This post was originally published on August 23, 2016, and was updated September 16, 2019.

I’ve been studying branding for therapists for some time, and I can’t deny the appeal of honing in on one area of expertise, or one target audience. These days, there are two branding trends in the mental health field: The niche, and the personal brand. The niche is a specific area of practice that typically requires extra training and/or leads to a certification. The personal brand is a specific message emerging from the life experience of the therapist. In this post, I focus on the personal brand, because I’m seeing a lot of therapists adopt compelling personal brands that focus their work and increase their influence.

But first, I want to take some time to debunk the powerful myth that in order to survive financially and help as many people as possible, therapists must be general practitioners. Okay, I suppose I am not going to debunk the myth in one paragraph, but I can at least hope to be a part, with you, of a larger conversation about changing trends in therapy practice. We therapists are proving daily that the more focused our work, the more influence it generates, because it attracts the right client. And, it is the right client that needs what only we, with our unique life experience, can offer.

To clarify, the therapists featured in this post did not target their work in an effort to fill their appointment books because their practices were failing. No. They focused their work as a result of personal experience that left them marked. You could say it “branded” them, and they couldn’t help but show it.

This is the difference between a personal brand and a niche; although, they can at times overlap. A personal brand encompasses you, as a person, and offers your vision, values, skills, and more, to others. A niche is often used simply as a marketing tool to convey a specific area of expertise to those who need it. Ideally, your niche results from your brand.

Here are those whose brand and niche are blending beautifully:

Vanessa Marin

Vanessa Marin Sex Therapy, vmtherapy.com

Vanessa Marin is a licensed therapist in California, offering online courses, as well as email and video coaching for her clients (both individuals and couples). She is a “psychotherapist and writer, special in sex.” She has been featured in the New York Times, Allure, Real Simple, and other national media outlets. Learn about Vanessa, and her work.

Chris Hoff, PhD, LMFT

The Radical Therapist Podcast, theradicaltherapist.com

Chris is “searching for the real, not the truth” in his daily counseling and consulting work, as well as his podcast conversations. A Narrative practitioner, Chris has followed his path of discovery to innovative service offerings, including Narrative community work, counseling for creatives, and executive coaching. Chris is an artist, a businessman, and a social entrepreneur, among other things. These varied interests are felt in his online presence and heard on his podcast. He epitomizes the fact that our personal experience beautifies our work and creates unlimited possibilities. Learn more about Chris, the radical therapist, here.

Alison Crosthwait

website: alisoncrosthwait.com

Psychotherapist, healer, writer, and thinker, Alison Crosthwait says, “I believe that to heal and feel alive is a lifelong practice that needs to be as open and dynamic as aliveness itself.” Alison brings her whole self to her work in such a way that it’s inaccurate to call her work one thing, which is why her description of it is multi-faceted. Offering hope, while also recognizing the pain inherent in living, Alison stand out as an honest presence in the midst of much noise. To follow Alison’s writing, sign up for her weekly blog posts.

Sarah Argenal

The Argenal Institute, argenalinstitute.com

Sarah trained as a marriage and family therapist, but chose not to pursue licensure as an LMFT in favor of becoming a certified coach. She offers resources and programs for busy parents, and thriving companies, at The Argenal Institute. She came to her personal brand from her own experience as a new parent and her struggles finding much needed support. Sarah’s mission is to “defeat the burnout epidemic that’s crushing busy parents.” Read more about Sarah, here.

Blake Griffin Edwards, LMFT

Blake is an LMFT, consultant, and behavioral health director, as well as a featured writer on PsychologyToday and PsychCentraI. I appreciate the complexity of his writing; in particular his ideas on systemic and person-centered practice. His brand is an invitation to psychotherapists to be thoughtful and intentional about their work. Blake lives and practices in Washington state. To see and follow his latest articles, visit this page.

Guy MacPherson, Ph.D.

The Trauma Therapist Project, thetraumatherapistproject.com

After taking part in a survival experience in the mountains of Utah, Guy discovered his calling: “To help individuals who are in dire situations discover their strength and thrive.” A trained psychologist and trauma expert, Guy chose to apply his knowledge to the professional development of emerging and established trauma therapists. Today, he offers one-on-one coaching, education, and support for trauma therapists through the Trauma Therapist Project. Learn more about Guy and his programs here.

Melody Wilding, LMSW

website: melodywilding.com

Trained social worker, writer, and leadership coach, Melody Wilding has been an entrepreneur since day 1. Working entirely from home, Melody began writing for publications and providing online coaching, while growing a consulting business that addresses challenges exclusive to women in leadership. Today, Melody is published on Forbes, and has been quoted in The New York Times. Melody’s articles are packed with practical tips for workplace dynamics, professional development, and leadership ideas for the sensitive boss. Follow her on LinkedIn, or Facebook.

Next Step

If you’re interested in how you can use a specific experience in your life to expand your reach, then check out what these counselors are doing. I hope they have served as inspiration, or at least, food for thought.

