ShrinkSync Blog

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We've seen it all over the Twittersphere and Facebook since nominations were announced: articles about psychotherapists' analyses and diagnostic findings of presidential candidates. Articles with titles like Narcissist or Sociopath? or Are they fit to be President: A Psychiatrist's Perspective. I've also seen a rise in discussions about whether or not therapists we should share our personal or professional thoughts about the candidates.

The first reason the answer to this question is NO! is an obvious one, ethically, it's a big no-no to diagnose someone you've never met before. You wouldn't tell your client that his mom has Borderline Personality Disorder, for example. The only people we can analyze, diagnose and recommend treatment for are our clients. Diagnosing requires meeting with an individual and often hearing private information they don't disclose to others. 

The second reason is that an ethics rule the APA created in direct response to a politician taking legal action against Psychiatrists who called him unfit for the presidency because of certain mental illnesses. In 1964, Barry Goldwater successfully sued the Psychiatrists quoted in the article for libel, and the APA gave us "The Goldwater Rule", which states:

      On occasion psychiatrists are asked for an opinion about an individual who is in the light of public           attention or who has disclosed information about himself/herself through public media. In such               circumstances, a psychiatrist may share with the public his or her expertise about psychiatric issues         in general. However, it is unethical for a psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion unless he or she         has conducted an examination and has been granted proper authorization for such a statement.
 
Sure, we all have personal, private thoughts about each of the candidates. It may be tempting to offer a professional opinion about someone based on the behaviors they exhibit, but proceed with caution. 

Tibetan Buddhist master Mingyur Rinpoche explains what meditation is and what it is not in the best way we've heard yet! Learn how easy it can be to meditate virtually anywhere, even if you've only got a few seconds to spare. We're also positive that this is a great way to explain meditation to even the most reluctant of clients in your practice.

Tell us how you incorporate meditation in your personal life as well as in your practice in the comments below!

Here's a Disney effect we did not expect!

A slate.com article shared this week that A New Study Suggests Disney Princess Culture Is Bad for Girls but Potentially Good for Boys . Historically, we've been warned about the possible downsides of girls being over-exposed to "the princess culture" but what about boys who are exposed to the same movies and toys? Well, looks like boys who are exposed to the Disney princesses have healthier body image expectations and a higher affinity to helping others, according to the article. Signs that they may just balance out the masculine and more violent toys generally marketed for boys.   

Read the full article here.

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Co-founders of ShrinkSync, Anita Avedian,LMFT and Rachel Thomasian, LMFT will be presenting at Simple Practice's Summer CEU Workshop. 

Simple Practice is producing a day of learning and connecting and we couldn't be happier to be a part of this exciting and innovative day. We'll be presenting Social Networking Do's & Dont's for Therapists. In this talk, Rachel and Anita discuss the right way to promote your practice on the web, as well as how to use social media to grow your practice. Social networking is a huge tool for therapists, and they'll cover social networking as a free tool to connect with colleagues as well as potential clients. 

When: June 9th, 2016 11am-6pm (come for all or a part of the day)
Where: Simple Practice Santa Monica HQ

For more information and tickets visit: Summer CEU Workshop

Written by: Becky White, MFT Registered Intern        

       The California Law & Ethics exam is 75 multiple choice questions with an allotted 90 minutes to take the test. I took the exam at a PSI (the proctoring company) site located in Lawndale, off Hawthorne Blvd.  I showed up about 30 minutes early, walked in and was immediately greeted by uniformed persons, presumedly employed by PSI, with cold expressions and an aversion to eye contact. I was told beforehand that I should not bring anything inside, like a purse or food, because there will be no lockers or place to store them.  This was not true as there were lockers and I was immediately escorted to a locker where I placed my belongings. I was confused by the vibes in there and I asked one of these uniformed persons who they worked for (PSI, the BBS?) and he responded, “I am unable to answer that question ma’am.” 

