246 – Paid Advertising for Therapists

Petruska Clarkson’s 5 Relationship Model – Working with Otherness in Counselling

In Episode 246 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, your hosts Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly are back to discuss this week’s three topics:

• Firstly in ‘Theory in Practice’ we’ll look at Petruska Clarkson’s 5 Relationship Model.
• Then in ‘Practice Partner’, Rory and Ken discuss options when it comes to paid advertising for therapists, and the possible pros and cons.
• Then lastly in ‘Practice Matters’, Rory speaks with Dr. Dwight Turner about working with otherness.

Petruska Clarkson’s 5 Relationship Model [starts at 02:48 mins]

In this section, Rory and Ken go through some of the key points of Clarkson’s 5 elements to sustaining a successful therapeutic relationship:

• The 5 elements:
  • The working alliance– the contract, clarity, making sure both parties understand.
  • Transference/countertransference– being aware of possible transference both in yourself and from the client, making sure you’re not acting differently due to transference.
  • The reparative/developmentally needed relationship– ensuring the client can eventually begin to feel comfortable enough to be themselves, the counsellor takes on an almost parental role to support them during their personal growth.
  • Person-to-person relationship– having a deep level of trust between yourself and the client, making sure you’re working as a real person, human being to human being.
  • The transpersonal relationship– a relationship with the client on a more spiritual level, a deep connection.
• Transference may be a key point in the therapy room that needs to be worked on – if a client tells you that you remind them of someone in their past, make it clear to them that you are not that person, this starts the conversation that not everybody is the same. They can begin to realise those feelings are from a past relationship, and can stay as such.

Paid Advertising for Therapists [starts at 19:18 mins]

As we move into ‘Practice Partner’, Rory and Ken discuss some of the ways you may want to invest in the advertisement of your private practice.

The main points of this discussion include:

• One way of advertising your practice may be counselling directories– these may be private directories, or that of an ethical body.
• A disadvantage of directories may be competition – there will be many other therapists that you’re ‘up against’ in terms of finding clients.
• Another method of paid advertising for therapists is Google PPC (pay per click) – this means you will only pay when someone clicks through to your website.
• According to research, the top link will receive 43% of clicks – the more you pay and the higher up your links is, the more likely you are to receive clicks.
• The disadvantage of this method may be that it’s likely you’ll compete against other companies, e.g. private directories that will have a bigger budget for their advertising.
• However, this method of advertising for therapists is non-disruptive and may therefore be a preferred method.
• Another method is through social media. Facebook.
• This method allows your ads to target certain demographics, but may be more suitable to advertise CPD than your counselling services.
• The disadvantages of this are that now people are becoming more aware of data tracking and blocking it, the algorithm can no longer be as affective.
• The final option talked about today is print advertising– your local newspaper or magazine, this is great for looking for possible face-to-face clients in your local area.
• The benefits of print ads are their fixed cost, the way a fixed message is placed in front of people repeatedly, and it can establish you as a local specialist.
• A disadvantage of this may be that it will be difficult to get a client to then visit your website – you would be better leaving a phone number in your ad.
• Whatever option you choose to advertise your therapy or counselling services, make sure you’re keeping track of the actual benefit (or not) this advertising is having on your business. You want to ensure it is worth your money.

Working with Otherness in Counselling [starts at 47:21 mins]

In this week’s ‘Practice Matters’, Rory speaks with Dr. Dwight Turner about the intersections of privilege and otherness.

The key points of this discussion are as follows:

• We are not just one identity: you have your ethnicity, sexuality, class etc.
• These intersections can make you feel like you don’t belong in one particular place.
• An example of intersection can be seen within feminism – some women will not just be disadvantaged as a woman, but also as a woman of colour.
• We have all experienced a feeling of otherness; even children from a young age begin to form groups as they discover who they are and who they are not.
• Intersectional theory offers a way of understanding the complex nature of human beings.
• It’s an important factor in finding out who the other is, looking into their experiences.
• This also links with the shadow self – are the qualities that you dislike in others actually the qualities that you dislike about yourself?
• It’s important to understand your own sense of otherness, not being afraid of talking about the other.

Links and Resources

Counselling Skills Academy

Advanced Certificate in Counselling Supervision

Basic Counselling Skills: A Student Guide

Counsellor CPD

Counselling Study Resource

Counselling Theory in Practice: A Student Guide

Counselling Tutor Shop

Facebook group

Website

Online and Telephone Counselling: A Practitioner’s Guide

Online and Telephone Counselling Course