HALF of Therapists Fill Their Practice This Way

HALF of Therapists Fill Their Practice This Way
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Playlist: SEO for Therapists Series
• SEO for Therapists Series
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I have not been shy in sharing how much I love SEO (aka, I’m absolutely OBSESSED with it). It’s filled my former practice in San Jose, it’s filled my new practice in San Diego, and it’s also the primary source of traffic and revenue for Private Practice Skills.
But I think it’s possible that for all the heart emojis coming out of my eyes for SEO, I’ve been blind to the reality that SEO is not the way most people fill their practices.
So I was curious: for folks in private practice, what’s the primary way that they’ve filled their practices?
I put out a poll on Instagram asking y’all to share what your primary referral source is for your practice. 32 folks responded. And let me tell you, I was totally surprised by the results.
In this video, I share the results of this super informal survey of your top referral sources and offer my thoughts along the way.
00:00 Intro
01:30 One-Off Responses
02:34 SEO
03:36 Speaking Events
04:37 Networking
05:47 Online Directories
09:02 Closing Thoughts
10:27 TherapyNotes
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This video is geared for therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field.
Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.
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This video is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

[@mimileekayful]

The vast majority of my referrals are from online directories. I’ve had the most success with Therapy for Black Girls, insurance referrals, and EAP.

[@janellewatson187]

Online directories are the ONLY way I get clients lol I've been 75%-100% full for over a year. No issue with no-shows and the majority become long term clients. Therapy for Black Girls is the 🐐

[@danielleolney-diehl7842]

I dont get any that way

[@78KellyS78]

Which directories do you use? I’m looking to join some soon 🤗

[@janellewatson187]

@@78KellyS78 Psychology Today and Therapy for Black Girls.

[@DrJeannieB]

which ones please??

[@ssevkin]

You needed to differentiate between people who take insurance and only oon

[@myviews9648]

I started out using online directories. They put my name up everywhere. I filled my practice quickly. I learned that I lost control of my listings. It's easy to get on, but hard to get off. I think your own website and SEO gives you a better view by everyone. Social media has become a very important resource.

[@greggraffin]

I get most clients from Psychology Today, but you could make the argument that that's still SEO, given that their directory is usually a top search result when people are looking for therapy in their area.

[@2atrebla]

I'm just getting started & this was very helpful- thank you so much!

[@neveahwhims]

Love your voice and the great info

[@chrismartinez6948]

I agree, it just shows how much of an opportunity there is for SEO. that's how we've grown our practice.

[@soulventrus]

Thank you so much you are such a huge help!!

[@yourspaceforgrowth]

I'm SO with you! Online Directories were a trickle for my practice and SEO has been a flood. Wonder what I'm missing here. LOL

[@sanjanakarim5830]

This is so interesting. Thank you for sharing. I didn’t respond to your first survey, so wanted to share here. I think where we get our referrals may also be related to our niche. I specialize in women struggling with addiction, anxiety, relationship issues and trauma. I find myself getting referrals through word of mouth and online directories. I also provide Islamically integrated therapy and have have people recently find me on Muslim therapist directories. I think we should look to where our ideal patients might be looking and try to make sure we are in those spaces. I agree with your sentiments about PT, I do get referrals through there but have found that those patients are not a good fit for what I offer. I agree SEO is probably an untapped gold mine many of us can benefit from. I appreciate you sharing and teaching us about that!

[@danielleolney-diehl7842]

I specialize in addiction also. I get mine from EAP and courts

[@MyTherapistsNails]

Most of our referrals are by far from Psych today, followed by word-of-mouth referrals, and insurance directories. Even if PsychToday only brings in 1 client per month, it's already made it's money back for us. It's a great resource! We just have to update it often to stay near the top of the search results.

[@averayugen7802]

I could never find a therapist from that list. Most used to turn off their phones as well. True story. The few I could find from any source were all unaffordable. Or clinical-fluorescent crispy-public safety-loving with the bulging hips and attitude of shutdown.. The clinics call the police and are done with anyone calling they decide they don't like. You must wanna harm yourself if the clinic doesn't even respect u. The next step is prison. There's no climate of mental health for North Americans under a certain income.

[@NaturalvinillasweetT]

I do get a bit of referrals from EAP and insurance, more from online directories now and “word of mouth”. However, I’m getting ready to terminate my contracts with insurance and no longer accept it. I haven’t had the best experience the past couple of years with it. Thank you for covering this topic. Much love and success. 😌

[@danielleolney-diehl7842]

EAPs and domestic relations court is where i get mine.

[@garrettr3644]

Love Therapy den!