         The California Law & Ethics exam is brand new as of January 2016. So new, in fact, that anyone taking the exam in Jan or Feb 2016 was told that they will need to wait approximately 4-8 weeks while the exam gets normed and a passing score established, to find out if they passed the exam or not. Thus, having scheduled my exam for Feb 29th, I was pretty sure that I, too, would have to wait 4-8 weeks to get my exam result.  There were a few other test-takers there who were probably taking varying types of credentialing or licensing exams proctored by PSI.  I again felt the urge to ask a question that, it seemed pretty clear by this point, was not going to get answered, and so I went for it: “Am I going to have to wait a few weeks to find out if I passed, or have you began releasing scores?”. The uniformed man replied, “We will discuss that later, ma’am,” which I took to mean, “Please stop breaking this invisible boundary that exists between us, and yes, you will have to wait, just like everybody else.” 

         Even though I was early, they said they were ready to take me inside.  My largest grievance about the testing experience is that you have to keep both of your feet on the floor at all times, meaning you cannot sit cross-legged in your chair. As a yogi, I frequently sit cross-legged and so my legs would start creeping up onto the chair and I had to remember to put them back on the floor each time.  The computer tutorial was fine and expected. The test-banks through Gerry Grossman look exactly the same as the real test, and so I felt like I was on familiar turf in that sense. 

         I had been completing the practice exams within 45-60 minutes and so it was a surprise to me on question #45 when I looked up at the time and saw that I had only 35 minutes left. This meant that I had only 1 minute per question for the rest of the exam, and would leave no time to go back and review any of the questions that I marked to go back to later. With the time crunch and the long questions, it got to the point where I was just answering questions as quickly as possible, glossing over the many details included in the questions.

        “I’m failing this test,”, I thought with dread, “I’m going to have to figure out a different way to study. I really thought I studied a lot."  I reminded myself that there was really nothing more I could have done to prepare for this test, that I know the material, it’s just that they are trying to trick us.  “Maybe I will pass,” I thought, “Maybe everyone who took the test thought it was this hard and confusing, and so I will pass and it will be fine.”  

         At the end of the test, I had to fill out a questionnaire about the testing location and my experience there. It’s truly the last thing I wanted to do upon completing this test, believing to my  core that I failed, and also knowing that I would have to wait another 4-8 weeks to get the results.  I walked out of the testing room and was directed to take a seat next to a uniformed man.  I sat there, filled with dread, thinking about how much I didn’t want to wait for these results. About how many massages and pints of ice cream it would take to soothe and distract myself over the next few weeks waiting, and then over the misery of finding out that I failed and had to retake it. I was even re-calculating my licensure timeline given the 3 month waiting period before you can re-take the exam if you fail. 

       The uniformed man who so expertly did not answer my pre-exam questions handed me a piece of paper as he asked for my driver’s license.  I took out my driver’s license, handed it to him,  took the sheet of paper he offered and began reading: “CONGRATULATIONS! You have passed the California Law & Ethics Exam.”  Stunned, I looked at the uniformed man. “I passed?”, I asked. He made brief eye contact with me and then returned to inspecting my drivers license. I looked all around the room, hoping one of the other uniformed persons would nod in acknowledgement. I went on, “I was not supposed to find this out today!” Again, the uniformed man glanced at me briefly and looked away.  I decided then to give up on my well fought battle for human contact from the uniformed persons.
       
​        I exhaled a sigh of relief, that the waiting was over. That I’d done it. That there was only one more leg of this journey to go. That I’m in the final stage. That somehow, on Leap Year day of 2016, I emerged with the loophole experience and was given a passing notice right then and there when I was supposed to have waited for 4-8 weeks.  

         I just recently completed the live study course through Gerry Grossman Seminars for the final licensing exam, the California Clinical Exam. The class met four Tuesday evenings in a row in March 2016 from 6:30PM-10 PM. I will likely take the California Clinical Exam in late May or early June, as I was told to study for about 3 months for this one given the breadth of information covered.  Perhaps I will be back then to blog on Shrink Sync about it! Its been a pleasure sharing my testing experiences with you. Please comment below and share your experiences. Feel free to email me personally at rebcwhite@gmail.com.  

