Erin Blakemore of 
VOCO Creative wrote a great little post suggesting 10 easy ways to nurture those online relationships you are building.
Whether you call it “do unto others,” “cross-promotion,” or “backscratchin,” the results are the same. Check out her tips and get busy building your private practice with social media!
Then, drop in here and tell us where we can find you and how it’s working for you.
Are you one of those mental health professionals who is constantly coming up with great ideas for therapeutic products but has no idea how to get them developed? 
If so, you may want to check out Courage To Change. This online and print catalogue is interested in your ideas for books, workbooks, and games that address dealing with life challenges at any age.
If you have prior experience with this company or if you decide to pitch an idea to this company, I hope you’ll drop back in and let us know about your experience!
offers free training on ”Best Practices in Critical Incident Response in the Workplace – Online.”
If you would like to learn more about this offer, you can do so by clicking here.
If you market your services via the internet, television, radio, in print or face to face . . . even if you volunteer to man a booth for your community expo . . . you are engaging in direct marketing. Ken McArthur has just posted new guidelines for direct marketing in the United States. Tempted to put your head in the sand and ignore the guidelines? Really??
"Apple Planet" by Jorge Elias
Here are some snippets from Ken’s post:
Other issues addressed include Refund Policies, Up-Selling, Actual Descriptor of Merchants, Fulfillment of Transactions, and Requirements for Customer Service. Check out Ken’s full article, New Credit Card Merchant Account Guidelines for Direct Marketing.
With so much sleaze involved in marketing and online sales, I see this as a giant step in the right direction. What’s you opinion?
When you get ready to close your private practice, for whatever reason, you can’t just shut the door and walk away. Did you know that? Attorney Richard S. Leslie has written a thoughtful article in the January 2010 issue of the Avoiding Liability Bulletin. In it he details some of the following for your consideration when you decide to close up shop:
"You Couldn't Have Planned This if You Tried" by Ken Douglas / Today is a Good Day
Every mental health professional and every professional coach is required to responsibly close their private practice – regardless of whether their closing is planned or unforeseen. Whether you’ve been in business for years or you are just now getting started, now is the time to take the steps necessary to prepare for the eventual closure of your practice.
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"Looking Out" by Tyler Neu / Neuski
According to the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics, counselors are not required to diagnose a client if they believe that to do so would cause harm to the client. Here is an online article in Counseling Today that addresses some of the ways that diagnosing may be harmful to your client.
Part of what helps you to build a strong private practice is to become a
"Knots" by Dan Allison
resource for your clients.
If you have clients who may be losing their jobs,
you’ll want to take a look at this article in the New York Times written by Walecia Konrad. Help your clients make wise decisions concerning their COBRA health insurance coverage. Don’t wait until they need COBRA benefits. Read it now.
Last month I read a post by David P. Diana on the use of trigger points in marketing.
"IMG_2407" by pkdon50
Take a look at his post and then check back in here and let me know what trigger points you’ve found useful in building your practice.
It’s easy to get stuck in the middle of gathering ideas, stirring them up and daydreaming about how perfect each one will be . . . and six months later finding that you haven’t moved forward on any of them!
One thing I’ve learned from my writer friends in Boulder Media Women is that if you want to write a book, you have to sit in a chair and write; and, if you want to implement a new project in your private practice, you need to put one foot in front of another to achieve that goal.
It doesn’t happen by itself. And, it doesn’t happen if you are spread too thin by feeding all your great ideas at once.
Carve out time on a weekly basis dedicated to your one new project.
Block out the time on your calendar.
Set measurable goals for your work.
Develop the idea / product / project.
Finesse the details. (Need a focus group to help?)
Create a marketing plan.
Fill your seats / meet your goals.
Then you’re ready to pick (another) one . . . and GO!
Tamara G. Suttle, M.Ed., LPC has maintained a private clinical practice since 1991 and founded Private Practice from the Inside Out in 2003. She has spent almost 20 years consulting and teaching marketing strategies to health care professionals like you. You can learn more about her clinical practice at her website.
Email Tamara
