In 2009, I began blogging.
I was nervous about the whole thing and didn’t really know where to even start.
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what not to say.
I didn’t want to damage my professional reputation.
I didn’t know how often to blog.
I didn’t know why it mattered.
I didn’t know whether I should write about me or about you.
I didn’t understand what would and wouldn’t work to build a community of ideal clients.
I was totally terrified of commenting – both allowing it and responding to it.
I didn’t know where to find images (legally) for my blog and how to use them effectively.
But I learned. And, you can, too!
That’s why I started BlogStart for Therapists. It’s a beginning course for therapists who have just started to blog and want a community of other therapists to support them on their journey. In this 4-week course, I’ll be talking with you about
- Planning for your blog,
- Content for your blog,
- How to get comments and what to do with them, and
- Etiquette and risk management for your blog.
In this course, I’ll be answering your questions about blogging during our classes (and afterwards, too, in a private Facebook group just for BlogStart for Therapists.)
If you’re ready to boost your visibility online and in your own backyard, too . . . .
If you’re ready for a little soft accountability and information to get your blogging off to the right start . . . .
And, if you already have a blogging platform set up, then YOU ARE READY to join me in BlogStart for Therapists next week!
You’ve only got ONE WEEK to get in at the beginning so HURRY UP and GET SIGNED UP!
Here’s where you can get the details and register. We start in JUST 8 DAYS and I’m saving a space just for you!
(And, as for you more seasoned bloggers who are wanting the more advanced stuff . . . . Stay tuned in! I’ll be announcing the details in November / December for the fancy-schmancy stuff in From Blah to BAM! Brawny Blogging for Hungry Therapists Who Want to Get Known!)
Tamara – I remember I started following you back on 2009 right after you started blogging. You and your blogging were a gift to me as you set the stage for me to watch and learn from. You definitely have the right recipe and have done a fantastic job.
I look forward to you more advanced class. I am not a beginning blogger and would love to take my blog to the next level. I would really like to know how to increase my SEO without paying a bunch of money out to an expert or Google ads. I know they work and I want to learn it for myself. Yep. I like to get my hand dirty.
Hahaha! You and your dirty hands, Brenda! Thank you . . . for following me and always dropping in with your supportive words, too! No . . . you are far from a novice blogger and you do a great job at Creating Your Beyond, too! Happy to have you in From Blah to BLAM! I’m sure we’ll all be learning from each other!
That’s GREAT Tamara – I remember you talking about this course. Sharing with my peeps NOW. I’m so excited to hear music therapists come back saying —“Ah! I get it! Ok, I’m ready!”
Congrats on your launch, and I wish you the very best!
Thanks, Kat! I love your peeps! They are always so open to new ways of thinking, new ways of doing . . . . Music Therapists ROCK!
Blah to Blam…. I’m ready.
HI Tamara:
I am in the same boat with Brenda and Kat as you know – I am really looking forward to your advanced blogging class! I too learn a lot even just reading, watching formatting, etc, but am ready to take it to the next level.
One thing that has been an interesting learning process for me asa blogger has been images. I have begun creating my own simple, but pertinent images for my blog using my camera. I have found this to be easier and more fun than trying to acquire others’ images. At the same time, I want to have access to other images, so I look forward to learning that in your advanced class.
Many thanks as always.
Amy – I look forward to being in class with you. Love you website and blog!!!
HI Brenda: Me too! Sorry, I tried to comment back on your blog and got an error msg. Take care!
Amy – I had a bot attach – so my hosting company put a temporary block on my wordpress. Hopefully it will be unlocked today. It’s amazing that a software program can make multiple attempts at leaving comments. There are some very smart program writers out there.
Ooooh, noooo! I don’t even know what a bot attach LOOKS like! However, Brenda, if you have some info on this that might help our community here, feel free to write up a guest post on it! Here’s a link to my guest posting guidelines: http://www.allthingsprivatepractice.com/what-you-can-do-here/guidelines-for-guest-posting/ .
When you invite/suggest I write a guest post I get a feeling of excitement about the invitation. Kind of like when I get invited to a birthday party or something real cool. Then my mind kicks into hire gear about what to wear and the accessories. The nerd in me wants to be sure I provide accurate information. Let me see what I can come up with.
Hahaha! I can so relate to that, Brenda!
You know us here – We’re a T-shirt-and-jeans kind of community. No need to get all gussied up! Just tell us a story and clue us in so that we can all learn from you! Looking forward to it!
OK – I can show up in T-shirt-and-jeans.
🙂
Amy, using your own images is such a great way to acquire images AND give all that creativity an outlet at the same time! However, it’s also fun and easy to find other free and inexpensive images to use, too. We’ll spend a whole class in From Blah to BAM! talking about how and when to use images, some fun tools to use with images, and lots of places to get images, too. Looking forward to have you and your energy in the house! Stay tuned! Details are coming!