Written by: Becky White, Marriage and Family Therapist Registered Intern

       Preparing for the California Law & Ethics exam (Exam #1) was a slow roll for me. There are various tutoring companies that are well known in Los Angeles, the two most popular amongst my cohort are Gerry Grossman Seminars and the Therapist Development Center. I went with Gerry, since my mom, an LMFT, studied with his course 20 years ago when she was preparing for the licensing exams.  I figured if it ain’t broke, why fix it? 

       The Law & Ethics prep package included a day-long seminar in which an overview of Law & Ethics was presented.  The study materials include an extensive online test-bank; audiotapes of Gerry himself reading through the relevant materials; flashcards; and a thick classroom text manual that was sort of like the Grossman Law & Ethics bible. 

       I dove in with the Law & Ethics daylong seminar in November, and popped the audiotape in my car for my commute sometime in December.  I listened to that on and off and didn’t really get jamming on studying until late January. Thats when I went straight for the test-banks. These are truly the best way to not only gauge where you are in the studying process, but also to learn the information. The test-banks teach you that passing this exam is not really about memorizing the law & ethics but rather applying them to murky and complicated clinical situations.  The more test-banks I took, the more I was able to differentiate laws from ethics and parse out the application of each to nuanced and complex clinical scenarios. 
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       Now that we have explored an overview of the exam restructure and test prep, the next posts will address what it was like to actually take the brand new 2016 California Law & Ethics Exam. 

by Becky White, MFT Registered Intern

Upon completion of my 3,000 hours, I felt different.  Leading up to this moment, I wondered what would actually change when I finally completed all my hours. When the moment came, it was like a wake up call that this is real, that I have put in the time, that I actually do know what I am doing, that life is serious and that my work is serious and that I’d better take it and myself seriously.  
Throughout the internship process, I used Track Your Hours (https://www.trackyourhours.com/) to keep track of my hours.  I would go months where I would fall behind and then have to catch up, and then weeks where I plugged in hours daily, especially towards the end when I was so ready to be done. 

I could not stand the idea of painstakingly getting all those documents together, signed, and mailed, and then receiving a rejection notice in the mail from the BBS three months laterbecause I forgot one W-2 from 2013. So per a friend’s recommendation, I booked an hour review with Gerry Grossman (https://gerrygrossman.com/mall/bbs_app_prep.php)  who goes through your eligibility application by hand, making sure each tracking form is correct and that you have all the documents you need.
Once Gerry got his hands on those papers and approved the application, the only thing I had left to do was mail it in. For a person who is highly competent in many areas of life, the hardest part of mostly anything is getting to a post office. Gerry was kind enough to personally give me directions to the post office and even provided the proper postage such that you receive a notice in the mail once the BBS receives the document. This is the closest you can get to any confirmation from the BBS that your application was received and is being processed. 
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Gerry’s forms review service came with a price, but I felt so confident and comfortable in his hands that it was well worth it for the peace of mind.  Low and behold, approximately three months later, I received my letter of eligibility in the mail from the BBS. 

Becky White is an MFT Registered Intern currently navigating the licensing process. She's documenting her process on ShrinkSync! If you have a question you'd like addressed in this series, please leave it in the comments below.

Are you running around like a chicken with your head cut off trying to figure out the new 2016 LMFT Licensing Exams? Fret no more! I’m here to help demystify the examination process for you. I’m Becky White, MFT Intern working in Rachel Thomasian’s Private Practice located in Playa Vista.  I also work part-time at the Saban Community Clinic, providing psychotherapy to individuals dealing with co-occurring chronic medical and mental health issues. 

I passed the California Law & Ethics exam (Exam #1) on Feb 29th, 2016 and am currently studying for the California Clinical Exam (Exam #2) . I’m here to share my experiences to assist you in navigating the process.  I am not writing on behalf of the BBS or on behalf of any tutoring or prep courses and do not receive compensation from any of the services mentioned in these posts.