[@RAralar]

Psychology Today and Monarch on Simple Practice has been helpful

[@taktoktek]

Mine too! 1 online directory- I open the availability then just fill that spot within a few days 2 Insurance 3 referrals from hospitals and psychiatrist’s office

[@averayugen7802]

Take referrals from GP family clinics. The call is there, shouldn't be ignored.

[@Ariel-oi2zg]

I’m super shocked. Like you, most of my clients come from SEO. I too haven’t had luck with online directory. In fact, clients that I do get from online directory’s haven’t been the best clients for me either. I feel like their not as motivated or honestly not as appreciative of my therapeutic work than my SEO clients. Most of my SEO clients never give me a hard time about my rate and honestly feel like they are overly grateful for me. They have actually been sweet, easy to work with. I’ve honestly gotten a bad taste from clients that have come from directories like psychology today and such… Makes me wonder if all this depends on a therapist’s personality, style, ect. Overall, this video made me laugh and I appreciate you putting together the statistics and information

[@vladalevit7323]

My main referrals have been through psychology today, but honestly it hasn't been a very steady influx. I am in NYC, and thinking it is the surplus of therapists in the area? Surplus of therapists means surplus of potential clients (fingers crossed,) so I am really hoping for a video/tip to bump up my profile to the top. I am changing bits on my profile daily so maybe that will help. I had more inquiries pre pandemic and with my midtown office location.

[@shannonpritchard6642]

Online is my only source as well.

[@brendagregoryyuen4923]

I get a fair number of Psychology Today, but as you said, they have a higher rate of no-show. If you ever offer an "SEO course for tele therapy only" private practice owners, I'd be interested. Regular SEO doesn't work because Google wants me to give an address and I have two addresses: where I get checks sent/get paid/have listed for any business activity AND my home address, which is where I work but I'm not giving that out willingly!.

[@PrivatePracticeSkills]

You can still build local SEO for a teletherapy practice! You can target a local region in the words you use on your website

[@TL-cm5bd]

Psychology today is, until recently, the only way I filled my practice in just 3 weeks. I did get 1 referral from another psychologist this week but that partly because I haven’t actually told other psychologists except my former employer that I started my own practice. I get about 1-2 new client inquiries a week from psychology today. I don’t even have a website but I’ll prob get one next year. I think I filled my practice so quickly because I offer culturally competent and anti racist therapy to ethnic minorities and I’m also an ethic minority. And being virtual I can reach people from further away. More than half my clients are not local so I’ve saved a lot of money not having a physical office.

[@nickjonas303]

where are you physically located? I'm also a minority but in Canada and just stated my practice

[@brockjazz8838]

I was surprised at the results! I assumed people contact their insurance first for referrals for therapy, not looking at an online directory.

[@RAralar]

The most frustrating thing with Headway is how much they mess up confirming the actual coverage in their plan

[@nataliewong8288]

Great video! How many clients do you see per week?

[@Babygirl80572]

Psychology Today 92% of the time, 4% word of mouth, 7% SEO. I have a full-time cash case load.

[@TheCurlyBeauty]

My website and online directories get the most referrals for me.

[@CourageousSoulCounseling]

I wonder if your experience with starting out your practice (being prior to the pandemic) is why you didn't get much response from them? I really believe that the shift with virtual appointments which then is people looking for therapists through the internet is maybe why this has seen such a huge increase. If you think to just 2 years ago it was unimaginable. I do get more referrals to my webpage through my Google business listing though too.

[@PrivatePracticeSkills]

I moved this past April and started a new practice from scratch, and restarted PT then too. I shut it down after 4 months because I only received a trickle of contacts from there and they didn’t reflect my ideal clients so I referred them out. I wonder what it is? 🤔

[@rchambers1993]

How do you do speaking events?

[@calboy2]

As a student this surprised me. I would need to go to psychology today when I’m in internship right?

[@PrimaveraPracticewithPurpose]

I get about 4-6 client referrals from PT alone weekly. I have to deactivate it pretty frequently. I've been able to really help some of my colleagues to market. I struggled when I first started out but my first year still made 6 figures. I just used a more scientific type method. I never had a website or anything and I keep my socials locked down 😂

[@DrJeannieB]

Wow - anywhere that you share what you do? I'm into the scientific method :)

[@cakesinthecity]

I love that

[@yourspaceforgrowth]

Do you accept insurance? I think there's a huge difference between using PsychToday for an insurance-based practice versus full fee.

[@jenniferconte470]

I forgot to participate in your survey! I’d have to say a combo of Psychology Today and Seo which brings people directly to my website. I find what happens is clients are searching “therapist near me” or something similar, and either Psychology Today pops up in the search results or they find my website via that search. Psychology Today has an option to link your website to your page and I find clients often click through to my website via Psych Today and then reach out. Sometimes I get referrals from past clients recommending me but honestly it’s mostly Psych Today or my website and 95% live very close to my office. I’m a cash pay practice and do not accept insurance.

