If you’ve been feeling stuck, spinning your wheels, or disconnected from the heart of your marketing, this episode is an invitation to pause. In a break from the usual training or step-by-step strategy, today I’m guiding you through a powerful visualization to help you reconnect with the real person behind your Psychology Today profile, your website, and every post you create.

So often, therapists focus on checklists, templates, and what they “should” say. But the most effective, aligned marketing begins with presence—with truly seeing and feeling connected to the person you are here to help. This visualization helps you sit with a past client who lit you up, the one who reminded you why you do this work.

You don’t need to overthink your marketing. You just need to remember that client and speak directly to them. This is a tool you can return to anytime you’re feeling unclear or disconnected in your marketing. It will help you write from a place of real connection, not performance.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

1️⃣ How to ground your marketing in real, meaningful client connections—not formulas or checklists.

2️⃣ A simple visualization you can revisit to tap into clarity and confidence when writing your copy.

3️⃣ The reframe that marketing isn’t separate from your clinical work—it’s an extension of it.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com

Connect + Subscribe

Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe so you never miss an episode—and feel free to share it with a fellow therapist who’s building their private practice. Explore more marketing support for therapists: The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com.

About Marketing Therapy

Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by me, a marketing coach, strategist, and founder of Walker Strategy Co—each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.

Hey there.

2

Welcome to episode 13

of Marketing Therapy.

3

Today's episode is gonna

be a little bit different.

4

Today's episode isn't a training or

a checklist, or a how to tutorial.

5

This episode is an invitation

to slow down to reconnect.

6

And to sit for just a few minutes

with the person that you're marketing

7

is really for, because behind every

Psychology Today profile, every website,

8

every social post, every networking

conversation, there's a real person

9

you're trying to reach, someone who's

struggling, someone who's searching.

10

Hoping they land on the right therapist

page and no worksheet or webinar or fill

11

in the blank template can connect you

to that person the way presence can.

12

So today we're gonna

try something different.

13

We're gonna visualize a client

you've already worked with, so I

14

want you to call to mind now, someone

who you've worked with in the past

15

who has absolutely lit you up.

16

The kind of person who, if you could,

you'd clone them and you'd just have you

17

caseload full of that type of person.

18

Someone who reminded you

why you do this work.

19

Who helped you feel like the

clinician you want to be.

20

More often

21

in this episode, you don't

necessarily need to do anything,

22

although I do encourage you to

likely come back and re-listen to

23

it and maybe journal along with it.

24

But at least for this

first time, just listen.

25

Let the words guide you back

into the room with that person.

26

Back into that relationship that

lit you up and that likely led to

27

some really incredible breakthroughs

for that client across from you.

28

My hope is that this exercise can guide

you back into the kind of clarity that

29

you do have inside of you about who you're

speaking to and how you're doing that.

30

Let's begin.

31

For the purpose of this visualization,

we will imagine you're going

32

to see this client in person.

33

Imagine your office, your desk, what's

on the walls, the setup of the room.

34

This is where you do your best work.

35

Now you walk out to the

waiting room, the air's quiet.

36

You hear the door unlatch and

you see them there sitting

37

on the couch waiting for you.

38

Your client,

39

the one who makes you excited to do

this work, who makes you feel like

40

you are doing exactly what you are

meant to be doing with your life?

41

You greet them with a smile.

42

You invite them back to your office.

43

Maybe there's a small

exchange about the weather.

44

It's familiar.

45

It's comfortable.

46

Your client follows you down the hallway.

47

You open the door and they

settle into their usual spot.

48

Maybe on the couch.

49

Perhaps they pick up the throw pillow

next to them and put it on their lap.

50

You take your seat.

51

You feel yourself settled down into that

chair where you spend so many hours,

52

the one that supports you just right.

53

You feel yourself.

54

Come into the room.

55

Take a moment right here.

56

Notice the feel, the lighting,

the temperature, the weight

57

of this session beginning.

58

This is your space.

59

This is the person you do great work with.

60

You know how to show up for them.

61

They trust you and you.

62

You trust yourself here.

63

Let that feeling settle

into your body for a moment.

64

This is the version of you

that does your best work.

65

And this person across from

you is who you're marketing

66

is ultimately speaking to.

67

Now, let's get curious.

68

Let's start asking some questions.

69

Turn your attention fully toward

this client who sitting across from

70

you, notice their body language,

how they hold themselves today.

71

The expression on their face.

72

And now ask yourself what

brings them here right now?

73

Not just the surface level

reason that led them to therapy,

74

but what's underneath that?

75

What is this person struggling with?

76

Even if they haven't

quite found the words yet,

77

what's keeping them up at night?

78

What do they think about while

driving, while sitting on the

79

couch, scrolling at the end of the

day while lying in bed at 2:00 AM?

80

What's eating at them?

81

In the quiet times,

82

what words do they use to

describe that experience to you?

83

What are they maybe afraid to say out loud

84

now, I want you to shift gears

into asking questions about.

85

The incredible journey and outcome you can

help your clients experience in this work

86

sitting across from this client

of yours, what are they hoping

87

therapy will make possible,

88

even if they're not sure it's realistic?

89

Even if they don't know

quite how to say it,

90

what do they hope changes?

91

What do they want to feel as

they leave today's session?

92

What do they want to feel next week?

93

What about six months from now or

a year from now, as they reflect on

94

this work, what do they want to feel?

95

Then?

96

What do they hope to notice in themselves?

97

What do they hope to notice in

their relationships, in their work?

98

In the way they move about the world,

99

what do they wanna see?