There are two exams under the exam restructure that you must take in order to become licensed in California.  The first is the Law & Ethics exam, which, under the new BBS requirements, any MFT Intern must take in order to renew their intern number. Once you pass this exam, you do not have to retake it.  Thus, if your graduation date falls within this timeline, by the time you have completed your 3,000 hours you will have already passed the Law & Ethics exam, and so you will only need to take the California Clinical Exam. 
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I waited until after completing my hours to take the Law & Ethics exam. This is because my graduation date fell within a timeframe that still pertained to the older examination process, in which I did not have to take the Law & Ethics exam in order to renew my intern number. In the next blog entries I will talk about submitting my application for eligibility, studying for the Law & Ethics exam, and taking the exam. 

Please note: This is the first of a series on Becky's experience taking (and passing!) the BBS Law & Ethics exam and her journey to licensure. We will be publishing a new installment every Tuesday.

​Learn more about Becky White, MFT Registered Intern

A small business can be a money sucker - even a psychotherapy practice, which does not have a lot of obvious expenses. Everyone likes to save a little money and who doesn't wish to have a little extra time at the end of the day. We've round up a list of the best ways you get some more of both, find some time and money with these tips:

1. Do it electronically - I used to print intake forms, have clients fill them out, scan them in and then shred them. All of that takes more time than I would like - recently I realized that my EHR company will email digital forms to new clients and then automatically attach them to my client's file once filled out. This saves me several hours a month!
2. Decrease fees - Another small fee that adds up at the end of the year is the one charged by credit card readers to process charges. Find out which one would cost you the least overall. Lucky for you, we've already created a comparison chart.
3. Try before you buy - Most online directories, associations and networking events will let you try a month (or 6) for free before you pay out of pocket. Try a few and decide which ones you like before you pay for a year of everything.
4. Subscribe - Our offices don't require a ton of supplies, but they do add up. Set up a recurring subscription with a company like Amazon Subscribe & Save and save on each item you buy.
5. Join - Decide which associations you like most and become a member to save on individual events. With all the added perks of membership, you'll be saving money and getting a lot more from your time.
6. Get an assistant – I know what you’re thinking, this costs more money! Not necessarily, for just a few hours a week you can pay someone as little as $10(ish) per hour to take care of the things you hate doing the most. They might be more efficient than you are. Besides, if your time is worth about $100 per hour, doing the things you hate is just not worth your time or money! You can also look into having a Virtual Assistant to reduce the cost. Another option is to bring a volunteer on board, there are a ton of students looking for some experience who can easily assist with making copies and writing blogs.

What did we miss? What are your best tips for saving time and money in your practice? Please share them in the comments below.

As a therapist, when you advertise your practice, you're really marketing yourself (literally), perhaps more so than any other professional does. Authenticity is key. If it doesn't feel right, they will sense it. 

So think about what feels authentic, what you're good at, what you're passionate about. Now, think of how that can become part of your marketing campaign. When you're true to who you are, it shows, and it attracts the right people to you.

Here are some ideas to get you started. Some are pretty out of the box but can make sense depending on who you are!

• Love hiking? Create a hiking and nature therapy meet up group! 
• Are you a good writer? Consider an informative blog, regular newsletter contribution, or even advice column.
• Passionate about the arts? Host an art show related to your therapeutic specialty.
• Are you a techie? Get serious about using technology to market your practice!
• Is being a mom a big part of your identity? Put on educational mommy & me groups or parenting classes.

Nothing makes us happier than hearing about the creative ways you put yourself in your marketing! Our blog posts now offer interactive Facebook commenting, so please share your experiences with us.

In case you’re lucky enough not to know, cold and flu season is here. You may have already gotten sick or have had a few cancellations due to clients being ill. It’s just that time of year and there’s no escaping it. Besides the general yuckiness of it all, as therapists and business owners, there’s a different aspect of this situation to think about as well: What do you do if you or your clients fall ill? Are you flexible in your cancellation policy? Do you tough it out if you’re not feeling 100%? We’ve opened up a discussion on the community and we’d love to hear your thoughts.

