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The Biggest Therapist Marketing Mistake 

Marie Fang
Oct 28, 2024

There is a particular therapist marketing mistake that I see a vast number of therapists make again and again. 

And that is: a lack of authenticity.  

Authenticity Matters In Marketing 

Let’s connect the dots. How does being inauthentic in our marketing channels negatively impact our bottom line as therapists? 

If we have any amount of self-doubt regarding how much our authentic self can genuinely help the folks that we serve, then we are likely going to show up wearing some kind of a mask in our marketing materials. 

therapist marketing mistake

This spills out into so many different areas of our marketing. From something as high level as what we specialize in, all the way down to the language we use on our websites and online profiles.

Whether you want to call it self-doubt, imposter syndrome, or being inauthentic, this is just a natural aspect of being human. 

But, it helps if we can move through our self-doubt and present who we really are in our marketing materials. 

If we do, folks feel drawn to us when they see us clearly in our marketing materials. We will also be modeling for potential clients the work that we’re going to invite them into. We will be leading from a place of embracing ourselves. 

In this article, I want to share a tool that will help prevent this therapist marketing mistake. I will also give a few examples of how to apply this when marketing yourself. 

A Tool to Help you be More Authentic 

To be honest, this tool to overcome being inauthentic in your marketing materials is pretty simple. But sometimes the simplest solutions are the hardest to implement. 

I have two questions that you can use as a tool:

Question 1: “How do I want my clients to live their lives when they graduate from counseling?” 

Question 2: For each aspect of marketing your practice ask: “Am I embodying the outcome I want for my clients in how I’m showing up here?”

To clarify: embodying the outcome you want for your clients does not mean pretending that you’re feeling awesome, whether that’s how you feel or not. I assume that most of us are not trying to teach our clients to pretend to be doing better than they truly are. 

But, I would argue that embodying the outcome that you want for your clients does look like acknowledging our humanity. Leaning into our growth edges. And allowing our passions and our values to be our top priority. At least those are the things I desire for my clients. 

I think as therapists we know this already, but it proves to be hard for most of us to implement. Because it means we’re presenting our most authentic selves to the world to be scrutinized, and potentially, judged or rejected. 

And it’s a whole lot easier to wear a mask when we put ourselves out there. That way, it doesn’t sting as much when the world is harsh towards us.

Authenticity in Your Specialty 

Let’s think through how to show up authentically in different marketing channels. 

First: your specialty. Sometimes we don’t think our specialty has anything to do with our marketing, but it does! 

If you genuinely don’t know your specialty yet, that is fully okay! 

But, I’ve noticed something about therapists I’ve talked to who say they don’t know what their specialty is yet: they almost always have a desired specialty. But they feel inadequate, for a variety of reasons, leaning into that specialty. 

They may say: I’m too young (or too old!), I can’t work with kids because I don’t have kids, or I want to work with this population but no one would want to work with me specifically for that, etc.

We are so capable of creating a narrative about why our specialty wouldn’t work for us before dipping our toes in and collecting data to see if that were really true. 

If you find yourself feeling like your desired speciality wouldn’t work out, I want you to imagine that you are your own therapist. How would you respond to your client if they expressed self-doubt like this? 

For most of us, we would have compassion and we would get curious. We might say, “Oh that’s really interesting that you seem to think it wouldn’t work for you to specialize in that. I wonder why you think that?” And then perhaps later: “would it be worth testing this out to see if it’s really true?”

If you feel a total block when it comes to turning your compassion inwards, invite a trusted colleague to help you through this exercise. 

Authentic Networking

Another area where you can make this therapist marketing mistake is networking. 

Whether you are marketing with other therapists or professionals in the field, it has become so common to put up a front of professionalism. It’s become a default state in some circles. 

Personally, I’ve had to redefine what professionalism means. I used to think of it as eliminating as much of my personality, values, and preferences as possible in order to fit into a mold of academic knowledge, language, and appearance. 

I now define professionalism as how to lean into the best version of myself as a professional. When I talk as a therapist, I need to still sound like Marie. There’s a way to still be yourself while also bringing the best version of yourself to the work that you’re doing. 

As you network, you’ll find people who share the value of showing up authentically. This will be a connecting point for you. It will be so much easier to identify like-minded folks, genuine connections, and potential referral sources if you show up as yourself.

Authentic Online Presence

Another therapist marketing mistake is being inauthentic in our online profiles. 

I think most of us, at some point, have hidden behind a mask of academic language and lead with our credentials and professional experience when we show up online (I sure have!).

All of those credentials and training are valid and needed, but sometimes it highlights for potential clients how different they are from you. 

So wherever you show up online – your online profiles, website, or social media – ask yourself how you can still lead with your humanity. Share your passions, values, why you got interested in this field to begin with, and why you are excited by the work that you do. 

This lets your potential clients see that ultimately, underneath all your training and credentials, you’re human. And that your training equips you to support them with what they want help with.

Authentic Initial Contact

The first contact with potential clients can be an area where inauthenticity can creep in.

Pay attention to if you are feeling the need to prove yourself, or defensive during the initial contact/phone screen. 

If so, this is a great opportunity to seek consultation from a trusted colleague. Ask them to curiously explore with you what is happening when you react in those ways. Then you can find ways to show up more comfortably as yourself. 

Impacts of Authenticity 

Hopefully these tips help you prevent the common therapist marketing mistake of inauthenticity and have a twofold effect: 

When you present your authentic self it will help your potential clients build trust with you, and make your work a lot more enjoyable. It’s exhausting to keep trying to show up with a mask on. I’ve tried it. It’s not sustainable. 

Need More?

Ready to authentically attract more clients to your practice? I have a course that creates a sustainable system for reliably attracting clients that fit your speciality. 

I also have a ton of resources and tips on my YouTube marketing strategies playlist. Find advice on networking, email lists, branding, and how to book more clients. 

Until next time, from one therapist to another: I wish you well!

-Marie

Photo by Laurentiu Robu on Pexels 

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels 

Hi, I'm Dr. Marie Fang!

I created Private Practice Skills so you can start a therapy practice that fits your life!

First time here? You might Read my story, browse the blog, or watch some videos. And don’t sleep on my free getting started guide:

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Disclosure: Private Practice Skills uses affiliate links. This means that when you make a purchase through my links I may earn a commission, which helps me continue creating more awesome content for you. Thank you!

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