The most successful practice building activity I have engaged in was volunteering to facilitate a monthly adult ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactive disorder) support group through my local chapter of CHADD (the national ADHD advocacy organization). I received more clients this way than by any other marketing system and got better results in time and money invested. Since I specialize in ADHD, CHADD was a great resource for me, but there are countless other opportunities available for the psychologist who is willing to give something away in order to get something back. A little creativity and leg-work can yield big results.
Opportunities like this abound and I would heartily recommend pursuing them. It’s good for one’s community, but it’s also good for the field and the individual practitioner. Too often, the fly-by types of marketing activities where someone shows up for a meeting or presentation and then is quickly gone, never to return, don’t work because multiple contacts are often required before a referral is made or a potential client picks up the phone. Running a support group can offer the perfect opportunity for the kind of sustained contact that yields clients.
There is a group available for virtually every niche of practice. The key is to associate with an existing entity in order to split some of the administrative burden of promoting the group. (Although you could certainly do it yourself if you had to.) This could be a national or local organization (e.g., American Cancer Society, Autism Society of America, and National Alliance of Mentally Ill) or another entity (e.g., hospital, church, or other social services agency). These organizations are often happy to have a professional willing to donate time to benefit their causes. The organizations then promote the group as part of their outreach activities—and in the process promote the psychologist running the group. In addition, the psychologist benefits from reflected credibility by being associated with the organization. It also establishes a reputation of expertise in this area of practice. For example, I received countless calls and emails from people who had found my group listed on the local CHADD chapter’s website and wanted to come in for an ADHD evaluation or treatment. In addition, printing up a flyer for the group gives me a great opportunity when contacting referral sources, since this is something that may be of interest to them and thereby makes me something more than yet another clinician sending a business card. These flyers were often posted in waiting rooms or copies given to clients by these referral sources.
The logistics of these groups are quite straight-forward. For my adult group in Virginia, I called the local library and asked to use their meeting room. Most libraries, community centers, churches, YMCAs, etc. will allow their space to be used without charge provided that the meetings are free and open to the public. I spent about an hour (or less) per month sending out a reminder email and fielding calls and emails about the group. The attendees of the group expressed great gratitude for the opportunity to meet other adults with ADHD, discuss challenges, offer solutions, and laugh. Don’t underestimate the power of a support group. A handful of attendees became clients after attending the group, but I was very careful to not appear over-eager or self-serving.
After five years of running the adult ADHD group, my wife and I were considering re-locating. The first thing I did was contact the local CHADD chapter to see how I could get involved and whether I could run a similar group, because I knew that would be key to creating a new practice. I am now running a teen ADHD group and have found it to be just as beneficial as the adult group in Virginia. Certainly there are times when it’s inconvenient to schedule clients or other activities around the meetings, but the benefits far exceed the costs. This sort of marketing activity is a total win-win. As psychologists, we have a great deal to offer our communities, even the people who won’t come to our offices.