Here are our top tips for making it through flu season as painlessly as possible:

• Take preventative measures. Weather this means getting your flu shot, doubling down on the anti-bacterial or chugging your Vitamin C. Prevention is key!
• Know what you can handle. It’s not always easy to take a sick day but pushing yourself when you’re sick will only make things worse and prolong your recovery. Listen to your body and take time off when you need it.
• Have a sick policy (stated or unstated). Most of us have a 24 hour cancellation policy, but do you really want someone spreading their germs to you and the rest of your clients because they didn’t make the cancellation cutoff? I try to be a little more flexible about this and my immune system is thankful for it.
• Have a backup plan. If you need to cancel a day, prepare to offer alternative appointments or phone sessions in case there is an emergency. If you’ll be out for a while, plan for a backup therapist if a new client absolutely can’t wait.

Of course, if you work with kids… we hope you’re past the two year mark and have the platinum immune system. Otherwise… may the odds be ever in your favor!

Stay well.

As mental health practitioners, we prescribe self-care to our clients as a way to manage stress and prevent burnout – but how many of us really practice what we preach? You know that it’s important to work self-care into our routines, but when things get busy, these are the first things to get cancelled. This is the time of year when things get chaotic, with clients as well as in our personal lives. It’s November 5th people – the snowball has started to roll down the mountain. If there’s ever a time to talk about and check in on your self-care habits, it’s now.

Like the infamous oxygen mask analogy – you have to take care of yourself before you can care for others… and no one does more caring for others than psychotherapists! The therapists I have known that have had the most solid self-care habits have planned and committed to them for the long term. Consider group therapy, a yoga class, or a monthly massage membership that gets integrated into your schedule. If you don’t consciously plan for it, it won’t magically appear on your calendar.

I know several of our ShrinkSync members have groups and workshops on burnout and self-care. I’d also love to hear about your favorite self-care habits. Please share your resources join the discussion on the ShrinkSync Community post happening now!

There are countless therapist directories for consumers, but where do professionals go to find colleagues to refer to? The best resource for finding and keeping professional contacts is LinkedIn. Follow these tips to optimize your profile and appeal to mental health practitioners and the greater professional community.

• Make sure you have a professional photo (we’ve also mentioned how important this is for your website and all other marketing materials, so you really can’t lose with a great head shot).
• Join some groups. There are so many LinkedIn groups of like-minded professionals, make sure you’re getting in on some of that conversation.
• Get in on the action. Don’t just browse; create some content, engage in conversation, and post interesting articles to get yourself noticed.

Saint Nick taking not just cookies but your clients too? Now, we have all been taught to brace ourselves for the lull that comes with Winter, that our phones will stop ringing until after we’ve rung in the New Year. But what if there was a better way and this didn’t have to be true, what if your practice didn’t have to slow down for a few months? Here are some simple ways you can Holiday-proof your practice:

• Offer services people seek out during the winter. Think seasonal affect disorder or family therapy (hello in-laws!).
• Reach out to clients you haven’t heard from in a while. This might be a great time to offer check-in and follow-up sessions.
• The holidays can make it difficult to get to the therapist’s office, so offer tele-sessions using a secure video conferencing service.
• Let your existing clients know when you’ll be available and when you’re taking time off so they can schedule their appointments in advance.

You’ve got a couple months to prep and make sure your practice is booming this holiday season. We hope it’s your most fruitful yet!

A therapy practice is a small business. Sometimes your business needs a team. Whether this means hiring interns, licensed therapist or even an assistant, it’s essential that your team is functioning at an optimal level. This can help resolve financial, overall satisfaction and work-life balance issues.

Everyone on your team needs to be on the same page. When focusing on business alignment, each team member will better understand his or her roles. This is a great way to be more productive and loyal to your employees and business.