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What are your initial thoughts about personal branding?
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Five Benefits of Using A Streamlined HIPAA-Compliant Solution for Phone Calls and Texts with Therapy Clients

More and more, therapists in private practice are choosing to have a hybrid or a fully virtual practice. And, as a result, technology, confidentiality, and compliance (and how these three components of business interact), have become more significant factors in our day-to-day work as therapists.

My own path to moving my therapy clients online began in 2014. At that time, I knew no therapists who were practicing online, and I knew even less about methods for streamlining my client communication. I began with a Google Voice number, and over the years developed a fully online practice with what I consider to be the best systems for my group practice.

How To Become Known For Your Expertise: Four Steps for Therapists

During a recent Refreshed Therapist Network Q+A, I was asked by a participant, “How do you do it all? You are so prolific!”

My answer? I do what I feel inspired to do in the moment.

However, I don’t do it all! There are months when I am not able to write a post for this blog, because I must focus on my professor job. And, there are months when I don’t create new resources or events, because I put more focus on my personal roles.

The point is, you can produce enough content to become known for your expertise, without keeping a rigid, or pressuring content schedule.

Contracts and Non-Competes: What's a New Therapist to Do?

You did it! You got the degree, you passed your state licensing exam, and you now have your provisional license to work as a therapist. Your hard work has paid off!

Now, you realize the most important step hasn’t happened yet: You must still find a place where you can actually BE a therapist. A place where you will work, and get paid, to do therapy.

As you think about this post-grad employment journey, panic sets in.

What You Must Consider Before You Offer Online Therapy

“As technology becomes smaller, more accessible, and more affordable, we as mental health practitioners have to decide at what point (and to what extent) we will adopt the trend of implementing technology as a mechanism for service delivery” (Hertlein & Cohn, 2018).

Recently, the AAMFT devoted an entire issue of their magazine to the use of technology in mental health service delivery.

Like it or not, technology is changing our profession.

These days, in addition to working for themselves, therapists have the option to work for telemental health companies, and many are offering technology-centered services, such as email therapy, in their private practices. While our associations and state boards have been slow to adopt standards and laws regarding the provision of tech-centered therapy, many of us tech-savvy (or tech-interested) therapists have been figuring it out on our own.

Turn Your Grad School Writing Skills Into Excellent Therapist Website Copy

Hey, Therapist.

You’re a good writer.

Always have been.

You #grammarsnob your Facebook friends with pride.

You’re a human spell check, thank you very much.

So why is no one reading your blog posts?

More Than Facebook: How To Use The Web To Get More Therapy Clients

Nowadays, it seems like everyone lives a portion of his or her life online. And for some people, it seems like they never get off-line! The point I’m trying to make is this: if you still think you’re reaching the maximum number of clients that you can by handing out business cards and posting up flyers, then you’ve been leaving clients on the table like you wouldn’t believe.

To make the most of your marketing efforts for your practice, you should be putting them to use on the web first and foremost. In order to attract your idea client, you have to take your marketing to them instead of assuming they’ll find their own way to you.

De-Clutter Your Email Inbox! Three Quick Steps for Busy Therapists.

This week's post is written by Sarah Leitschuh, of The Vibrant Therapist.

Two years ago I literally had thousands of emails in my practice email inbox and probably just as many in my personal email inbox. Can you relate?

As I navigated my growing practice and busy family life, I didn't think about creating a strong system for managing my email inbox. I didn't delete nearly as many emails as I could have/should have been deleting, and I didn't have a good system for filing emails for future reference.

sanoMind: A Mental Health App Where Therapists Shine

My guest this week is Nestor Velez, founder of sanoMInd--"A mental health wellness discovery platform connecting people to audio content created by licensed mental health professionals."

Nestor agreed to join me on the blog to discuss the story behind his business, which is also his personal story.

View my video interview with Nestor, or read the transcript. >>

The Therapist's Guide to Generosity and Pricing in Business, Part 2: Q + A

A few months ago, I wrote The Therapist's Brief Guid to Generosity and Pricing in Business. When I sent the article to my email subscribers, I asked them "What is your #1 struggle with pricing?"

I received several responses.

I realized by engaging in conversations with my readers, how pertinent the topic of pricing is for therapists at any stage of business. As a result, I thought you might find readers' questions, along with my responses, helpful, as you continue to craft your pricing policies.

The Therapist's Brief Guide to Generosity and Pricing in Business

Many of us become therapists because we want to help people. When we start a business, we quickly realize that our desire to help and our need to make money are often in conflict. The good news is, we don’t have to choose one over the other--we can generate our desired income and be generous!

In today's post, I offer five brief and practical strategies for incorporating a culture of giving and generosity into your business, while still prioritizing profit through pricing policies and strategic partnerships.

Need a Therapy Blog?: How to Get Started

I am sure you hear about the benefits of blogging a lot.

Because blogging is still one of the best ways to reach your target audience and establish your expertise, it’s worth your consideration.

