clients want to know you get them and you can help them too. When you come from a place of service it’s about helping them with their problems. When your write your marketing copy don’t forget to let your potential clients know what’s the next step they can take to start the change process. Be crystal clear and make it easy. Having a system in place will make this simple for you, as well as your clients.

When your clients feel this understood they show up differently to therapy sessions. Often you’ll see your clients make dramatic changes because they feel understood and respected.  So every time you write an article or post on your blog, think of your client and how you can be of service to them.

Try these tips in your writing and note your comments on the blog!

What’s a money mindset, you may be asking? Your money mindset is the beliefs you have around money and making money. Therapists and money often don’t mix. For some reason there is a paradigm that therapists would do what we love for little money or offer our services for free. We are in the helping profession and those who come to us for healing are in pain and are seeking relief. This is no more, or no less, than a medical doctor who sees a patient in pain, seeking help. Most doctors charge you a fee for your services and most don’t offer a sliding scale based upon need; yet many therapists offer sliding fees and scholarships (I’ve been guilty of this as well).

So your money mindset impacts your practice by keeping you stuck in making relatively the same amount each year, continuing to undervalue your services, and giving much too much to your clients. Also, if you have limiting money beliefs you’ll continue to work with managed care, spending your precious time and energy in completing paperwork and waiting in hold on the phone, and when you are finally reimbursed you see a faction of the income you deserve.

My big question for you is how can you ask your clients to see the value in the transformation you offer when you are not willing to uphold the value of your own services?

So here are some questions to help you shift your mindset around money and uncover the value you bring to your clients, so you can finally change what you are worth, and get it

1. If I were the highest paid expert in ___________(describe your niche here) what would my fees be?

This question offers you a pause to reflect on what it would be like to be an expert in your area of specialization and what you would charge. Start to look at others who are positioned as the highest paid professionals in your niche and explore what they are making. I’m guessing they don’t accept managed care and they don’t undervalue their services.

2. How do you respect your money and yourself?

What does your checking account look like, is it balanced, do you pay your bills on time, if you have credit cards do you pay over the minimum amount each month, do you put money aside and pay yourself each month? If you are not doing these things, then you are not honoring yourself and your relationship with money; and tisk-tisk if you offer a sliding scale or pro-bono services if you aren’t managing your own money first. It’s actually a rather passive co-dependent behavior if you are taking care of your client’s money needs while ignoring your own. So take a deeper look at how you are respecting money. Then take one action to respect and value your money, and when you clean up you money drama and start to respect money more will come to you.

3. Set your bold money goal by asking yourself, as the leader of my therapy business making $ _________ (insert money you desire to create) how do I handle this situation?

You can use this mantra when you are making business decisions, which includes your marketing, the clients you choose to work with, your response to managed care, practice building programs you invest in and how you mange your time, etc.

When you start to value your time and see yourself as the leader of a successful therapy practice this not only impacts your money mindset, it also influences your clients as well. You show up in a very different way, holding your client accountable and acknowledging the power of their decisions and commitment to change. Try these exercises and note your comments on the blog!

Imagine a potential client with a specific problem that’s impacting them. (I know you can image this clearly). They’ve had the problem for a while and it is impacting their life. They are feeling overwhelmed, and frustrated. They’ve been reading some books and visiting websites to learn more about their problem, and although they understand it better, they still continue to struggle. They feel isolated, disconnected, and they are not seeing any change from their efforts.

Then they decide to work with you in therapy, and they begin to feel validated and understood. With you as a witness they begin to discover aspects of themselves they had not seen or explored before. You have created a safe space for them to grow and they start to shift their thoughts and behaviors. From this sacred space they begin to make changes in their self-perception and as they honor themselves and let go of patterns, stories and behaviors that no longer serve them, they deepen their love of self and their relationships with others.  You are a witness to their journey because you held the space for transformation, exploration, self-expression, pain, and growth.

NOW imagine you are in private practice and you have a problem with growing your business that is impacting you. You’ve had this problem for a while and it’s impacting your self-esteem and confidence, as well as your potential to help others and create a consistent income for yourself. You are feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. You’ve visited some websites and read some books on building your practice, and although you understand the problem better, you are still continuing to struggle. You feel isolated, disconnected, and you are not seeing change from your efforts.

Then you decide to invest in learning how to build your practice. You feel validated and understood as you learn and implement new information, you were unaware of. You are part of a community of like-minded people who are also interested in growing their practice, and you feel supported in this safe place, to try something new. From having a place of support, accountability and feedback you start to try new ideas in building your practice and you begin to shift your thoughts around building your business and talking about your services. You begin to let go of stories and beliefs around struggling in your practice and you start to implement new ideas and you feel an increasing self-confidence and mastery as you celebrate your progress with your “tribe” of peers who truly understand the importance of the healing work that you do. You are part of a transformative journey together and as a result of their support and feedback you’re experiencing a new level of awareness, energy, and excitement and you’re seeing results in your practice you haven’t experienced before.

