Shownotes
In this episode of Good Enough Counsellors, we'll explore how to craft a therapist directory profile that truly resonates with clients.
Takeaways:
- Why most profiles get skimmed - and how to fix yours
- The key mistakes therapists make (and how to avoid them)
- How to show clients that you "get" them
- Using clients' language to connect instantly
- A simple framework to identify your niche without stress
- How to write with empathy and attract the clients you love working with
By the end, you'll feel more confident and ready to write a profile that really attracts the people you're here to help.
If you're ready to attract the clients you'd love to work with, join the "Make Your Profile Work" training this June inside Therapy Growth Group. We'll walk through what to include and write your profile together with feedback. Sign up HERE
Setting up in private practice? Download my free checklist HERE
Need ideas for how to get clients? Download my free handout 21 Ways for Counsellors to Attract New Clients HERE
You can also find me here:
The Good Enough Counsellors Facebook Group
Josephine Hughes on Facebook
Josephine Hughes on YouTube
My website: josephinehughes.com
Keywords:
counselling profile writing, private practice growth, therapist marketing strategies, how to attract clients, effective therapy profiles, therapy marketing tips, private practice marketing, therapist profile mistakes, writing for therapists, niching for therapists
The information contained in Good Enough Counsellors is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this podcast are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this podcast. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this podcast.
Josephine Hughes disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this podcast.
Transcripts
Have you ever had the experience of being truly heard?
Speaker B:Hopefully, as a therapist, you might have.
Speaker A:Experienced this from your own therapist or counsellor, you might have experienced it from a friend or a family member, a partner.
Speaker A:But hopefully you have had that experience of being truly listened to and heard.
Speaker B:And I wonder, just at the start.
Speaker A:If you could just take a moment to remember what that feels like.
Speaker B:Welcome to Good Enough Counsellors, the podcast for growing a private practice without the pressure to be perfect.
Speaker B:I'm Josephine Hughes, counsellor and creator of Therapy Growth Group, helping you get the clients you want.
Speaker B:And on today's episode, you're getting access to some training I offered recently to help you write your profile.
Speaker B:We're going to look at why you can be more confident than you think about your writing, the common mistakes to avoid, and how to really appeal to the clients you'd love to work with.
Speaker B:Let's get started.
Speaker A:How did it feel to be truly heard?
Speaker A:I wonder if you felt like this.
Speaker A:These are the sorts of things that I could think of.
Speaker A:When was that sense of safety and security a feeling that somebody truly got me and I was safe because somebody understood me?
Speaker A:It calms me down, you know, if I'm feeling anxious or worried and then someone really hears me, they don't try necessarily to put it right, they just listen.
Speaker A:That helps me to feel calm, like I matter, you know, I'm important to someone.
Speaker A:They've given up their time to me and they understand my perspective and my perspective is important and I matter.
Speaker A:So it really helps me when someone really, truly listens to me, and that helps me to let go of whatever's going on a little bit.
Speaker A:I wonder if you've got other words as well.
Speaker A:And the reason I'm asking this is because that feeling, that sense of being seen, is what we want your ideal client to feel when they land on your profile.
Speaker A:The really good news is, is that you are a trained therapist.
Speaker A:You know how to do this, you know how to really listen, you know how to really hear people.
Speaker A:It's just a case of showing clients that that's what you can do.
Speaker B:And I'd really like to encourage you.
Speaker A:That you can write a good profile because you understand how people feel.
Speaker A:Number one, why most profiles get skimmed.
Speaker A:I don't know about you, but I've certainly had clients saying to me they feel like directories are like Tinder for therapists, sort of not quite swiping left or right, but you're certainly swiping up, aren't you?
Speaker A:And it's because a Lot of the profiles are very samey.
Speaker A:Sometimes people will say, well, I picked you because I really liked the look of you.
Speaker A:You know, you've got a lovely profile photo and that's wonderful.
Speaker A:But wouldn't it be great if people picked you because they could see that you were the right person for them?
Speaker A:Because actually was speaking to the problems that they have.
Speaker A:But what puts people off or why do they find it difficult?
Speaker A:Why do they end up relying on that profile photo?
Speaker A:There's three main reasons.
Speaker A:Often the profiles are very general, very, very generic in what they say.
Speaker A:Are you suffering with depression or anxiety or grief?
Speaker A:You know, these are big subjects and probably every other person on the directory could say something similar.