However, before you read this post, please note: The last thing I want is for you to feel pressure to blog (or to add something else to your to-do list). So, the first thing I’ll ask you is:

Three Ways Strategic Content Marketing Prevents Clinician Burnout, and How You Can Use Them to Build a Practice You Love

This week's article is a guest post by Marissa Lawton, licensed counselor, and content marketer for clinicians. In this post, she explains how content marketing lessens our work load, and helps to fill our private practices with our ideal clients.

Each and every therapist has spent years honing her craft. We’ve gone through months of advanced education and have pursued hours upon hours of continuing training, voluntarily, or not. When it comes to helping others heal, there is no one better equipped than those of our profession.

Grad school especially helped us develop the skills to treat clients and to bring them through their struggles to the other side--a functional, healthy, and preferably happy individual. If your program was anything like mine, you identified a modality, or two, or three that resonated with you and your approach to healing and dove head first into incorporating it in every session.

10 Therapist (and Child)-Approved Activities to Support Kids with Anxiety

If you’re a mental health professional working with children, you will probably agree that many of the calls you receive from parents have something to do with anxiety or stress. Child therapists have the amazingly important yet challenging task of educating and supporting kids in a therapeutic setting that is both productive and fun. When working with children as young as preschool age, it can be a very daunting task to keep things fresh and exciting week after week! So, how do we help children develop the coping skills they need while keeping them engaged (and not glancing at their watch)? Here are ten therapist (and child!)-approved, fun activities that address anxiety-based disorders and promote relaxation and stress reduction in children:

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For this week's video chat, Dr. AnnaLynn Schooley returns to discuss therapy questions as an intentional craft, and she covers four basic question types: single answer, open, closed, relational, and circular.

Therapist Self-Disclosure Simplified

Self-disclosure is a touchy subject among therapists. Some therapists never self-disclose, while others feel stifled by having a rigid boundary around self-disclosure. As I consider self-disclosure in therapy, I ask myself, “When is self-disclosure appropriate?” “How does self-disclosure deepen the therapist-client connection?"

Solution Focused Brief Couples Therapy Tips, with Elliott Connie

Elliott Connie is a Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) practitioner, author, and speaker. He developed an approach to couples work that distills the essence of SFBT into guiding principles for working with couples.

As a therapist who loves working with couples, I am always interested in ways to enhance my couples therapy skills. For this reason, I invited Elliott to explain the reasons why SFBT is his choice for working with clients, as well as how it creates a contrasting experience for couples that have a history in therapy.

Family of Origin Exploration for the Therapist: How to Create Your Genogram

In article three of the Family of Origin for the Therapist series, you learned 3 simple steps for how to begin family of origin (FOO) exploration: 1) read Bowen’s chapter, 2) observe your FOO experience, and 3) reflect on what you learned. Hopefully, your curiosity has led to significant understanding.

Understanding is the foundation of Bowen Family Systems Theory (BFST). Bowen (1985) believed that if clients could understand themselves as members of their FOOs and as created by their histories, they could begin and continue significant change.

In today’s post, I offer the next step in developing understanding: Creating your genogram. I explain how to create a basic genogram that you can expand as you continue your exploration.

5 Tips for Keeping Up with Therapy Paperwork

In my interaction with therapists as a mentor and supervisor, I’ve learned that one of the main struggles therapists face is having too much work and not enough time. Many therapists find themselves overwhelmed by documentation responsibilities, in particular; this includes completing client notes, referrals, billing, treatment plans, etc.

In today’s post, I offer several strategies for keeping up with paperwork, so that you can stay on track and avoid the stress of falling behind.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Client Types, and Their Relevance To Every Session

In her 1989 article, Of Visitors, Complainants, and Customers, Insoo Kim Berg details three types of “client-therapist relationships” (p. 21). Her wording is significant, because she is not labeling clients; she is describing them in terms of their relationship to the therapist, the process of therapy, and the problem. These three relationships have undergirded Solution-Focused Brief Therapy theory and interventions over the years, although they are not consistently discussed in newer works. The client relationship types are widely applicable to therapy, regardless of theoretical orientation, making them one of the most useful concepts in marriage and family therapy.

In this post, I present a review of these client types, and I explain their relevance to and usefulness for all therapeutic sessions.

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One of the most common professional goals for my clients is expanding their private practice to include life coaching services. As professionals with a depth of knowledge in personal development and goal achievement strategies, therapists are ideal candidates for the coaching profession. Despite this near perfect fit, there are some important ethical consideration for therapists when offering coaching services alongside therapy, or when choosing to become professional coaches. In this post, I focus on offering solutions for these complications, in an effort to help you ethically practice coaching.

5 Step Plan for De-escalating an In-Session couple Argument

Most of us, therapists, have been there: A simple disagreement turns into an all-out screaming match in the middle of a therapy session. This is, thankfully, not a common scenario for most therapists, but it’s also not rare--especially for therapists who specialize in couple therapy.

In this post, I cover steps for disrupting an argument occurring in a couple therapy session. Intervention on the part of the therapist is necessary during some conflicts, because the arguments can cause further damage in the couple relationship. And, if therapists allow arguments to continue for too long, they can affect the couple’s sense of safety when in therapy.

The main goals of intervention in this case are to: