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I am back from the OCTIA conference in Bristol, England. It was everything I had hoped for and I can recommend it to everyone.
The atmosphere at the conference is relaxed and respectful towards everyone as well as a delegate at the location or if you are following online through onlinevents.
The day started off with a lecture on websites and marketing by Gill Jones. It was very interesting for those who have not thought much about marketing yet and it gave me some great new tips to try out as well. And it was a very good start to the day.
It was followed by a lecture by Tim Bond on ethical and legal issues for Online Counsellors. This is an issue that I take very seriously, clients need to know that we work with high standards and working with us is safe. The lecture was very informative and again for me made clear that as a European Union we have to work closer and standardise things like the data protection act. So that there is one entry point in Europe were you can get this code and it is valid for clients from the whole European Union. I am sure we will get there one day. Right now I do inform my clients through my website and contract that I am very careful with their data and it is stored on a password protected hard disc stored in a locked cupboard.
After lunch there was a mindblowing lecture by Kate Anthony on the future developments in Online Counselling. Through examples [videos] she showed how virtual reality is already used in therapy and might be used even more in the future. I am interested in this but right now the technology is a bit beyond me. I just manage to get my avatar dressed in Second Life. Yet I do see the huge advantage of this kind of therapy. You can meet with the client in any kind of environment, a place they want to show you or somewhere they feel safe. Who knows in 10 years time we might be using holographic therapy, I do feel like the sky is the limit here.
The following presentation was very close to my heart. Chloe Morton and Jessica Shaw talked about cybermentors for children. They train children to mentor others and kids with all kinds of problems can find help online. Of course there are adult volunteer staff as well. So many young children are online these days but do not know how to protect themselves online and that way can get into huge problems. Projects like this are much needed.
Already it was time for the last lecture by Stephanie Palin on understanding online sex addiction. Again lots of new information delivered with passion. I now have a much better idea about when watching porn becomes an addiction and to understand there is much more behind it than just wanting to watch porn.
We had one extra. A video about psychological counselling online in Lithuania. Vilma Kurzieme talked about her work in Lithuania in a pre-recorded message. It is great to hear about their work and I know how passionate she is about it! And it shows online counselling is growing fast throughout the whole of the European union.
Too soon it was time to leave. It had been a great day with lots of new information and meeting great people. Many I had already met online but it is so great to meet in person as well. And to make new friends. Already looking forward to next year!
It looks so easy doesn't it? When you see a webpage, blog, etc that looks pretty and is driving a lot of traffic. Until you start your own marketing campaign and you come from a background were you never learnt how to do it and are not a wizard with computers. It is easy to get stuck.
It threatened to happen to me.
For a year I saved links to websites that were useful, made lists of what I would do in my marketing campaign and when I finally sat down to do something about it, I had so much that I did not know were to start.
In stead of panicking I sat down and asked myself. What would I ask a client to do in this situation?
Then it became clear to me and soon I had a shortlist.
- Ask for help. Talk to your own coach/experts for pointers
- Make a mindmap to structure.
- Set goals [week, month, half year]
- Don't make the goals so big I can't achieve them
- Go back to the marketing plan and break it down even more so it becomes manegable
- Select a few things to work on and concentrate on them for a while.
Right away the fun in marketing was back for me! I coached myself and am back on track.
More on coaching, counselling and marketing next week.
I have not been neglecting you all on purpose this week. All my time is invested in marketing right now. Marketing to a lot of therapists this is a dirty work. Although many of us want to work in private practice, almost none of us are thought during our training how to do it. Our work is important and can make a difference in the lives op people and yet we are afraid to market ourselves as good therapists.
I have chosen a different path. I have first made sure that I have all the knowledge about my job that I could gather and that I have worked with enough clients to know what I am doing and that I love my job. Now I am embracing marketing. It is fun to search the internet for oppertunities and to learn new skills. I am going to make sure that I am going to be as good at this as I am at my day-time job. :)
You know when you "hire" a therapist you don't only pay for the hour they spend with you each time. But a dedicated therapist spends her life learning and staying up to date. Being curious about all new things that come on her path. If you bring something new, she will embrace it and make it her own. And all that for a pretty fair price. Try it one day.
Email me at info@safehavencoaching.eu
interrested in linking websites? Drop me a link as well
I believe information is very important not only to a counsellor. I think when you have a business and you work with clients it is your duty to always keep looking for information and be the best you can be. That is why I love to attend seminars and such online to further my knowledge. Next of course to my addiction to books. I am always reading up on new matters and subjects that I want to learn more about.
Yesterday I attended the Open Office Hours of the Online Therapy Institute. If you are a fellow therapist reading this and you want to know more about working online, have a look at the website, it is full of very useful information. And there is a forum you can join and chat with other therapists. And try to attend one of the coming open hours. Every other month they are held in Second Life. Yesterday was in Second Life and that also gave me the opportunity to learn more about that medium. [Yes I am reading a book about Second Life right now as well]
For me it was very interesting to talk about marketing ideas and brainstorm about my personal dream of there being a global insurance company in the future so that therapists can work with clients from all over the world easier. A big thank you to Kate and DeeAnna for sharing your time for free.
Counselling & Coaching are both professions where you are never finished with your studying. Sure you have your degree and your work but the world around us changes. New methods are found and tested and to be honest most of us are just plain curious. I definately fall into that category. Since finishing college and starting work I have always done some studying on the side. Sometimes for work and sometimes just *gasp* for fun. Right now all my studying and reading is geared towards online working. I will read about social media, networking, marketing but also about how to work effectively online. This week there is a conference in and about second life I am thinking about attending. I very much see the advantages of working in second life and making an avatar that expresses who you are inside. My only problem... second life is still one of my challenges online. I have been able to finally dress my avatar but adding hair is still beyond me. So the next few days I am going to give it one more try to teach myself new skills. And hopefully I will feel confident to attend.
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