Speaker A:So very general.
Speaker A:Profiles like that don't tend to appeal to clients.
Speaker A:When they're reading that search paragraph or those first couple of sentences, you need to leap out of the page at them.
Speaker A:And we're going to talk about how you can do that.
Speaker A:But don't be too general, because if you're too general, you're not going to stand out.
Speaker A:If you try to appeal to everyone, you're not going to connect with anyone.
Speaker A:So trying to connect with everyone, appeal to everyone means that you won't connect to anyone.
Speaker A:We're so worried about narrowing down and that leads to vague catch all statements.
Speaker A:And unfortunately that doesn't speak to people.
Speaker A:Clients are looking for you to be quite specific.
Speaker A:I will tell you about that a little bit more in a moment.
Speaker A:You need to have something that speaks to their personal experience.
Speaker A:And when you're being very general, that is much harder to actually speak to people.
Speaker A:So it's really important to think about who it is that you're trying to reach.
Speaker A:A lot of the profiles are too similar.
Speaker A:So I'm sure that you've seen this written down.
Speaker A:People saying things like, I offer a safe non judgmental space and I'd love to get a pound for every time I read that sentence when I'm looking through the directory profiles, because it's there and an awful lot of the time.
Speaker A:And the thing is, what I like to say to people is show, not tell.
Speaker A:So you can show that you're non judgmental.
Speaker A:You don't need to tell them you're non judgmental.
Speaker A:You can show them you're non judgmental.
Speaker A:And I'll move on to tell you about how you do that in a moment.
Speaker A:But in a crowded directory, sameness basically means invisibility number three.
Speaker A:You can make these profiles too focused on you and how you work.
Speaker A:So doing something like starting with, you know, your modality or your training, we think that's going to help people.
Speaker A:We think that might show them that we're experienced, we're qualified, but actually, clients aren't terribly interested in us at this point.
Speaker A:When they're first looking, when they're first picking you out, they're looking for someone who is speaking to their problem and speaking about your qualifications or your training or your availability.
Speaker A:Actually, you know, they need to know more than that.
Speaker A:They need something that makes them want to click through to your profile.
Speaker A:You want to shift from I offer CBT and psychodynamic therapy to you might be feeling stuck or overwhelmed or unsure where to turn.
Speaker A:It's just different.
Speaker A:You're focusing on the individual rather than focusing on yourself.
Speaker A:So this is what I'd really like you to remember from this particular section.
Speaker A:If you try to speak to everyone, you will speak to no one.
Speaker A:And it is really scary to think about niching.
Speaker A:But if you try and not niche, if you try and speak to everyone, you're going to hit problems because you won't be speaking to anyone in particular and you won't stand out.
Speaker A:I've got a great example of someone I worked with, and she worked with eating disorders.
Speaker A:When she narrowed it down even further and she decided to work with binge eating, it was at that point that she really found her voice and she really started to communicate what she was doing to clients and she filled her practice up.
Speaker A:Being very clear about who you work with actually means that you stand out and you aren't the same as everybody else.
Speaker A:And that can make a big difference.
Speaker A:You can start drawing people who you want to work with when you're very clear about the types of people that you see.
Speaker A:Okay, let's move on to the next section.
Speaker A:So who are you really speaking to?
Speaker A:What I want to think about here is let's all think about what's already working for you.
Speaker A:I've just talked about a niche, but in actual fact, it's almost more helpful.
Speaker A:People get very sort of triggered by the thought of niching.
Speaker A:It's actually really helpful to think about who do I work really well with already?
Speaker A:Notice what's already working.
Speaker A:Think about the clients that you really enjoy working with anyway.
Speaker A:When does the work feel energizing or natural?
Speaker A:And you can trust those moments of connection because they are showing you the way.
Speaker A:And there is an expression, and that is that you don't find your niche, your niche finds you.
Speaker A:And that that can really happen, you know, as you work, you begin to find that you draw people to yourself and you'll notice patterns emerging.
Speaker A:So that is a really useful sign.
Speaker A:So think about, you know, who are the people that I really do love to work with already?
Speaker A:What really writes me up?
Speaker A:Who are the clients that I really look forward to seeing?
Speaker A:And see if you can find commonalities between those different clients, because that often leads you to the type of person that you really would find it helpful to reach out to.
Speaker B:If writing your profile makes you want to run and hide, you're really not alone.
