Many behavioral health professionals are so focused on caring for their clients that they don’t even consider creating a professional profile. They often don’t realize that it’s an important tool for growing their practice. We get it. After all, you have deep experience and expertise in behavioral health, not necessarily in marketing yourself or your practice online. At Health Affiliates Maine (HAM), we encourage affiliates to consider their professional profiles not as a superficial sales and marketing tactic or a job resume but as a space to build connections with best fit clients, foster understanding, and inspire confidence. That is why we feature affiliates’ professional profiles on our website free of charge (just one of the many perks of affiliating with us!)
When it comes time to create these professional profiles, our affiliated clinicians often ask us for advice on how best to craft their professional profiles. They want to know what’s important to include and how it should be written.
This might seem challenging, but by answering a set of key questions, behavioral health professionals can create an engaging and empowering profile. In this blog, we explore what these questions are and why they’re important for shaping your online narrative.
Who are you beyond your qualifications?
Of course, a brief introduction with your qualifications and professional background is necessary. Yet, remember, therapy is built on human connections. So, delve a little further. Talk about your beliefs, your passions, perhaps even mention how you find solace in the calm of nature or find inspiration in the strokes of a paintbrush. Show that you, too, are human.
What are your areas of expertise, and what is your approach to treatment?
Share your areas of proficiency–whether it is cognitive behavioral therapy, Family Systems Therapy, child and adolescent psychology or anything else. Yet, remember to also discuss your approach to these treatments. Your philosophy and methodology provide a glimpse into your practice and its uniqueness.
What are some of your experiences?
Share experiences that shaped you as a therapist. Talk about the resilience you have seen, the journeys you’ve borne witness to. This is about normalizing the ups and downs of behavioral health care and portraying yourself as a compassionate companion on this journey.
Why have you chosen this path?
State why you decided to delve into this field. Perhaps, a personal encounter sparked your journey, or maybe you’ve always felt an innate calling to help others navigate their mental and emotional landscapes. These insights make you relatable and trustworthy.
How do you nurture resilience and empowerment in your clients?
Including empowering language in your profile portrays positive outcomes and encourages those seeking help. So, as an advocate, supporter, and guide, how do you encourage individual growth and resilience? What specific strategies and interventions do you use to help clients discover and bolster their strengths?
How can someone reach out to you?
Make it clear how individuals can contact you for a consultation or further queries. Normalize this process by encouraging individuals to take this step, reassuring them courageously and compassionately.
Getting Started
Once you have written your profile, put it out to the online world! We encourage all affiliated clinicians to start by crafting their professional profiles with us at HAM. Affiliates can have their professional profiles featured on the HAM website free of charge one of the many benefits of affiliating with HAM! Other organizations, such as psychologytoday.com, will also post online profiles for a fee.
Creating an online professional profile is about breaking down the walls and extending a hand to those seeking help. Let your profile reflect that, let it echo your dedication, let it speak in a voice that grounds, heals, and believes.
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