Psychologists in Russia: who are they and who are their clients? Psychologist's office: special ways to win a client Three key questions

Do you do odd jobs?

Are you waiting for someone you know to recommend you to someone?

You have a couple of clients that you can’t let go - so you have someone to work with!

Have you already advertised on websites or in newspapers, but the result is zero?

Have you returned to work in an office because you were unable to start your practice?

ONLY 20-25% OF PSYCHOLOGISTS

WORKING IN A PROFESSION!

Even fewer have a PRIVATE PRACTICE WITH A SATISFACTORY INCOME.

WHY?

“Who will come to me, no one knows me!”

“How can I consult, because I have not yet completed the third specialization\never consulted\I am only 28 years old\I have no work experience\none of my senior colleagues have seen how I do it...”

“Where will I invite him? I don’t have an office!”

“I won’t succeed - I don’t know enough techniques and methods, I haven’t put them into practice enough!”

“How can I do this, some crazy, sick person will come, and what will I do?!”

“I can’t do this - what if I do harm?”

And I went through this when I started. I clearly remember the moment when, at one of the regular training sessions, the thought came to me: “Yes, I already know all this! Why don’t I still consult and conduct trainings!”

Time has passed since then, I have regular clients on Skype, several regular reception days, an office, trainings and webinars, I am invited to master classes and festivals.

Waiting for someone to lead you into your profession is, to put it mildly, pointless! The belief that clients will start looking for you on their own and will start pouring in “after...”. I wrote about this in my last letter

AND WHAT DO PSYCHOLOGISTS WORK AS A RESULT?

Go to work social psychologist, to school, to social institutions ? – a dead end, complete lack of development, absolute impossibility of getting out of there into private practice! I work at school - it can kill any initiative. And social workers and psychologists are simply drowning in a pile of papers, reports, meetings.

You teach psychology to students at a non-core institute. Most of them go to classes to “suffer themselves, pass and forget.” You lose (or do not acquire) practical skills, begin to be afraid of real clients, go into pure science or simply become a theoretical psychologist...

Are you going into a profession where results depend on your ability to work with people? – customer service, sales manager... often those who could be successful in this area become successful Good Psychologist. Refusal of the Vocation, dream funeral...

Another area where psychologists are always in demand is Human Resources Department(and I worked there - I understand what I’m talking about :)) Coach? Recruiting manager? Training Specialist? Yes, he will also be successful in this area - he will know when to tell someone what, in order to... He will extinguish conflicts and resolve situations... conduct trainings and include in the work even those who never wanted to learn. And being stuck in this routine, day after day, year after year, without creativity, without the opportunity to turn around, periodically “I’ll leave here altogether - I can’t take it anymore”...

“And I finished it for myself! I’ll be at home - I’ll look after the children, I’ll work with them, develop them.” And again - renunciation of Oneself, of Profession, of Vocation, of Career... Going into the shadows, into second roles - help and support for the husband, nanny and teacher, home teacher... No occupation in the World, housewife, mother, wife on the balance sheet of the husband... Dependent. Unrealized.

WHAT DO YOU WANT?
Do what you love!

Be a professional that people talk about with aspiration!

Know that people make appointments with you a month in advance and recommend them to all their friends!

Work with those you like to work with!

Get high from Life, Profession,
Client results!

Determine your own workload!

Relax whenever and wherever you want!

Learn and develop from the best professionals!

DO YOU WANT a queue of customers?

THERE ARE 3 MAIN POINTS THAT INTERFERE WITH THE PSYCHOLGIST

BEGIN PRIVATE PRACTICE AND HAVE A HIGH INCOME:

1. The prevailing idea in society that a Psychologist cannot “sell out.” Have you heard: “If he is a good specialist, people will come to him anyway!”

2. Confidence that first you need to get several (preferably more) education, READ THESE BOOKS. “I’ll finish these courses, get this certification, then pass these tests, and take a year-long supervision course - and then....”

