There is quite a buzz over the internet lately about whether or not the economy is negatively impacting therapists.

Several therapists have let us know that their caseloads are down. Of course, that is a usual occurrence in July and August in North America so it is hard to know exactly why this is happening.

And many of you have talked about how the general population views therapy - and their desire to pay only a $20 co-pay for it. This is a real concern.

In fact, I am feeling more and more called to educate the general population about the value of therapists and the powerful benefits of therapy. It is time for therapists to get the respect they deserve. We are as important as surgeons and our culture needs to really understand this. I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

Please enter your comments and thoughts below or join me on Tuesday, August 7th for our first Town Hall Meeting on the State of the Nation of Therapy. (For more info, please click here.)

On the other hand, daily I get reports from therapists saying how well their practices are doing. For example, Kim told us this week:

“I have received five new clients in the last month. I spent a lot of time studying your stuff and then put it into action. I think my success is due to 1) patience - not giving up. It took 3 months to get results but I hung in there. and 2) attitude - I have kept a positive attitude. It has been hard at times but I just wouldn’t give up - even though it wasn’t happening right away. I knew it may not happen at once but it would happen!”

What is it that makes one therapist succeed and one therapist struggle? I have lots of ideas but today I will start with an equation:

Passion + Mindset + Message + Focused and Continued Action + What your community believes about therapy (and using insurance) + What you believe about therapy (and using insurance) + Patience = Financially Rewarding Practice

As your e-coach, I ask you to take a look at that formula. Which area of that formula may need your attention?

My friend Maria got an email from Psychology Today with her monthly “profile statistics.” She was told how many searches were done in her area and how many people looked in depth at her profile. She was then told how many people sent emails to her via Psychology Today’s links.

Maria’s question to me was, “Are these good numbers? How do I interpret them”

My response was, “Don’t try to interpret them. Delete the email and never look at those numbers.”

In college I was one of those crazy people that actually liked statistics. I took 3 probability and statistics courses. In one class, the entire syllabus was about how to critically evaluate stats. Our textbook was actually titled “How to Lie with Statistics”.

So, with that said, let me explain why I encouraged Maria and why I encourage you to disregard those numbers.

1) What do they really mean anyway?

Okay so there 2,865 searches done for your area in one month. And 100 of those people viewed your full profile. And a measly one person sent you an email. Does that mean you chuck the whole thing and drop your listing?

Not by the statistics themselves. For example, say there was a borderline patient of another therapist looking to see what her therapist said in her profile - and went in every day to check..that could inflate the number of searches in the area.

Or let’s say that a therapist recently put his listing out on the site, he may be looking at who else is in his area and that may inflate the number of searches.

2) Who is doing the searching?

You can’t assume those searches are done by potential clients. For example, every time I do a workshop I show some great listings as samples. Then the workshop participants often refer to these listings later. Good grief - could you imagine if those therapists took a gander at their numbers? 3,850 searches for your area. 2,483 views of your profile. 0 emails sent to you. It could look as if something was terribly wrong. They could think their listing was bad, but in fact, just the opposite is true.

3) And do you really want email to be the method of contact?

Who cares how many emails you get - the point is how many times you are contacted and how many of the contacts will become clients.

In fact, phone contacts are much better for you so you can use your intake call script to really connect with the prospect.

Let’s say you get only one contact a month but that person becomes a full, cash-paying client. You have a great return on your investment.

When you next get your online locator statistics, please consider what I said to Maria - and make the “delete” key your new best friend.

Next week I will talk about how to know if your online therapist locator investments are “paying off” for you.

Are wealthy clients different than the poor ones?

Years ago, it is reported that Eugene Kennedy said if he had a choice between treating a poor client and a rich client - that he’d choose the rich client. This is because the rich person knows that money isn’t the answer to his problems.

Is that true?

I have said over and over again that we must not discriminate against the wealthy. They also have problems. They do experience depression and anxiety. And in some ways, it is worse because those less fortunate (or jealous) look at them and belittle their emotional problems.

