Private Practice Blogging for Therapists

Therapists are great at blogging. Now, most therapists believe they are terrible bloggers, but it just isn't true. 

Private Practice Blogging is a set of skills

Here are some of the individual skills that blogging utilizes: 

• The ability to empathize with other humans

• The ability to articulate in a way that empathizes, teaches, or inspires

• The ability to speak in a down to earth manner

• The ability to move past perfectionism and allow connection

• The ability to feel passionate about helping your community

Aren't most therapists awesome at most of these? The biggest barrier I see to most therapists moving into the private practice blogging space is that they are concerned with perfectionism. They worry about: 

• Will I write about the right thing?

• Will anyone read it?

• What will my colleagues think?

• Will I know where the line is for me in regards to self-disclosure

If you want to get started in private practice blogging- you have to move past these questions. While I believe having a targeted business plan is excellent, to best way to get started blogging for your private practice is to start blogging for your private practice! 

The truth is, the first few blogs you write will probably take you HOURS longer than is necessary. However, the more you write, the better you will get, and you will gain the confidence to dig into broader aspects of blogging to make it more effective for your work. 

Initially, I recommend people focus on using blogging to let Google know two main things: 

1. Let Google know you haven't abandoned your website by posting new content to it. Google knows that nobody wants to click a link to a website that hasn't been updated in years. We all want up to date, accurate information.

2. Let Google know what services you offer and where you live. You would be surprised how many websites I see that do not have the city listed or easily findable. I have to click on to several pages to see where someone is located. Blog about things that are local in your area- have fun with it!

Alright guys- what questions do you have about blogging? Have you started blogging? Share your VERY FIRST blog post here or your favorite blog post you've written. We can't wait to see what you share!