3. Lack of skills to promote oneself in the modern market - among my friends, psychologists have their own website or blog focused on professional promotion, 12% have it. And this, by the way, is already a lot!

DO YOU Familiar?

Many colleagues have the illusion that after posting an advertisement (and I’m glad that at least they post advertisements) or information to everyone they know, the client will immediately come to you. And you will start working with him.

First. He won't call!
Second. If he calls, he’s unlikely to come!

Why?

Because the person knows nothing about you... And he has nowhere to find out about you... He has no idea how counseling goes...

Most often, people have no idea how much a psychologist’s services cost and it’s difficult to name a price... What if they name it and the client starts haggling "How many? 1500 rubles? Come on, maybe there’s a discount?” or "Why is it so expensive?". And I saw how psychologists who have no other clients agree to the amount offered...

And all your regalia and titles, Diplomas and special courses for him, for a specific person, do not matter!!!

By the way, personally, my first calls from people who simply “saw your phone number and want to sign up” began only 6-7 months after the start of active promotion!

This is what I mean wait for a call on the ad

"Maria Ivanovna Marinina,
Ph.D., Associate Professor of an important department of an important university
provides psychological services. Tel. 233 33 22"

not worth it.

Does not work!

HOW DO CLIENTS MAKE DECISIONS?

It is important for them to know what kind of person you are... - will you understand his problems?

Know what you look like...Accept you by your clothes as “one of our own”

What are you interested in and what do you think about such an event...

Understand how you will perceive his views on the world and accept yours.

How do you work - will he be comfortable, convenient, useful,... with you?

Find common interests with you.

Understand that you are truly an Expert and will help Him.

Know that there are those whom you have already helped.

Have the opportunity to ask you questions...

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO START EARNING AN INCOME AS A PSYCHOLOGIST RIGHT NOW?

We will talk about this at this webinar

How a psychologist can start a private practice, 5 actions to get clients and increase income!

WHAT WILL BE IN THE PROGRAM?

How to learn to promote your services in three weeks, invest less money, get more clients

How to believe in yourself, find new clients, and start earning income

Learn to sell your services at your own price, name your price and get a client.

Learn about the myths and fears that prevent you from starting to earn money. And what to do with them

Create your own products and a system for selling your services, and you yourself will do what you love, instead of frantically searching for the next client.

Learn to be an Expert. And present it to the world in such a way that the client does not ask you the question “Are you a good specialist? Something I haven’t heard about you before...”

Learn about combination possibilities private practice with “life” - how to make time for family, children, development, relaxation, health, amenities :)

You will learn how to create your own ready-made system of services, and you will continue to use it in any situations, with any companies and groups, for private work and for group trainings.

WANT TO BUILD A QUEUE OF CLIENTS?

ALL IN YOUR HANDS!
HOW TO GET A RECORDING OF THE WEBINAR?

Write to us [email protected]
Take the training now - stop putting YOUR DREAM on the back burner!

The client came for a consultation, did a good job, left and... did not return. Why? What can you do to attract clients to long-term therapy? Perhaps my experience and thoughts will help you.

I have been working as a psychologist for more than 10 years, of which 4 years were full of advisory and correctional work (4-6 times a week, 2-4 clients a day), in the remaining years, teaching at a specialized university, conducting courses and seminars came first, doing business, etc. By education I am a teacher - psychologist, psychology teacher. I work in an integrative approach, and so far the only completely mastered system of psychological work is working with active imagination (working with images).

The first six months to a year of my consulting practice were spent in bewilderment: the consultations were successful, but the majority of clients did not return, although some of them (the notorious 20%) with the help of word of mouth created about 50% of the flow of clients in the future.

It should be noted here that all this time I worked for myself, did not have a well-known name, or any serious investments in advertising (creating a website and paying for its hosting were the main costs).

I recently returned fully to counseling - correctional work. Now I’m looking for new methods and reviewing the old ones.

Now I will not dwell on how to attract a client to the FIRST consultation (or first training), I will tell you about the steps I take at the first consultations.