These simple steps will bring everyone working with you together which will better your practice.

• Have team meetings regularly and enforce attendance. Each member should feel free to bring their ideas of how the team can work better together.
• Put your goals in writing, and the actions required to achieve this goal.
• After this, define each team members’ roles. Now you need to assign someone who is responsible for each part of the plan to reach your goals.
• Keep your team in the loop. It is important to keep the lines of communication open. Everyone should know how well they are progressing towards their goals. Focusing on efforts is a great way to keep everyone in the team motivated.

Most people normally spend over a quarter of their workday dealing with emails. Imagine what you could do with all the time you could save by being more efficient with your emailing habits! More marketing and networking perhaps (wink, wink).

Here are a few tips on how to be better at emailing:

• Respond to emails right away. Yes, always! This might seem like a time killer, but it’s not. We are not saying you have to address every concern and question in your response, but a simple, “I got your message, I’ll get back to you ASAP” will do.
• Commit to writing simpler, clearer, and better emails- the kinds of emails people actually look forward to reading. A great example of this would be to state your intentions upfront, and get to the point.
• Use Statements- no open-ended questions. Try this: “ I think having the meeting on Thursday at noon is the best time. If you disagree, please respond back.” Not this: “ When does everyone think we should have the meeting? I’m open to times.”
• Be brief. We know it’s close to impossible to express yourself in three sentences or less. If you are having trouble keeping your thoughts brief, you might want to have a face-to-face meeting or make a phone call.

There you have it, a few tips to get you started. At the very least, think about how you can be more efficient with emailing and implement a plan that works for you!

Have you got your sales pitch down? You know, a 30-second introduction that covers who you are and what you do. If you’ve been to a networking event, you know you need one – heck, if anyone has ever asked you what you do, you should have one! But as therapists, we’ve all heard every variation, so it’s important to have a memorable pitch that stands out. Here are some tips to having a professional and memorable pitch:

• Start with a brainstorm of the most important things you want people to know about what you do
• Reduce this list to the top 2 or 3 items
• Write it out – word for word, write out your script
• Incorporate something witty or funny (only if you’re comfortable with that sort of thing) to keep it memorable
• Practice, practice, practice! In front of a mirror and then in front of as many people as you can find who will give you honest feedback
• Revise it based on feedback
• You’re ready to give it a spin. Test your pitch at a networking event!

Is the idea of speaking in front of a crowd making you squirm already? Check out a local Toastmasters meeting and polish your public speaking skills and feel more comfortable with this sort of thing. In the LA area? There’s a Toastmasters just for Mental Health Professionals! Learning to make speeches while networking, that’s a business savvy therapist’s dream come true!

If you think Twitter is just for teens and celebrities, think again! Twitter can help therapists spread awareness about mental health topics while helping them gain expert status. If your passion is working with eating disorders, tweet about disordered eating, share statistics, helpful information, resources, and tips.

I know many therapists wonder if they will get clients from Twitter – my answer is always yes…and no… You shouldn’t go into this thinking you’ll send out a few tweets and get a client or two, that’s just not going to happen. But keeping an active account that shares pertinent and helpful information helps with overall brand strategy. Having a fairly popular account helps your website SEO and helps with name recognition. If you approach Twitter as your way of sharing your thoughts and helping some people along the way – you’re more likely to be passionate about this venture. There is a chance that your tweets are seen by someone interested in your services who can see your style and seek further help.

This should go without saying, but always remember to keep your personal and professional Twitter accounts separate! If you’re going to create an account and engage other users, have a clear goal in mind, and keep your tweets on topic. Use your personal account to discuss red carpet fashion and your college sports!

Do you have a Twitter account? What has your experience been? Tell us in the comments below and include your twitter handle so we can follow each other!

The update we’ve all been waiting for is here! We have made some upgrades and bug fixes for a smoother experience. Specifically, you’ll notice that when you click on one of our alerts on your phone, it will directly open up to the sync it’s about, saving you a few extra clicks to get to your destination!