For example, on the web I saw a comment from someone belittling rich people who paid high fees to their therapists. One implied that the rich people in pain were, in some ways, just whiners and said “I can think of better ways to spend (the therapists fee as opposed to giving it to a therapist.)”

Therapists who are working with the very wealthy are reporting that depression is common among those who were “born” into wealth.

And what about the “new kids on the block?” Those who have made their fortunes themselves, for example in technology. Can you imagine the emotions and anxieties they go through?

Many people are uncomfortable marketing to the wealthy. It can be intimidating. But the reality is that there is less competition at that level. One in five households hold 55% of the wealth in the US. You get to choose your clients. Do you want to try for the one house? Or the other four that together make up the other 45% of the wealth?

Your vision is unique to you. But if you are considering marketing to the wealthy- make sure you do the ideal client exercise. Make sure you understand their needs.

By the way, in the July 7, 2008 issue of the New York Times there was an excellent article by ERIC KONIGSBERG titled ‘Challenges of $600-per-session” patients.’

If you look at it -check out the office of the psychiatrist pictured. See how it exudes wealthy - remember - everything you do is marketing.

Happy practice building!

Casey

Today I conducted two coaching sessions. On the first one, the therapist had noticed a decline in her practice and was very confused about what to do next. It hurt my heart to hear her fatigue and her lack of enthusiasm. She had no psychic or emotional energy to keep going.

My job in the coaching session was to help her reconnect to her vision and her passion for this work. She then intuitively identified her “next steps” and ended the call ready to get started.

The next call I had was with Mark Hastings, http://www.thedadscoach.com. We hadn’t spoken in a while and I looked forward to hearing how he was doing.

When we first met years ago, Mark had sounded like my first call. Not sure of what to do and without any energy to do it - even if he knew what it was.

But he persevered. He did the internal work around his vision and his purpose. He stayed laser-like focused on his desire to have a successful private practice. And a lot of things went wrong along the way - things that could have made him give up in defeat. He got “day” jobs along the way to support his family. He worked steadily toward his private practice dream. Sometimes he lost these jobs too as places down-sized. But, for Mark, giving up was simply not an option. (He notes, “I decided I wanted it and I hustled.”)

Here is what I heard from Mark today:

1) Where once the idea of offering a presentation was like getting a root canal, he now books speaking engagements at large churches.

2) He joined a new church. He wanted to become more involved in the church and he asked the staff “How can I serve you?” They wanted another good therapist to refer to. They jumped on it and now regularly refer to him.

3) If a speaking engagement doesn’t “fill,” he sees the real opportunity; he uses it as a way to connect deeper with the organizers.

4) He regularly meets with his contacts for coffee. They get to like and remember him.

5) “This is second order change” he told me. As Mark changed his concept of marketing and improved his relationship to it, he grew into the person who would absolutely be successful. How successful? Three new cash-paying clients in the last week!

My clients always teach me things. From Mark I learned that if we stay focused on the “calling” - in spite of the economy, in spite of the times we fail, in spite of the nay-sayers, we will succeed.

Don’t give up. Take a day job if you need to pay the bills. But please - don’t quit before the miracle. We need you.

Love and blessings,

Casey

I am reading some great books this summer. I am really enjoying the classic “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck. I have a few pages to go and I simply don’t want to finish it. Last summer I read “East of Eden” and totally loved it.

I love mysteries so Lee Child is a fav of mine. Currently I am reading “Nothing to Lose.” His hero, Jack Reacher is a unique character who always gets out of the most impossible scrapes. 

Jill Bolte Taylor is a brain scientist who shares her journey from professor to stroke survivor and back. It is a very interesting story - especially for those who have loved ones who’ve had strokes.

“Harmonic Wealth” by James Arthur Ray is a fun book for those interested in Law of Attraction.

That is it for now. What are you enjoying?