PracticesMadePerfect: November 2008

Hi all,

After last night’s election results, I find myself thinking in bigger, more global terms, so I’d like to ask some big questions this month:

1 - How do we help our clients create quality lives and a sense of well-being either as an adjunct to therapy or post therapy? Or is this our job?

2 - How can we as therapists contribute to the sustainability of our planet by educating ourselves, and possibly our clients about going green, recycling, and/or connecting with nature if this would help them, or is this our job?

As I've been writing my personal leadership book, LifeDancing, Mastering Life's Movement (Check it out on the right), I've been looking at other's models, i.e., Wilber's Integral Life and Frisch's Quality of Life Therapy. Both are excellent models.

What tools do you use to help your clients manage their lives and lead themselves toward their goals after the clinical issue that brought them to your office has been treated, or do you not believe this is important or part of your job? Certainly insurance companies don't think it is your job, so how do you weave life-management or personal leadership into treatment?

Let me know how you feel about this topic and what your thoughts are, please.

Marketing Events for late November and December

November

18 - National Memory Screening Day - Free confidential screening available at local healthcare organizations. Think about being one of those sites for next year. This year, simply tell people about it and go to a site and introduce yourself. If one of your specialties is Eldercare, this is perfect time to tell them about your work.

20 - Great American Smokeout - Do any of your clients want to quite smoking? Here is a great day for them to try again. If you specialize in Smoking Cessation, market market market to every professional in town.

December

All Month - Shopping, Shopping, Shopping

Often the holidays mean shopping, and this year, more than most, many are dealing with a shrinking investment or bank account. They may have lost their job or much worse. So how do we all manage and learn to do with less? There are MANY wonderful resources out there to help us.

This is a particularly difficult time for overshoppers. A resource I can highly recommend is April Benson's Stopping Overshopping webpage and books. She has put a lot of work into listing resources for us. Check it out HERE. Also if you are a clinician who may be interested in learning how to apply her work, she has training programs available.

and more, or less

Every holiday season I seek a new simplicity and simple joy while holding the family together with differing expectations and desires. Last year I used the book Unplug the Christmas Machine and found some great ideas. This year I'm spending less and purchased Simplify Your Christmas for $.01 on Amazon. It looks good. I'll report back later.

Holiday Blues

When I had the Benicia Community Counseling Center, every year I held a drop-in Holiday Blues Support Group. It was a great way to let others know about my practice and get to know me a little better. If you are interested in offering this service to your community, put together a press release and flyer, find a space (sometimes businesses organizations will donate space if you offer a free community service), create an agenda, make some confidentiality releases and see what happens. Directions for all of the above are in my first book How to Build and Market Your Mental Health Practice (see on the right). If you want to step away from an illness model, you can change the name to Put the JOY Back in the Holidays, or Make the Holidays more Fun, you get my drift.

Marketing Tools

I've been introduced to a new marketing site, Spiritus. The creator is a wonderful woman who's not too hidden agenda is to create a marketing community. Please check it out HERE.

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My next newsletter will arrive in January. Until then I'm off to make my annual Holiday Rumballs, start sewing and making jewelry, and oh yes, cleaning out the garage. I wish you the best life possible until then and a most successful professional practice!

Warmly

Linda