What did I do and am doing consciously?

1) I inform you.

A) Each client at the first meeting when clarifying the request and discussing the contract. I inform you about the capabilities of the work system, about what exists (this is probably very important!) PROGRAM individual work(in the system it is called “Base” *), consisting of 15 lessons. Approximately every third client has decided and still decides to take the “Base” (note: most clients ultimately completed no more than 10 lessons of the program, some return after a few months for 1-2 lessons to continue the “Base”). It is these clients who create the so-called. “flow”, signing up 1-2 weeks in advance.

*The names of some of the “Base” trainings: “Birth (reprogramming your life)”, “Childhood grievances”, “Death (working with fears)”, “Removing blocks in the body”, “Man and woman”.

B) About your capabilities/skills beyond the “Base”: for example, conflicts, emotional “letting go” significant person, correction of children's fears, etc.

C) About courses, seminars and trainings taking place at the Center where I work (I rent premises). I’m talking about the capabilities of my colleagues – related specialists.

Naturally, I say all this in an informational mode (in no case “you need”, “you must”), I simply hand over an information sheet about something.

2) Internally, I “let go” of the client in advance, I don’t “crave” his return, I don’t dream that he will become a regular client, even (especially) if I understand that he REALLY needs it. Perhaps this point should have been put first. Everyone knows this, but at meetings of our “Psychologists Support Group” the issue of countertransference often comes up.

3) I assign homework. Simple, effective, interesting exercises (often from psychosynthesis, Gestalt psychology, etc.). Probably, this part of the work does not directly relate to promoting your services. But, it seems to me, it helps that the client, having resolved the pressing issue, continues to remember working together, advertises me as a specialist to his friends and acquaintances and/or comes himself again.

What new steps am I taking now?

1. Completed training in another work system(my new “love” is understanding my Purpose and my innate inclinations to fulfill life tasks) , I’m trying to understand how a PROGRAM can be built on its basis, is it necessary to do this))), I am integrating (connecting) both systems that I have studied and “lived”;

2. Starting to use Skype(mainly to work with foreign clients), I am making my first attempts to work in English.

3. Started conducting psychological counseling courses in the form of webinars.

4. I plan to make an audio and/or video recording of some exercises and techniques.

5. I study the experience of my colleagues in modern self-promotion, and I definitely try to use the methods that interest me.

Psychologists have their own techniques for how to position a client. The visitor's chair is a psychological anchor, family life specialist - vivid illustrations, the therapist's imperfection - a way to start a frank conversation. It’s useful for managers from any field to read!

- Anna, psychologists probably have special psychological techniques attracting new clients? Share.

If we are talking about attracting new clients, you must clearly understand what audience your service is intended for. It’s just that you, as an excellent specialist, with a desire to give advice left and right, unfortunately, are not enough. People are well aware of what they need, and they are not ready to pay money for you to please your professional ego; in this case, there will be no clients. Here are the main components to ensure that the work is effective and there are always clients:

Choose your area of ​​work, the segment in which you are effective, as well as your target audience, and write step by step instructions work;

Swipe several free promotions, where you talk about what you do;

- How to organize the work of the office so that the client has a pleasant impression: he does not have to wait long for an appointment, fill out paperwork, etc.?

Of course, interaction in the office should be comfortable, and it is desirable that the time required to fill out papers is minimal. To do this, all papers must be written, agreed upon and printed in advance. There should always be water in the office, the opportunity to drink tea or coffee, milk, and something minimal for tea, for example, cookies. I believe that another important secret is the client’s chair - this is a special psychological anchor. This is where a person returns, so I would pay special attention to this.

The location of the psychologist in relation to the client is also fundamentally important: if you want to act in the position of a coach (trainer) with step-by-step guidance, then you better sit on the right; if you work more with emotions and experiences, then the specialist should sit on the left. I think that the office should contain information about you, your regalia, certificates and diplomas. People don't always ask, but when they meet you professional competence- this encourages clients to trust you. Also pay attention to the color scheme of the cabinet, because color affects our perception. Still, I am for light and calm tones.