We are always working on improving and updating the ShrinkSync network and app. Thank you for being part of the journey with us, and helping us grow.

Today we want to shine a spotlight on all the ways we support our ShrinkSync Community. We have so many tools designed to build and promote your practice, and we hope you’ll take advantage of these new ways of marketing your therapy business.

• ShrinkSync Open Mic – the CEU webinars we present are hosted by our members. If you have a specialty you’d like to talk about, drop us a line and we’ll give you the audience.
• ShrinkSync Link Exchange – write a blog post teaching fellow therapists about a marketing technique that has worked for you or a population or treatment method you know a lot about and we’ll post your piece and share your web link (hello SEO!)
• Article Promotion – write an article (or post one that’s been published) thats 5-10 pages long and we’ll offer members CEUs for reading it all the while giving you some serious face time.
• ShrinkSync Community Tab – check out the Community tab on the app and introduce yourself, your practice and your specialties to others. You can also see what other therapists throughout California are doing and show your support.

If you’re interested in any of these promotional tools (which by the way, are totally FREE) drop us a line at support@shrinksync.com and we’ll help make it happen!

​Having a niche or specialty is a great way to stand out from the crowd. And by crowd, we mean the thousands of other Mental Health Practitioners competing for business in your geographical area. Patients often seek out a professional that has experience and interest in their presenting problem. This provides them with a sense of safety and care.

So, what’s your niche and how do you promote it? A great way to tell people what you do is by spreading the word among colleagues – networking events and announcements are a great place to start, but don’t forget the ShrinkSync Community, where you can reach thousands of therapists with just one post! Some other ideas are creating a page on this topic on your website and highlighting this specialty on your directory listings.

Don’t go blindly – think about the clients and disorders that interest you and you enjoy working with. Getting some additional training and reading some books should come before you declare yourself an expert on a subject. A small investment will yield a great payoff both financially as well as in filling your practice with the clients you love working with.

What’s your niche? Comment on this post to let us know and post your specialty and trainings you recommend on the ShrinkSync Community!

When potential clients search for a therapist through an online directory, they’re usually browsing through a string of pictures. Consider this and how important it is to have a great professional picture. It’s the first thing a consumer will see and sometimes the only thing they will use to decide if they want to read more about you and make that call. A good quality picture is more appealing than one taken with a cell phone with a few people cropped out. Think about it, would you visit a doctor whose picture was as amateur? Probably not. Spending some time and investing in a head shot communicates how seriously you take your business and your professionalism. Having said all this, a great picture doesn’t have to cost a whole lot. Contact a local photographer, photography student, or even a friend who has an interest in photography with a good camera. Here are some additional points to think about when taking your picture.

• Consider your backdrop: Therapists tend to opt for more natural, soothing settings, but a simple background would also do just fine. Just don’t over-do it, you want to be the focal point.
• Dress to impress: Dress professionally but don’t lose your identity. It doesn’t need to be as professional as a suit, but it should be conservative. Solids work better than prints.
• Body language: Your smile and facial expression should convey that you’re someone who can be trusted and cares about helping others. Your face shouldn’t look to serious, but watch out for a picture that looks too flirty.
• Have fun!: Most importantly, you should feel like your picture represents who you are, because this is who you’ll be bringing to the table during your therapy sessions, make sure your personality shines!

There you have it – just some of the reasons why taking a good professional photo can be one of the most important investment you’ll make for marketing your practice.

What do your practice forms look like? Are they the same boring ones you’ve been using forever or are they a cause of envy among your therapist friends? Join us, as Dr. Bruce Gale shows us how you can use forms to better manage and market your practice. Learn how your forms could start working for you!

This webinar will review the following:

• Basics of online forms, which features can be most helpful for websites and practices
• How to collect information and analyze it it using simple tools
• Advanced features and uses of forms – case examples
• What to do with data once it has been collected and analyzed
• There will be plenty of time for question and answer as well

Click to register!