Speaker B: This June: Speaker B:It's a program to help you figure out exactly what needs to into your profile, from your niche to what makes you stand out.
Speaker B:There'll be workshops where you can talk things through with me and your peers, get support and untangle the tricky bits.
Speaker B:And in the final week of June, we'll write your profile together, section by section, with feedback to help you make it shine.
Speaker B:If you're ready for a profile that brings the right clients to you, the Just click on the following link josephinehughes.com therapy growth offer and you'll be able to join up there.
Speaker B:I'll pop the link into the show notes, but do be quick because I'll be closing the group before the programme starts on the 2nd of June.
Speaker A:So what do you already know?
Speaker A:This is another way of thinking about the type of people that you could reach, what is there in your life and your experience.
Speaker A:And often it's this that is the real key to finding the people that you want to work with.
Speaker A:For me, I'll give you an example.
Speaker A:I found over time that I drew people to me who'd had difficult relationships with their mother and that was my particular history.
Speaker A:And I didn't realise when I first set out that those were the people that I would end up working with a lot.
Speaker A:But that is actually what true and I think it's the way I wrote it just speaks to those sort of people.
Speaker A:So I don't.
Speaker A:I wouldn't have put in my directory entry, you know, have you had problems with your mother?
Speaker A:Because often that's hidden from clients.
Speaker A:But I knew those were the sort of people I was reaching and those sorts of people had a particular way of seeing the world.
Speaker A:They often didn't feel good enough, for example.
Speaker A:And those were the sorts of feelings that I reached out to them with that sense of worthlessness.
Speaker A:And often that's the result of, you know, having had a difficult parental relationship or perhaps Having an emotional, emotionally abusive relationship with someone is that sense of shame and worthlessness.
Speaker A:So, you know, I, I was able to work that out and I knew that my best clients were the ones who had difficult relationships with a parent.
Speaker A:But I didn't actually say that in my directory, but what they were experiencing, I looked at what they experienced and there was a commonality in that and it was drawing from my own experience.
Speaker A:So if all else fails, here's a little tip.
Speaker A:Write to yourself.
Speaker A:It's really helpful if you think about when you're writing, is to think about working and writing with your favourite client.
Speaker A:So imagine that you're writing your directory for a favourite client.
Speaker A:And if you can't think of a favourite client, write what you needed to know, what you needed to hear before you started your training.
Speaker A:And if you remember that, that's a really great tip to help you know what to say in your directory.
Speaker A:And then last but not least, think about the sorts of themes like I've just been talking about.
Speaker A:You know, I had this theme that began to emerg of people who had difficult relationships with their parent.
Speaker A:So look at what is beginning to come out.
Speaker A:What commonalities are there with your different clients?
Speaker A:And there is a wonderful quote that I'd like to use here.
Speaker A:Your niche is where your experience, your passion and someone else's pain overlap.
Speaker A:So if you can think of those three areas, there's no point thinking of a niche if no one's got any pain there.
Speaker A:Because you're a counsellor, you're trying to help people resolve the pain.
Speaker A:But you know, thinking about what your experience is, what energizes you and what people really need.
Speaker A:If you can find those three elements, then you're on the way to creating an irresistible directory entry.
Speaker A:So think about it.
Speaker A:I'd like you to think about this particular question.
Speaker A:You might like to scribble it down.
Speaker A:If you could fill your practice with people you really clicked with, what kinds of problems would they bring?
Speaker A:And this is a really important part of what I'm talking about today.
Speaker A:It's thinking about your clients and what are they looking for.
Speaker A:I mentioned earlier about not focusing on yourself.
Speaker A:You really want to be focused on the client because they are looking for someone who can help them and what they really need you to show them at the start is your empathy.
Speaker A:And this is where I'm saying you don't need to tell them you're empathic, you don't need to tell them that you're non judgmental.
Speaker A:You can show them with what you say at this particular part of your profile, the introductory bit, you want to be piling it up with your empathic knowledge of what your clients are suffering and showing them that you are a safe place by offering empathic and compassionate statements about their situation.
Speaker A:So it's really important to think.
Speaker A:When clients are lying awake at night, they are not thinking to themselves, I need counseling.
Speaker A:They're lying awake thinking about their problems.
Speaker A:So for you to be able to speak to them and show them that you understand, you need to be stating what those problems are that are keeping them awake at night.
Speaker A:And you need to have that front and centre of your profile, especially in the first couple of sentences or in the search paragraph, you want to make it really clear who it is that you are trying to reach and what their problems are.