- How to build a chain and control execution?

The work strategy is as follows:

1) Client call. Someone is already calling ready-made solution, someone wants to ask clarifying questions in order to make a decision whether a specialist is suitable for a person or not. In this regard, I always try to answer calls myself, the only exception being when I’m working, so I warn you to write an SMS, and I will definitely call you back when I’m free and tell you all the details of our further interaction.

2) Register a client for a specific time. I try to be flexible and ask questions when the person prefers and when they really can, and then we coordinate the meeting in accordance with my schedule. For urgent meetings or those who are particularly impatient, there is the possibility of a telephone session. The quality does not suffer from this; unfortunately, people have a hard time deciding to do this right away, later realizing that it is even more convenient than a personal meeting.

3) Coordination of all documents and reminder to the client on the eve of the session about the meeting. All are living people, and the psychologist may well clarify whether the client will be there tomorrow in order to plan his time more accurately.

4) Session. The process of work itself takes place. Signing documents, paying and making an appointment for the next meeting.

5) In the case of my psychological work, the opportunity to ask clarifying questions or ask something again outside the session. I believe that especially with new clients rapport is important and some minimal assistance between meetings may well be useful not only to the client, but also to the psychologist, in order to understand how correctly the client follows the recommendations and whether everything is correctly interpreted. In my opinion, responsibility should be divided between the client and the therapist 50-50, since 50 percent of the responsibility is on the client for implementing the recommendations, and 50 percent of the responsibility is on the psychologist, he must be responsible for the correctness of the recommendations. The same rules do not apply to everyone, and a flexible therapeutic position is necessary.

- The face of the brand. What are the requirements when hiring an employee who is the first person visitors see?

This is the administrator. It is best if he is a decent young man. In my practical work, 60 percent of women and 40 percent of men use psychological services, so The face of the brand should be interesting and charismatic, with an active life position, delicacy and correct speech.

Also, this employee must have the basics of sales, basic computer knowledge, maintain a customer database and, most importantly, answer questions or resolve organizational issues.

In today's market, which is oversaturated with psychological services, it is becoming increasingly difficult for psychologists-consultants and trainers to promote their services. People are not recruited for trainings; clients in counseling are situational and chaotic.

If you experience a shortage of clients for long enough, it will be terribly demotivating and, sooner or later, you will quit your favorite activity, or you will be interrupted from time to time. It even becomes offensive. You have truly valuable knowledge and experience, you are ready to help people, but people, somehow, don’t really need your help. What's the problem?

There are some basic mistakes that almost 90% of all psychologists, consultants and trainers make, because of which there are few clients. And this article talks about the main mistakes and ways to solve them. Marketing will help us with this!

1. Wide positioning

When a psychologist says that he is just a psychologist-consultant or a training leader personal growth, this is incomprehensible to a potential client, especially if he is “not in the dark” in psychology. Perhaps your friends and colleagues know what you are doing.

But those you just met will definitely not understand you right away if you have this position, because they are “not in the know.” But help is often needed by “mere mortals” who, at most, have read about psychology - Carnegie or something else from popular literature.

How to solve this problem of broad positioning? Just! You need to specialize. In order for your services to be used, you must be a narrow specialist in a specific topic for a specific target audience.

For example, there are trainings on time management. If you simply state that you provide time management training, then that is very broad. It’s best when you specialize in certain types of people: time management for executives, housewives, doctors, etc.

That is, you specialize in a specific topic and its target audience. The same applies to counseling psychologists. For example, you deal with parent-child relationships and work only with mothers who have typical problems with teenage children.

When you state this way, the client recognizes you as an expert on their problem. Who doesn't trust experts? After all, when you have a specific problem that you cannot solve on your own, you naturally look for a specialist specifically for this problem. And here, the client’s brain works in the same way, so he turns to you.

2. Student complex

The fact is that most psychologists love to learn and are eternal students. Learning is good and wonderful, but from the point of view of attracting clients, it is almost a useless thing, and even costly.

