A step-by-step guide
Psychology Today Profile: Your Photo | 5 Things to Consider
- Posture: You have two choices either stand or sit you can certainly incorporate any angle from these two positions but what’s most important is that you look directly at the camera. What about selfies? My recommendation is to post those types of photos on your social media business account. When clients are searching through Psychology Today, they’re looking for help, not to follow the next social media influencer.
- Facial Expression: You want a smile showing your teeth as opposed to smiling with your mouth closed even if you’re not comfortable with your teeth. It’s important to show some teeth within your smile because it will make you look confident as a provider.
- Attire: The attire that you choose, especially the color will dictate your style and your professional personality. Bright colors, such as yellow and orange can show warmth and approachability, while neutral colors such as black, blue, and white can also work especially if you add a pop of color ~ like hues of purple, pink, red, yellow, orange, green, and blue. The pop of color can be in your clothing or accessory choice or part of the background of your photo.
- Background & Lighting: For background, choose a wall somewhere outside or in an office or room. Be mindful to choose a background that is relatively neutral to enhance your features rather than distract from them. For Lighting, where you take the photo will depend on how much light exposure you have to the camera and where that light source is coming from outside or studio light. Regardless of the source, the light should be behind the camera instead of in front of it.
- Cropping: The best way to crop your photo is from the middle of your torso to the top of your head which is called a professional headshot. Keep in mind that while looking through the search results your clients will only see your photo for less than a second, so you want to make sure that your photo stands out.
Psychology Today (Intro Video)
Psychology Today offers clinicians the ability to upload up to a 19-second video on their profile.
A video introduction breaks down a barrier that a client might have when they’re deciding if they want to work with you because by seeing a video, they can then build trust and see that you’re a credible professional.
Six Things to Quickly Convey:
- The Greeting
- A Sense of Appreciation
- An Introduction
- Identifying the clients that you work with
- A Call to Action
- An Outro
(Intro Video Example)
“Hi and thank you so much for stopping by my profile, my name is Omar Ruiz. I’m a marriage and family therapist and I specialize in couples’ therapy. I help couples repair trust, resolve communication issues, and rebuild intimacy. If your relationship needs help, please submit a request here on Psychology Today or visit my website to book a consultation call. I hope to hear from you soon.”
Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoJElu_QR3A Online Private Practice, Omar Ruiz
Psychology Today Profile: (Specialties)
Specialties List: Primary
Psychology Today offers a list of 84 identifiable Specialties including diagnoses issues, problems, and struggles that clients might have. It is highly recommended that you review this list and select the top three that you’re most knowledgeable and confident in treating.
Specialties List: Secondary or Complementary
If your top three include adolescent depression and anxiety, complementary specialties may include peer relationships, self-esteem, and school issues.
Consider your professional code of ethics, these codes may dictate how you must represent yourself as a professional, as well as any promotional marketing material.
Psychology Today (Personal Statement)
The bread and butter of your Psychology Today profile is your personal statement. The personal statement is divided into three paragraphs:
Evoke Emotions
The first paragraph’s goal is to invoke the emotions of your ideal client specifically around their struggles and their pain points. Clients are only going to be introduced to the first couple of lines of your profile within the search results, the goal of these first few lines is to capture the emotion immediately so that it can convince a potential client to click on your profile.
Give Value
To give value is when you can talk about yourself and provide information as far as your expertise, who is your ideal client, and how can you help them.
Avoid talking about your license, degree, education, training certificates, and theoretical framework used in therapy.
Call to Action
A call to action directly instructs them to submit a request on Psychology Today or to visit your website to book a session. Be as direct and as concise as possible.