Yes, our work in our therapy business often parallels the process of our client’s work. It’s about taking risks outside of our comfort zone, about seeing things in a new light, about awareness of what we desire and what’s not working, and about another bearing witness to our journey, and helping us to see areas where we are stuck (or unaware of), and how we can grow.

So what you may not realize in your journey to grow your practice, is that without support and encouragement you may continue to struggle just like the client who visits the websites and reads books but hasn’t yet committed to therapy.

However, you can take big leaps forward in your practice when you commit to learning new information AND you receive support and feedback. Whether it’s a tribe of like-minded peers, a mentor, or coach, you will be able to create transformations much more quickly when you do it with others.

Here are 5 things you can do to accelerate your therapy practice, keep you focused, and hold you accountable to make changes in your therapy practice.

1. Create a “reading club” with other therapists. Read the same book and implement the practices. Hold weekly meetings for support and accountability.
2. Brainstorm with other therapists. This can be a mastermind program where each therapist has an allotted time to explore new ideas and receives feedback from their colleagues. Make sure you set this up consistently, so there is on-going accountability.
3. Contact SCORE or other business mentoring programs and receive counseling on business practices. Having a perspective from someone outside of the therapy field will help you grow your business in new ways.
4. Join a practice building group. These are like-minded peers who have invested in a program and are ready to take action. You’ll be pulled forward by the successes of others and you will be held accountable to follow through on new practices.
5. Commit to 1:1 coaching. Yes, this may be the largest investment, and it’s also the fastest way to grow your practice, allowing you to quickly learn new information and implement new strategies.

Your Creative Practice Building Homework: Pick one and take action. Yes, I’m known for encouraging my practice building clients to commit to “imperfect action”. Waiting to do things perfectly leads to inactivity, and I’m sorry to say, you’re likely to stay in the same place hoping things will be different. So choose one from the list above and start to take imperfect action!

Are you ready for more support NOW? Learn step-by-step how to authentically Fill Your Practice NOW and receive support and feedback from your peers, as well as myself.  Read on…http://www.businesssuccessfortherapists.com/bootcamp/

I bet you have seen other therapists who have full practices with a waitlist and have looked curiously at what they are doing, and wondered why your practice doesn’t look the same. Maybe there’s a feeling like they have it together and you secretly feel a bit envious. You may even begin to lose confidence in your skills as a clinician, wondering why it feels really hard to imagine having the ideal practice you desire- where you are helping the clients you love seeing and are being paid well for the work that you do!

Well I’m here to tell you it’s not you, and it’s not your clinical skills (phew). Actually, it’s your marketing skills. So I want to share with you two essential ingredients to growing your practice that you must implement to quickly & authentically grow your practice from a place of service. I’ll share with you a strategy I used in my therapy business to help me create more consistent income during the “down economy” and what I believe to be the lifesaver of my business, helping me dramatically grow my practice during a time when many therapists were struggling in their practice.

The first essential ingredients to growing your practice is getting clear on your specialization and what sets you apart from other therapists. If you are part of the Niche and Fill My practice telecourse then you have leapt ahead to claim your area of specialization and you know the “magical formula” of your niche. When you are clear of who you serve, the problem that you solve and the unique way you do it by creating your own unique signature system that sets you apart from other therapists, then you have the foundation for a practice where you can confidently charge what you are worth and get it. (If you still want to jump on to the telecourse you can do so and get access to all the calls, scripts, & templates. Just click here.)

The second essential element to creating a thriving practice is to have a system in place to connect with potential clients. I’ll let you in on an insider strategy worth its weight in gold- develop a consistent way to stay in contact with your potential clients.

Let me share what I mean, some therapist have built a reputation in town as the “go to person” for a specific problem and they have full thriving practices. They’ve clearly identified their area of specialization and when you think of them, you identify whom they work with and how they help their clients. Just think of a few practitioners in your community who have that reputation. So, you want to create the reputation for yourself and if you are just starting out or just started to learn about practice building, this is a quick way you can build your credibility and expertise in your community and beyond.

Ready for the ‘secret strategy’ that will revolutionize your practice? (insert drum roll here)… you must have a way to stay connected. Plain and simple, you must have an ezine. An ezine is a permission based (meaning they want to receive it) digital magazine or newsletter that you send to folks who are potential clients. These are the people who have expressed interest in what you offer but are not quite ready to become your clients. They may have searched for your services on the internet or they came to listen to you talk and they are eager to learn more about what you offer. They are your potential clients, in the stage of contemplation and preparation, and are weighing the pros and cons of changing and exploring their options (remember Prochaska’s stages of change).