Many people think that if they study, they will be able to do training and consulting. And this training can continue for months or even years.

So, for your clients it doesn’t matter at all what certificates and papers you have. A person comes to you to solve a problem. If you really understand a topic, and understanding a topic isn't that hard if you've studied, it's very easy to establish yourself as an expert on a particular topic (even if you're still in the process of learning).

You may not have a certificate, but your potential clients won't care! You won't believe it, they don't care at all in 99% of cases. They need to solve the problem. And if you can really help solve a problem, you don't need paperwork to do it.

The main conclusion! Your education and the number of clients in your practice are not directly correlated. They are not related at all! You can argue on this topic, but it is true. And while you firmly believe that you still need to learn and then clients will appear, this is one of the most destructive misconceptions for your practice.

4. Fear of sales

The next mistake is that most psychologists are afraid to sell their services. They think that their services should be sold. It is not right. Clients will not come on their own and offer you money. In order to earn a decent living as a psychologist-consultant or trainer, you need to sell your services.

If you have already established yourself, have written several books, have publications, articles, then clients will believe you (or rather, not even you, but your brand) and break down your doors. But, if you are not yet a brand, then your services will not sell themselves. That's why you need to sell.

To do this, you need to study at least the simplest selling mechanisms. The simplest selling mechanism that you can use immediately after reading this article is the three-step mechanism.

Your specific proposal to solve specific problems for a specific target audience

Call to action (make some order or call you right now).

Most people live with many problems that need to be solved within themselves, but they put off solving them until later. Remember yourself. When do you go to the dentist? In most cases, when the tooth already hurts. But it was possible to come earlier and prevent this situation. The tooth will not start to hurt out of the blue. And the client needs to be reminded of this. As you know, prevention is always cheaper than cure.

Sales mechanism- this is a mechanism that reminds a person that he has a problem, it needs to be solved, and your proposal will really help solve it. And all this needs to be done now, otherwise tomorrow the tooth will fall out and there will be nothing to chew. And indeed it is. If you look deeper, selling is, first of all, an exchange of values ​​between you and your client, which results in money. And as you know, money is ENERGY!

5. Selling one. You sell one consultation or one training.

The fact is that if you are a consultant, it is impossible to solve a client’s problem in one session, no matter how cool you are. At a minimum, you need a month, at best, two or three, and sometimes more.

Therefore, when a psychologist offers one consultation at a time, the client pays money for it and, often, never comes again. Even if you agreed on a long-term job (say for a month), and there are a million reasons for this - you’re not in the mood, a pipe burst, you lost your phone, you were called to work, natural resistance to the process of change, in the end... the list could go on for a long time.

Therefore, if you are a psychological consultant, develop a program that solves the client's problem. Offer the client this program, offer a solution to his problem using the program. The program is perceived much better by the client than an incomprehensible one-time consultation. And it sells much easier than just a consultation.

For trainers. Perhaps you conducted a training, two-day, three-day or week-long, and the client left you. But it is impossible to solve a client’s problem even in one training; this usually requires a set of trainings. To do this, come up with a series of trainings, at least three or four, where you will develop your client and help him cope with the situation in a comprehensive manner.

You must understand perfectly well that the problem is not solved immediately and may have deep roots. Give people support if you are truly interested in making the lives of the people you work with truly better.

If you want to truly help your clients, you must sell programs (minimum 4-8 sessions) in consulting and a line of trainings if you are a trainer. Otherwise, you are just doing a hack (so, here a person turned up, came to you for a one-time consultation or training, you took money from him, but really didn’t help in any way). Sorry. Call yourself a psychologist, answer for it. And then, lately, there is simply immeasurable amount of hackwork on the market. Even certified. Let's provide truly high-quality services and take responsibility for the fact that you once decided to help people, heal their souls and hearts.

Conclusion: Specialize in specific problems for specific people, sell them programs and comprehensive solutions that will solve their problems.