Those in the private practice of psychotherapy often have trouble balancing therapy and the business components of their work. The Internet is a great tool that providers can use to spread the word about services to potential clients who want to find psychotherapy information. Psychotherapy providers can use online mental health resources for marketing a practice, networking with other professionals and educating potential clients about counseling services.

A provider also can benefit from the online world of psychotherapy information by enrolling in classes and workshops with continuing education credits offered by mental health associations. An online presence can increase visibility of a psychotherapy practice by:

1. Providing a website for a psychotherapy provider that showcases areas of expertise, credentials, fees and scheduling.

2. Allowing a therapist to add information to psychotherapy directories that local clients can search.

3. Offering providers opportunities to keep up with the latest developments in the field.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Create an online presence to help clients find psychotherapy information

Develop an online home for your practice to showcase your area of psychotherapy and the breadth of your business offerings. Choosing a web design company that works specifically with mental health professionals will insure that your site contains therapy-focused material that will highlight your area of expertise.

I recommend: TherapySites offers a professionally designed website for a flat fee. Successful-Therapist.com is a web design service that also specializes in creating websites for mental health providers with the choice of a pre-designed template or custom-built web pages.

Make it easy for potential clients to find you on a psychotherapy list

Increase your client-base by enrolling in a searchable psychotherapy directory or list. Future clients will be able to search as broad as their state of residence or limit results by practice specialty and even the therapist's gender.

I recommend: The Therapy Directory powered by Psychology Today is a searchable psychotherapy list that allows the user to locate a therapist based on location, diagnosis, cost per session and even therapist ethnicity. 1-800-THERAPIST offers a live referral service via telephone. A counselor works with the caller to identify the right therapist for any mental health problem.

Join a psychotherapy association and get continuing education credits

A psychotherapy provider can join a professional association to benefit from the networking and marketing opportunities. Membership often includes discounted classes and conferences and low-cost insurance plans.

I recommend: The American Psychological Association offers members career development resources, many practice group-focused divisions and educational programs, including online courses. The American Psychotherapy Association offers members inclusion in its referral directory and an opportunity to gain national certification.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Participate in online discussion boards to offer education and advice, and to market your area of psychotherapy practice to potential clients. Write articles for online consumer-focused mental health sites that will allow you to include your bio and link to your website.