Where Making Money and Making a Difference Come Together

I’m frustrated with mental health as a profession. There have been a few articles and info bites I have seen in the last few weeks that lead me to believe we seem to be stuck in at the developmental level of middle schoolers trying to navigate separation-individuation (Though I’m not sure what or who we [...]

I know it is a new idea to develop a specialty niche. It feels uncomfortable and “wrong” if you have the ability to help all sorts of people with a variety of presenting concerns. But trust me, you will have a much more successful practice with people lining up to work with you if you [...]

People  don’t like to feel that they are alone with their problems. This is why our culture is so attracted to reality TV and prime time shows like “Intervention.”  We all know others have the same problems we do, we just don’ t know exactly who they are. Of course, we need to respect confidentiality [...]

Rich Text Area. I just returned from the Massachusetts Psychological Assoc. conference “Psychology 2.0:  Building 21st Century Psychological Careers” (gee, who do you think came up with that name?). While I did present on Ethcial and Effective Marketing there were a number of other fantastic speakers encouraging us to broaden our practice, utilize technology, and [...]

They physician networking site, www.Sermo.com, just announced they have started a Practice Mangement Exchange for their members, where "Physicians Turn to Social Media to Share Peer-to-Peer Advice and Solve Real-World Business Challenges." Good for them! Do you think we as mental health businesses need to do the same? Curious about Sermo.com? I am.  Here is [...]

I'm currently reading Seth Godin's, "Small Is the New Big" (affiliate link). Interesting insights and ideas on marketing in the new world of internet and social media. But one page caught my eye and I will quote it here: "How Dare You How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage or the greatest shifts [...]

There seem to be 4 types of mental health and wellness practitioners:  Idealist, Hobbyist, Traditionalist, and Innovators. Which one are you? Let's take each in order: Idealists:  Idealists are those who have great intentions of helping people.  They talk a lot about "giving," "not doing it for the money," and "want to make a difference."  [...]

If you have read this blog for any amount of time you know I am a HUGE fan of social media.  I love all things blog, Facebook, and especially Twitter.  I truly believe social media a cultural shift in how we communicate, connect and form relationships. It will change the way we practice, shift the [...]

Social  media matters to those of us in private practice and I'm going to tell you why. People communicate, form relationships, seek and find information there. I have "friends" all over the world on Facebook, Twitter, and my blog. They are real people, they have real problems. They seek support, help, ideas, inspiration. Thalia from [...]

Oh my. I heard from a colleague today that he sees 50 clients a week to make ends meet.  Why? because his reimbursement rate from managed care has decreased over 25% in the last 20 years. When outside forces change their procedures or the amount they pay, you have two choices: 1. Accept what they [...]