by Alex, Theramatch IT Department
The primary reason for an individual going into the field of mental health is to help the people who are in need. The best way to build a bridge of understanding and support between a professional and a client highly relies on the initial impression of both parties. This is why it is very important to invest a bit more time into polishing people's perception of you through your profile. Besides the professional facts that you provide, people need to feel your personal side, philosophy, and credo. The more information you provide, the better clients can understand you as a person and figure out if they can trust you with their most intimate problems.
On average, people are exposed to a great variety of choices when choosing a mental health professional. That is why it is important to stand out on the page when a client starts searching for a specialist. Here are some tips which we believe will increase the effectiveness of your Theramatch profile and will have a direct impact on the amount of referrals you receive.
1. Your picture
A picture can say a thousand words. Profiles that have photos are automatically impersonated by a human presence, resulting in a more vivid perception of you and your services. Lack of profile picture leads to one being pushed out of the clients' awareness when looking at the search results. Make sure the picture is of good quality and depicts you radiating your best smile.
2. Specialty
One cannot find a house without an address. Using the same logic, clients cannot find help in the areas you do not list among your specialties, even though you might have experience in them. Try to be as specific as possible because listing only "General Practice" will not bring you enough exposure and referrals as a result.
3. Your personal information
Even though your personal side is of great importance, people need to be assured of your professionalism in order to trust you with their life. Therefore, your profile should contain the answers to any possible question client might have concerning your career and your credentials.
4. Language & Ethnicity
People of the same cultural background already have a foundation for establishing mutually beneficial relations. Hence, it is easier to find a common ground in order to resolve clients’ problems and issues. By including your language and ethnicity in your profile you are reducing chances of ending up on the opposite sides of the fence, which represents the cultural barrier.
5. Insurance
The goal of Theramatch is to cover a wide range of clientele, which consists of people from different socio-economic backgrounds. By listing every single financial option available for your clients, it will give you the opportunity to reach to as many individuals as possible.
6. About & Philosophy
Look at the knowledge you have gained when you were earning your credentials as the skeleton of your practice, with your personal characteristics and your experience representing the flesh. By highlighting the latter, you are allowing your potential clients to see you from different perspectives. This helps to reduce the tension between you and those who are looking for help by allowing them to draw your psychological portrait before the initial session. Even more, since these sections take up the most space in your profile, they have the most potential for containing keywords that would help search engines to locate your profile on the Internet. The more lights in a city, the brighter it seems from the sky.
7. Articles & Videos
Many an individual are curious about conditions they might have based on the symptoms they exhibit or what they or their loved ones are diagnosed with. By displaying articles and videos, you are allowing for people to understand more about mental health issues that are of a concern for them.
When you include as much information as possible about yourself, it gives the people looking for help a better understanding of you. The more exposure you choose to have, the more you will be in peoples minds, and the more people will contact you in need for help. The success of your practice is completely in your hands.