[@krisphiles]

My referrals are word of mouth and Psychology Today and I am constantly wait listing people and being asked who has openings. The answer to that is NO ONE. I and everyone I know are already seeing too many people and some have left providing therapy. I can't see everyone who is seeking therapy, and even when my online directories say I'm not accepting new clients they still call. I dream about clients who don't even exist because I worry I'm forgetting someone. I'm thinking of not advertising anymore.

[@carmenmontenegro-sis1046]

Where are you located?

[@krisphiles]

@carmenmontenegro-sis1046 I'm in 3 states that border each other, KY, OH, WV. I see people via telehealth 2-3 days a week and in office 2-3 days. I have about 40 clients and that's too many for me. I get contacted just about every week and I hate hearing about what people need because it makes me feel guilty.

[@carmenmontenegro-sis1046]

@@krisphiles I'd love to talk with you some more. Do you have a website or online listing that I can reach out to you?

[@bretkelly7135]

How do you improve your listing position on psychology today? Sort of SEO for the listing service??

[@englishrose4388]

I'm surprised about the online directories. They've been a flop for me. But I am Telehealth and private pay only, so that's likely a big factor...

[@everyonesrunnin]

Where are your referrals coming from?

[@lceottk]

All of my clients are WOM (Word of Mouth) referrals.

[@sandyapolinar8244]

All my clients are from Psychology Today.

[@eleanorlbrown]

80%-90% of my clients come from Psychology Today.

[@e8t788]

SEO is kind of a limited resource! Google can't have more than one front page...

[@digitalukdebworld]

Really Cool !!!! all time enjoy your attitude and Acting with easy way method about practice with typography

[@themental9line]

No directories. All direct referrals from other clients. Slammed.

[@danielleolney-diehl7842]

Most of my clients EAP from United Health insurance

[@kstachowiak]

Most of my referrals come from primary care physicians.

[@ZaneZiba]

What was your strategy to network w them?

[@LisaH2472]

32 responses is not really enough data.

[@l9878]

As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I need places where I can refer my patients. I have tried to develop relationships with local therapists but typically my contacts are not returned. I sometimes wonder if some therapists don’t “believe in medication” so don’t want to work with my patients.

[@ZaneZiba]

How one will find you? I live in California and often think of passing my cards to primary practice doctor's in the community 🤔

[@l9878]

@@ZaneZiba I think that medical offices would really appreciate that!

[@PrivatePracticeSkills]

Uh oh! Perhaps those folks are already slammed. Most therapists I know looking to build their practice would love a professional referral source like that

[@RoyalTeaNation]

Where are you located?

[@l9878]

@@RoyalTeaNation I’m in NW Montana

[@JimB16]

What is SEO?

[@timwhistine2564]

Try to be less condescending in how you talk to your audience and never use acronyms. Poor communication.

[@almondtree2011]

@timwhistine2564 Hi Tim, are you a therapist? Just curious because maybe it’s a transference issue for you? Does she remind you of someone (physically, tone of voice, accent etc.) that was condescending in the past? I’m asking because I found Marie to be quite the opposite of condescending and actually one of the more relatable therapists to watch (maybe it’s a positive transference for me? 😉) I watched lots of her videos now, as they are really helpful in the early stages of my private practice set up and I see Marie behaving in a very consistent way covering various topics. That feels very authentic and natural for me, not like a staged persona that off camera behaves quite differently. I don’t think that suggesting to someone who’s being themselves to behave or communicate differently is appropriate or healthy (unless they’re displaying concerning behaviour) If you are a therapist or are intending to become one, look into it for your own sake, as you may unknowingly display the same attitude towards your clients. And if there is someone who is triggering you, consider bringing it to your own therapy supervisor or passing this client to another therapist - there’s no shame in that. It’s far better to recognise and acknowledge your own triggers, and work with them if you’re willing, than making your client feel like it’s their fault that they are somehow unacceptable the way they are (even if you don’t communicate it directly, it will come across that way because of the subconscious way that we send messages to the world). Remember, it’s you who is getting triggered by something that takes place in the outside world. Wishing you the best on this self-discovery journey!

[@dinkdiva3212]

@@almondtree2011 agreed, perhaps tim just doesn't know any therapists? we therapists are used to 'getting' others, but if tim is more stiff and traditional, he might find speaker too informal.

[@HammyGirl999]

I like her style just fine! Straightforward, clear and direct for me. 😎