Introduction

We are in the midst of a population boom that is unprecedented in our history. While so much talk has focused on the “graying of America” many have failed to notice a veritable explosion in the number of children soon to be followed by a similar rise in the number of adolescents. Thus, for those psychologists trained in working with children and teens, there should be significant opportunities to have successful practices. But, in today’s marketplace, keeping your appointment book full and your revenues at an acceptable level requires a much more active management of your practice. This is commonly referred to as the business of practice and is based on applying standard marketing principles to the delivery of mental health services.

Marketing is an attitude that requires you to be constantly thinking about the ways you can provide the most beneficial services to your community. It is about assessing your own strengths and weaknesses, personally and professionally, so that your practice enables you to maximize your success and satisfaction. Marketing is especially about planning. You need to create a vision of what you would like your practice to look like in the next 3-5 years and then set specific goals for the coming year that are consistent with that vision. You then select from a long list of promotional strategies those that you believe will enable you to achieve these goals. Marketing is about investing the time and money needed to develop your practice. Finally, it is about the obligation to educate the public about the benefits of mental health services, an especially important responsibility because most people who need our services do not come to us for help.

General Use of the Brochure

The primary goal of this brochure is to provide parents with an Understanding of the process and benefits of psychotherapy for their children and adolescents. Psychotherapy is a vague and intangible service. This brochure helps to define the process and parameters of treatment with children and adolescents, offering reassurance about an unknown process. This is particularly important for child and adolescent therapy because of the ways in which it differs from adult therapy, making it even more difficult for parents to understand how it works and what they should expect. The brochure can be mailed to parents before their first appointment, sent to parents who call to inquire about your services, and kept in your waiting room for parents and other patients.

In addition, current patients are often our best source of new referrals. Having this brochure in your waiting room allows parents to bring one to a friend whose child is also in need of help. In a similar manner, giving a handful of these brochures, with your imprint on the back, to physicians, guidance counselors, clergy, and others who refer to you provides an excellent way to help bring referrals to your office. Parents are often given more than one name, but reading such a warm and reassuring brochure is likely to make you the first therapist called.

Whenever you give a talk on parenting, this brochure makes a wonderful handout. People tend to hold on to brochures if they like the speaker and you may find a caller saying they had heard you speak two years ago and still have the brochure with your number on it. It is also common for members of the audience to take an extra brochure for a friend who has a child in need of help. Always bring extras. In fact, always carry them in your brief case.

To Grow A Practice

Many psychologists wish to increase their practice revenues. This can mean seeing more patients or offering services that can bring in higher fees. Treating children and adolescents is a specialized niche, although a rather generic one. The most recommended way to build your practice is by developing more focused services, commonly referred to as mental health “products.” The key is to focus on a narrow population and offer a service that can be more easily defined in scope and benefits. Examples include anxiety disorders in school-age children, depression in female adolescents, difficult-to-manage preschoolers, siblings of children with chronic diseases, gifted eight-to-nine year old girls with social problems, children facing surgery, neuropsychological testing, and custody evaluations.

The list can be as long and creative as you want to make it, provided there is a need you can identify and a service you can offer to resolve the problem. The challenge is to find the specialty that is the best match between the needs of your community and your clinical skills. Your marketing plan may include additional training, the design of the service, strategies for promoting the service, and a budget to pay for related costs. Even though you will need additional materials to promote your “product,” the brochure describing psychotherapy for children and adolescents remains an important part of your promotional package. It always serves to help parents understand how psychologists can be helpful and remains a constant reminder of the basic services that you provide.

Concluding Thoughts

Knowledge of marketing gives you more control over the destiny of your practice. It requires you to be the most competent psychologist possible, to be sensitive to the needs of present and future patients, and to plan ways to have the practice you want. For those psychologists who work with children and teens, this brochure is exceptionally helpful in achieving your practice goals. There are many children and adolescents who would benefit from your services. Offering this brochure to parents and referral sources increases the likelihood that more of these children will get the help they need.

Kalman M. Heller, Ph.D. has been in private practice for 30 years, specializing in serving children, families, and couples. He is the Division 42 representative to the Practice Directorate’s Business of Practice Network and is the Co-coordinator of Marketing, along with Dr. Laurie Kolt, for The Brochure Project. Dr. Heller is the author of Strategic Marketing: How To Achieve Independence and Prosperity In Your Mental Health Practice. You can reach him at: 992 Great Plain Avenue, Needham, MA 02492; phone (781) 444-3450; FAX (781) 449-3134; E-mail: KHeller714@aol.com; or visit him at www.drheller.com for more about marketing your practice.

Passport to Practice

Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents: Marketing Tips

By Kalman M. Heller, Ph.D.