When talking to someone as skilled as my latest podcast guest, Yasmin Shaheen-Zaffar, it’s easy to think that we’re not creative enough. And that belief can mean we feel too scared to use creative techniques in therapy.
But it also shows up when therapists are talking about marketing themselves:
- “I don’t know what to post.”
- “I’m not good with social media.”
- “I hate writing my profile.”
But the more Yasmin and I talked, the more I found myself thinking that therapists are often far more creative than they realise.
You can listen to the full podcast episode here:
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Creativity Isn’t Just About Art
Yasmin said something in the episode that I think many people will relate to. She talked about how school often teaches us that creativity means being good at drawing or producing something artistic that looks “right”.
And if we weren’t good at art lessons, many of us think that means we’re not creative.
But creativity is so much broader than that.
Yasmin described creativity as finding solutions to challenges and expressing emotion in different ways. That really stayed with me because when you think about it, therapists do that all the time:
- We adapt to different clients.
- We find ways to explain difficult concepts.
- We help clients express experiences they’ve never had the words for
That’s creativity too. We’re constantly adjusting, reflecting, responding and co-creating with the person in front of us.
Therapists Use Creativity Every Day
Even sitting with a client and helping them untangle a confusing experience is a creative process. Yasmin has embraced this in a really inspiring way.
Alongside being a therapist, she has a background in tech and development, and instead of seeing those skills as separate from therapy, she’s combined them. She now creates interactive therapeutic resources that can be used both online and face to face with clients (you can find more details at her website: https://mycctoolkit.online/).
Listening to her talk about developing those resources reminded me that creativity often grows from the things that come naturally to us.
Why This is Relevant to Building a Practice
One of the things I often find when therapists are struggling with finding a niche is that it’s actually more obvious than they realised.
It’s often connected to their:
- Experiences
- Interests
- And natural strengths
Yasmin’s niche grew from the combination of her neurodivergence, her technical skills and her passion for emotional regulation and creative expression.
She didn’t force herself into a mould of what a therapist “should” look like. She allowed her existing strengths to shape the way she works.
And I think that’s a helpful reminder for therapists who feel stuck with marketing or visibility.
Creativity and Marketing
Marketing itself is actually a creative process. Writing a profile is creative. Explaining therapy in plain English is creative. Finding ways to help people feel safe enough to contact you is creative.
Even creating a post that helps someone feel understood involves creativity.
But many therapists think creativity means producing polished content or being naturally confident online. As a result, they dismiss their own abilities before they’ve even started.
Often what people are really frightened of is being visible, being judged or getting things wrong.
That’s very different from not being creative.
Maybe You’re More Creative Than You Think
I think one of the lovely things about my conversation with Yasmin is that it challenges the idea that creativity only belongs to certain kinds of people.
Therapists are already using creativity every day in the way they listen, connect and respond.
Sometimes the next step is simply recognising that those same qualities can also help you reach the people who need you.
And if you’d like support in finding your own voice and confidence in marketing your practice, you may find my webinars helpful. Read about them here.