You miss the opportunity to be of service when you do not provide an easy way for your potential clients to learn more about how you can help them. Creating an ezine or newsletter is not a complex process, however, there is a big mistake I see 90% of therapists making when they begin to implement this strategy. The big mistake is asking your potential clients to “sign-up for my newsletter”. I’m sorry, but no one wants another bit of mail clogging their email box. If you are offering a newsletter and you have dismal response, it’s because of this reason, so please stop asap!

Instead, you must offer a juicy and compelling bit of information that resonates with your ideal client so it’s meaningful for them to sign–up and they’re actually excited to receive your ezine! I call this ‘irresistible information’. This is something that your ideal client eagerly wants to know more about and they are willing to share their contact information to access this ‘irresistible information’.

When you implement this strategy, the number of potential clients who want to jump on your list quickly grows and you can easily keep them informed of what you are offering. Those therapists I have taught this strategy to find their practices quickly doubling, even tripling, practically overnight. My ezine kept me in touch with my clients and potential clients during the down economy and helped me create the best months financially in my practice due to this invaluable client connection strategy!!

If you want to be taken step-by-step through the process of clarifying your area of specialization, creating your unique signature system, defining your ‘irresistible information’ to connect with your potential clients, and learning how to create an ezine that gets your clients and potential clients excited about what you offer and into your practice, then you’ll want to schedule your virtual VIP Day Intensive.

Contact info@businesssuccessfortherapists.com and use the words ‘VIP Day Intensive’ in the subject line. When you take action with support and accountability you achieve remarkable results. I’m excited to guide you to achieve the results of authentically helping more clients and creating more income in your therapy practice.

When you ask a therapist what they do for a living they say they are a therapist, counselor, social worker, psychologist, marriage and family therapists, etc. Okay, that may be an easy way to identify your profession but it’s not necessarily what your clients are looking for. The problem is when you identify yourself this way you may actually be turning off people from coming to see you. There may be a few people out there who have been looking for a therapist and are so happy to meet you. However, most people are going to politely nod and then go back to their hors d’oeuvers when you introduce yourself that way. You see, when you state you are a therapist, another person may feel uncomfortable (oh no, now I’m going to be analyzed), or they may think, “that’s nice, thank goodness I don’t need therapy”, or “gosh my spouse, child, etc could use some therapy”. So there is an easy way to shift this so that the person you are talking with understands what you do, knows who you work with, and can easily think of someone he/she could refer to you.

First, you need to know who you work with and the results you help them achieve. When you are clear of the type of client you work best with, then you can easily share this. What this does is help the person you are talking with see if they would benefit from your services or if they know of someone who could use your help. People love to connect people together, so when you are clear of whom you work with they will often say, “Oh I know someone who could benefit from that. Can I have your card?”

Second, you need to be very specific about the benefits you provide. What are the results your clients get from working with you? If you don’t know the answer, ask your clients. This will help you get crystal clear on the results you help people achieve. People are looking for results not modalities. Research supports that that only 15 % of change is attributed to therapeutic techniques (Hubble, Duncan, Miller, 2006).

Third, you want to convey to your potential clients that you understand them and their problem. Every interaction from in-person meetings to your brochure and your websiteis an opportunity to let your potential client know you understand them. If your website welcomes visitors with extensive information about your modality or uses clinical jargon and terms, or you go into extensive detail about your training, guess what? It’s a big turnoff and your potential client will leave your website quickly because you don’t understand them! (Sorry to those folks out there who talk about accompanying your client during their life journeys and transitions. It may sound poetic but that’s not what your clients are searching for).

Your Assignment: What do well-educated, empathic therapist to do? Do some marketing spring housekeeping.

1. Clean out all the tired copy on your website and brochures, and freshen it up with what your ideal clients are looking for.
2. Speak to your clients in the words they would use and ask them what they really want in working with you and how you’ve helped them. So next time you meet someone an networking event you won’t jump to saying you’re a therapist, but instead explain who you help and how you help them. Then watch the referrals start coming in!

If you need some very clear steps to help you easily describe what you do and the benefits your clients get from working with you, then you are going to want to jump on board the “Niche and Fill my Practice” telecourse  starting May 11th. I’ll walk you through creating your own Niche Blueprint so you can easily share what you do with your potential clients in person and in all of your marketing materials. It’s an easy and fun process that will jumpstart your practice helping you to take action immediately and quickly start to see more clients Resister here: www.businesssuccessfortherapists.com/niche/