100

Change

101

Next, ask yourself, what does this

client need from you in particular?

102

What is it about your presence?

103

Your way of working and joining with

them, that helps them feel safe,

104

seen, understood, capable, hopeful.

105

What does this client need from you here?

106

Now, imagine this, this client

sitting across from you is at

107

home searching for a therapist,

realizing they need some support.

108

They don't know your name yet.

109

They're simply scrolling through

a list, reading websites,

110

looking for someone who gets it.

111

What would you want them to hear

in the first few seconds of reading

112

your profile or your website?

113

To know they found the right person

114

to know?

115

This person understands the pain, the

distress, or discomfort they're in.

116

The truth of what they want out of

this, the truth of what's possible,

117

what words come up,

118

even if they're messy or they don't

feel professional yet those words.

119

They are what matter.

120

Those are what resonate with

this person across from you.

121

Sit with that for a moment.

122

What do you want this client to hear?

123

To know they're in the right place.

124

All right.

125

Open your eyes now.

126

If maybe they drifted closed.

127

Let yourself come back into the room,

whatever it is that you're doing,

128

as you're listening here today, back

into this moment, take a breath.

129

As you do that, notice

what stayed with you.

130

Maybe you saw that client's

face very, very clearly.

131

You knew exactly who

you were sitting with.

132

Maybe a sentence they once said

to you either about what they were

133

struggling with or about their work

with you echoed back in your mind.

134

Maybe you just remembered what

it felt like to be fully in it.

135

That incredible sense of

knowing you can help someone.

136

Whatever came up for you in this

visualization, I want you to hold

137

onto that because this is the part

many therapists skip right on past.

138

It's so easy when you start

working on your marketing to

139

go straight to the structure.

140

What should I write?

141

What do I include?

142

What's the best way to do

this, that, or the other thing?

143

And those questions make sense.

144

Absolutely.

145

But they miss something foundational

to this work that you do in particular.

146

And that is the relationship, the

real human being on the other side

147

of the screen, the connection that

makes everything click into place.

148

That's the beauty.

149

Of marketing when done well that you

begin to cultivate that connection

150

and that relationship before you

even have an opportunity to actually

151

sit in the room with that person.

152

The most effective marketing, the

kind that actually attracts the right

153

clients, and the kind that feels

really aligned and authentic and clear.

154

It doesn't start with copywriting

formulas or checklists

155

or magic bullets.

156

It starts here with getting

to know the person that you're

157

actually trying to reach

158

with somehow or another sitting across

from a client you care deeply about.

159

And letting that experience remind you

that you already know how to do this.

160

You already know how to form connection.

161

You already know what your ideal

client is deeply struggling with,

162

and even more deeply desires.

163

I think this is one of the biggest

reasons therapists struggle to

164

write about their work and to market

themselves, because they try to

165

describe it from the outside in.

166

They're really trying to pitch their

niche or the work that they do from

167

a bird's eye view instead of really

just starting at ground level.

168

Instead of starting with one real person,

one real moment, one real conversation.

169

So if you've really been wrestling

with where to begin with your

170

marketing or staring at a blank

page wondering what to say, this.

171

Visualization is not just an exercise.

172

It can be a tool, something you

can come back to as you decide who

173

you're speaking to in your marketing

174

picture that client

sitting across from you.

175

Let what you write come from there.

176

It's not always gonna

feel polished right away.

177

There's room and time for that.

178

It's not gonna be perfect.

179

But it will be real.

180

It will be informed by genuine

relationship, and that is

181

what clients connect to.

182

This isn't about cleverness or credentials

or clinical jargon, but about connection.

183

So the next time you're sitting down

to work on something related to your

184

marketing, maybe you're writing your

homepage or updating your Psychology

185

Today profile, or thinking about how

to connect with someone via email.

186

Ask yourself, am I speaking to someone

or am I speaking about something?

187

Am I speaking to someone or

am I speaking about something?

188

Because you're a marketing good.

189

Effective marketing isn't

about just checking boxes.

190

It is about reaching the person

that you are here to help.

191

And the more grounded you

are in that connection, the

192

easier those words will come.

193

Okay.

194

You do not have to pull your

marketing out of thin air.

195

You don't have to perform

or prove yourself.

196

You just have to reconnect.

197

Reconnect with the clients

who already trust you.

198

Reconnect to the moments where

you know your work clicks.

199

Reconnect to what leads to those

incredible client outcomes and

200

light bulb moments in session.

201

Reconnect to the part of you who already

knows what to say because you've said it

202

before in session when it mattered most.

203

There's a powerful reframe here

that marketing isn't separate

204

from the work that you do.

205

It is simply an extension of it.

206

The more rooted you can be in

that, the more confidence will

207

come and the more your words will

resonate with the right people.

208

Like I said, this episode was a little

bit different, but I hope for some of you

209

that it was helpful that you're left with.

210

Some insights into that human

that's actually on the other

211

side of your marketing that is

looking for someone just like you.

212

I hope it gave you maybe a moment of

clarity or just of calm of the opportunity

213

to reconnect with those moments when you

have shown up as the incredible, talented

214

and capable clinician that you are.

215

And if you want to come back

to this exercise again, do it.

216

Save this, revisit it.

217

Maybe like I said, come back and

journal through this exercise

218

and the questions that I posed.

219

Clarity will not come from just thinking

harder about your marketing or following

220

one more checklist or to-do list.

221

It will come from action.

222

It will come from connection, and you,

my friend, already know how to do that.

223

Thanks for being here.

224

I'll see you in the next episode.