How to Promote a Dance Therapy Practice: Question & Answer

Hi! I am just starting my private practice in Seattle WA. specializing in doing dance/movement therapy with women suffering from stress and anxiety. In the last 25 years (on and off) I have had experience working with inpatient psychiatric patients and clients with addiction issues, so my private practice is catered to a different population (outpatient and less severe). How do I market myself as an experienced clinician, but new to private practice, and new to this population? I mean, I have treated clients with anxiety, but just not outpatient.

-Anne

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Greetings Anne,

Thank you for your question! Response below…

Anne, Congratulations on your new practice. If you are now focusing only on women suffering from stress and anxiety, using Dance/movement related therapies (full disclosure, I know little about these therapies), it sounds like a very different population, presenting issue, and treatment method. Quite the pivot! And also it sounds very exciting.

There are many ways to market yourself. Here are a few tips that come to mind…

1) Get your service to market ASAP, but on a small scale

This isn’t marketing per se, but a tip for getting going. You’re not sure how quick your service if going to catch on. Keep things as simple as you can at first (keep your costs down), but launch as soon as possible. It will help you test the market and measure the demand for what you’re offering.

2) Practice Thought leadership

Use your expertise to provide lots of valuable information to your potential customers and clients. Talk with any group of 5 or more people at no charge–this isn’t a sales pitch for what you’re offering, it’s showing people that you care and that you understand women and stress. Go to schools and give a talk to teachers during their lunch hour, etc. Next, see if you can contribute an article to a local magazine (often they’re paying for articles, you’re offering something for free). next, blog on your website (assuming you have one, which you should) and write thought-provoking pieces on women and stress, women and anxiety. Write about how research has shown that movement can help. (Create a list of 50 titles of articles you could write on or around the topic. Then get to it ;-)). Then, also post those articles on Facebook, both your personal account, and a Facebook business page (have both). Remember, today every company is a media company.

Here’s an article that goes a bit deeper into this idea: https://twx.atlantacounseling.com/blog/put-what-you-know-writing-video-audio/

3) Invest in Customer Service

Make sure the persons who try your unique therapy approach get your very best. Answer every phone call (don’t let calls go to voicemail). Answer every email within minutes. Be on your game with your clients, and with customer service. Be extraordinarily honest, attentive, helpful, and generous.

I hope this helps! Keep me posted on know how it goes!