Mental Health Awareness Month: How Mental Health Professionals Can Reach More Clients This May
In our part of the world, where, on a clear day, we can see the coast of Africa, the sun has finally come out after many months of much-needed rain. And what a difference it makes! That welcome shot of vitamin D on each walk, and the birdsong that comes with it, can shift your entire outlook.
There are moments in life, however, when a little more is needed to tend to our mental health and wellbeing. That’s just part of the human experience and, thankfully, the dialogue around mental health is changing in a positive direction. We are becoming increasingly more open about the topic which is slowly helping to break the stigmas still existent around mental illnesses and disorders.
At Sustainable Digital, we have worked with many psychologists and counsellors who continue to offer a safe space for all individuals, especially those needing it the most in this trying political climate.
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we would like to highlight some of these small practices and show you how we make their important work more visible and accessible online through SEO and content writing. Perhaps this might inspire you to take the next steps in reaching a wider audience for your practice, too.
How to Approach Potential Patients Using the Right Language
One of the most important things people consider when seeking professional help for their mental health is what approach will work best for them. As with anything in life - what works for one person may not work for another. While many people intuitively know what resonates, others may adopt a simple “don’t knock it till you’ve tried it” mindset.
Therefore, when reaching out to new potential patients and/or clients, it’s important to keep these things in mind. You’ll want to give them a clear and well-rounded understanding of the services you offer, how you approach them, and how these may veer from conventional treatment styles or schools of psychology.
Chanderbhan Psychological Services offers a perfect example of how to hone the right tone with which to approach their clients. By posing different questions and scenarios, they are speaking directly to website visitors. This makes them feel understood and seen, which is key to building a trusting relationship from which to achieve healing and growth.
Opening with, “If you find yourself asking questions like: Should I end my relationship? Is this really all there is? Why do I feel this way?”, this team of professional psychologists knows how to relate with their visitors – both online and in their practice. These also happen to be the very questions people might ask Google when looking for support. Anticipating that language and mirroring it on your site helps connect the right people to the right help.
Highlight Your Specialty Services & Expertise
When a person is already feeling overwhelmed and anxious, the last thing they’ll want to do is to have to scroll through a lot of jargon-heavy content to get to where they need to be. It’s important to make information about your services as easy to access as possible, which also makes your site more inclusive. Take a look at CBT Denver, for example.
While CBT Denver covers a wide range of specialties, their main area of expertise – namely, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)- is highlighted right off the bat—no need to dig through navigation menus to find it. Next, the homepage goes on to list their three most sought-after specialties: depression, anxiety and insomnia.
This is a favorable approach for two vital reasons. For one, the homepage layout follows exactly the type of set up that will help Google identify the site as authoritative, authentic and relevant, while making it straight-forward and easy to navigate for visitors too. This is especially important in a crisis situation. Secondly, the way they structure their content helps emphasize both their specialties and location, making it easier for them to be matched with clients in the same area.
Find Ways to Connect with Your Clients
Your clients found you because you’re offering something that speaks to them. While some individuals are more prone to treat their depression or anxiety with CBT, others feel more inclined to tend to their mental health through mindfulness meditation. Once your client lands on your website, chances are, they have already found common ground. Now it’s up to you to make sure that you keep connecting in ways that resonate.
Donald Fleck, the respected Master Mindfulness Teacher based in NYC, does so through his MindBlog and newsletters. On his blog, some posts offer personal reflections that take the reader on walks through his city and moments of doubt and overwhelm, while others offer deeper explorations on how mindfulness meditation works.
In doing so, he is opening a direct channel of communication – he is asking, do you recognize these feelings? Have you considered how mindfulness meditation has proven to be beneficial for anxiety, a positive workplace environment and leadership roles? Through the MindBlog, Donald reaches his audience by sharing personal stories and pointing them to tools and programs that can help them in their own journey.
People can feel a bit intimidated by the prospect of writing and maintaining their own blog, and we understand – it can be daunting. The important thing to remember is, by sharing your knowledge, your expertise – or, in Donald’s case, even your own struggles and vulnerability – you’re personalizing that crucial first encounter—when potential clients visit your website and decide whether to trust you. They will feel directly spoken to, which makes it much easier for them to connect with you and your organization. Using your blog content to create regular newsletters further enhances this idea of connection.
Our Part in the Process
The mental health experts and practitioners we mentioned in this blog came to us with a clear idea of what they needed – a thorough SEO package, content writing, website (re)design – and we tailored the right approach to their needs. Our collaborative process is not only something that brings us joy, it helps us to identify where our clients are at and how we can guarantee to offer the best services for their vision and budget.
We know how to make a little go a long way—and how to handle a big, long-term marketing campaign, and we’re always happy to meet you in the middle too. We’re here to help you increase your reach through refined content, targeted campaigns and design approach, so you can focus on the important services you’re offering to those who need it.
Reach out to us if you'd like support with your website or marketing.
Let’s work together to make your expertise easier to find—and even easier to trust.