Hi Tamara –
I just discovered your website last night while searching for information about the CAQH website. What a fabulous find!! I’m really hoping that you can answer some of my questions and I look forward to reading your blog and announcements as they come out! It’s so wonderful that you’re here to help us ….I certainly never took any classes in how to open a private practice!
I’m an LCPC in Illinois currently looking toward opening a private practice. I billed Medicaid for clients at my former agency, so I do have an NPI. My question to you is whether I can proceed with my application on the CAQH website with my NPI alone, or whether I also need an EIN.
Thanks so much, Tamara. I look forward to hearing from you.
Wendy
Welcome, Wendy! So glad to have you here! You’ll find this to be an amazing place to hang out, get support from like-minded therapists who are eager to network with you, learn from you, and to share what they know, too.
You will need and EIN if you are in private practice in the United States. You will include your EIN and your NPI on each of your receipts. The purpose of the EIN is so that the federal government can track your income. And, you do not want to use your Social Security Number for that purpose because it would expose your SSN to other people that could choose to impersonate you with access to that info.
I look forward to hearing from you, too, Wendy!
Thank you very much, Tamara!
🙂 You are so welcome, Wendy!
Hey, since you are online tonight – perhaps you know of networking events for therapists in Illinois that meet on a recurring basis? Looking for some to share with folks here and elsewhere. Got anything to share?
Unfortunately I don’t know about any, Tamara. Will let you know when I find some networking opportunities!
Wendy
Thank you!
Good afternoon,
My name is Michael and I recently moved to Chicago Il, myself and have been looking for some networking places to reach out to people as well. Let me know if anybody hears of anything.
So far only the LCPC association has come up in my searches.
Tamara, I also recently found your website and am thankful for all the advise and ideas you are giving.
Thank you
Michael, I’ve just taken your request to the front of this blog in a new post. Hopefully someone out there will have more leads that I have. And, as you find more face to face networking opportunities in Illinois, I hope you will drop back in to share them, too.
Hi Wendy,
My name is Michael and I recently moved to Chicago and have been looking for such networking places as well. I am not ready for private practice yet, but defiantly gearing up for it.
Good luck.
Michael
You too Michael! Thank you!
I’ll let you know if I find networking in the Chicagoland area. Please also let me know if you find anything!
Wendy
Wendy! Another one from Illinois! Excellent! I hope you guys will drop back in to let the rest of us know what you find!
Hi Tamara and Michael –
I just saw something on Linked In about a meeting of the Chicago Consultation Group tomorrow, 10-12, at the Skokie Library in Room 23. Kind of last minute … sorry.
Wendy
Hey, Wendy, thanks so much for this. I tried googling for more info but couldn’t find anything. If you know of some place on line that we can get more info, would you share a link with us? That would be so helpful. Then I could include future info, too.
Hi Tamara,
I’ve been lurking on your blog for a looong long time, we even talked a bit a few years back. I read pretty much everything you and your collaborators wrote in order to clarify some things for myself about what it is I want to do in my soon to open private practice. I’m getting there, but I wanted to share a resource and give something back to this wonderful community that has given me so much information. At one point I got stuck on the ideal client issue. I was able to clearly figure out who it is I want to see, but after a while I thought to myself “ok, so I know who I want to see, now what? What do I do with this information and how do I use it”? In my obsessive research online, I came across a free downloadable document titled “4 Unconventional Ways to Write for Your Ideal Client.” written by Adrianne Munkacsy (not sure if you allow links so just do a search on the title in google). It really helped me see in a very practical sense, what I knew theoretically. It helped me get unstuck. I hope it helps others too!
Diana P., I so appreciate that you have been an active part of our online community here at Private Practice from the Inside Out – almost since the beginning! I remember when you first “showed up” here in the conversations back in 2010! I know that psychotherapists now have many places to get information online about how to build a private practice and I’m honored that you choose to hang out here.
Part of what makes this online community to rich is that therapists like you make a conscious choice to join the conversations and take time to bring your resources back here in support of your colleagues. You really are what makes this hangout different from all the others! Thank you for sharing this great resource with us today. The place you got stuck i.e. “Now what?” is where many therapists get stuck and I’m happy to add this set of exercises to my arsenal!
Hi Diana,
I was trying to find an old blog post of mine when I stumbled upon your comment in Google! I just wanted to say thanks so much for the shoutout. I’m so happy the free download helped. I felt the same frustration around my ideal client when I was first starting out, so I can relate. Plus, our businesses can evolve so quickly that it sometimes feels like we’re constantly course-correcting. Thanks again and all my best!