Speaker A:So clients don't search for therapy, they search for relief from the thoughts that they can't switch off.
Speaker A:So how can you show them that you actually understand?
Speaker A:What shows them that you understand is that you use their language, you use the terms that they would use and you start thinking about the way they describe their problems.
Speaker A:So you want to drop the jargon.
Speaker A:You need to keep away from terms that they won't understand.
Speaker A:And it's really easy for us.
Speaker A:We have ways of describing things and it's a shorthand between us, but it isn't clear to the client.
Speaker A:And so often, you know, people will talk about something like.
Speaker A:I mean, an obvious example would be thinking about something like trauma.
Speaker A:Now, you may be very familiar with trauma, you may be very familiar with the term abuse.
Speaker A:But for some clients at the start of their journey, using the word abuse sounds like something that someone else might have gone through.
Speaker A:Or using the word trauma might be something that, oh, they must be talking about veterans if they're talking about ptsd.
Speaker A:So it's finding the words that people naturally use when they're describing their problems.
Speaker A:And it can be really helpful to show your profile to someone who's not a therapist to see if they understand who it is that you're trying to reach, because you really want to drop that jargon.
Speaker A:I mean, even phrases I think, like feeling good enough, people may not realise that they're not feeling good enough.
Speaker A:What they are feeling is they think I'm just complete rubbish.
Speaker A:It's not that they have that secondary thought, so that means I don't feel good enough.
Speaker A:They're just thinking, you know what?
Speaker A:I'm a crock full of won't say the word.
Speaker A:You know, I'm just an awful person, they won't think to themselves, oh, what I'm telling myself is I'm not good enough.
Speaker A:So it's thinking about that really basic level at which they are at before they come for therapy and speaking to them with those sorts of words and phrases.
Speaker A:So instead of saying something like, you might say, I work with low self esteem, you might say you're constantly questioning yourself, even if others are reassuring you, because that's a sign of self esteem.
Speaker A:So I think it's really important is to try and find the behaviour.
Speaker A:So for example, if you're dealing with something like workplace stress, you might say something about that awful sinking feeling that people get on a Sunday evening and they feel like they're constantly on edge.
Speaker A:So it just helps them to think, yeah, that's me.
Speaker A:And when people can recognize themselves, this is what helps them feel truly seen.
Speaker A:I had a client who I worked with and helped her with her profile and she said that she had clients who came to her and this client said, oh, I looked a couple of months ago and I found you then.
Speaker A:And then I came back to the directory two months later and I couldn't find you.
Speaker A:Honestly, I spent hours searching through all the profiles until I found you because I knew you were the person who would understand me.
Speaker A:That's an incredible testament to the strength of that particular profile.
Speaker A:You know, I've had clients who come to me and said, yeah, I found you a year ago, but I'm ready now.
Speaker A:So people will remember you if you've got a very clear profile that speaks to their problems.
Speaker A:So remember what I said.
Speaker A:If someone read your profile aloud to a friend, what would that friend say?
Speaker A:Would they say, that sounds like you, so I should go away?
Speaker A:And if you've got a profile already, then share it with a friend and just see what feedback they give you.
Speaker A:Okay, so in summary, what we've talked about is if you try to speak to everyone, you speak to no one.
Speaker A:You find your niche in the area where your experience, your passion and somebody else's pain overlaps.
Speaker A:And lastly, people don't lie awake at night thinking, I need counseling.
Speaker A:People lie awake at night, night thinking about their problems.
Speaker B:I really hope this training has helped you today to think about the elements that you want to put in your profile.
Speaker B:My training in therapy growth group extends this.
Speaker B:There's a lot more information and also a lot more support to help you decide exactly what's right for you and your practice.
Speaker B:So if you'd like to join us in therapy growth group, I'll pop the link into the show notes or just Click through to josephinehughes.com Therapy Growth Group offer and I will see you there.
Speaker B:Thanks for listening.
Speaker B:Do come and join my Facebook community.
Speaker B:Good enough counsellors and for more information about how I can help you develop your private practice, please Visit my website JosephineHughes.com if you found this episode helpful, I'd love it if you could share it with a fellow therapist or leave a review on your podcast app.
Speaker B:And in closing, I'd love to remind you that every single step you make gets you closer to your dream.
Speaker B:I really believe you can do it.
Speaker A:Sam.
