Love Quotes by You published the following meme. Being able to tolerate the sound of your own voice in a video is probably the highest form of self acceptance. I think the same is true of tolerating my face on video. Join me to learn how to create your introductory video for your directory profile and feel brave enough to publish it. Welcome to the Good Enough Counsellors podcast, where today, I’m sharing how to create a short video for inclusion on your directory entry.
Both Psychology Today and Counselling Directory now offer you the facility to record and share a short video with potential clients. Now, I don’t know if this is you, but possibly you’re thinking right at the start.: There is no way on God’s Earth that I am going to record a video. If you are thinking this, you’re probably not alone. I’ve met many therapists along the way who’ve thought that too, But some of them are now successfully sharing videos every single week.
So bear with me. I’d love you to at least listen to the episode to see what your resistance is about, And at the end, I’ll tell you about a free opportunity to be as confident on video as previous therapists who’ve worked with me. I’m going to share why it’s helpful to have a video on your directory entry. I’m going to talk a little bit about your concerns, and then I’ll move on to the main meat of the podcast, which is how do you actually create a video that you’re prepared to share with the world. Not only do you have to get over your dislike of seeing yourself on camera, but you only have 15 seconds to do it.
Finally, I’ll help you with ideas on how you can make it look good. I’m going to take considerably longer than 15 seconds to tell you all this, but hopefully, you will find it helpful.
Why Use Video on Directory Profiles?
Let’s look at the first question, which is why. Why should you even think about doing a video for one of the directories? What is it about videos?
Why should you even bother? Well, the first thing is that using a video really does bring you to life, and you move from being just a photo on a piece of paper or on a screen, to being a real living, breathing human person. And that helps to create connection. And it makes you really so much more approachable, I think, when people can see what you’re really like. When I first shared this training back in January, I had a message almost immediately from someone who’d added their video to Psychology Today, and they received an inquiry within 24 hours. Even if that’s the only result of your effort, it could still be worth several hundred pounds if you get someone who books in for several sessions.
A lot of people though think that if they make a video, they might put clients off. I actually think you’re much more likely to attract people because it does make you real and it will help you to stand out from all the other people who haven’t done one. Videos often have a higher engagement rate than text alone, so there may be more chance of someone clicking on your profile and subsequently making an inquiry. Video content may also improve your SEO ranking if people are clicking on it, and you’ll also be helping to make yourself more accessible to people who prefer visual content or have difficulties processing written information.
You’re showing that you’re brave enough to do it and that you’re professional enough to try and make that connection with people. That’s a strong message about your commitment to your potential clients.
Fears about Making a Video for Profiles
And, as you’ll be able to tell from the quote at the start of the show, it’s very common to feel self conscious about being on video. I don’t know anyone who’s created promotional videos without feeling nervous. I certainly did at the start.
But, you do get used to it. And remember, you can do as many takes as you like. Beware comparanoia. It’s tempting to look at what other therapists are doing to get ideas, but that can so easily lead you into a spiral of self doubt and self loathing. If you know you’re someone who’s likely to feel not good enough when you see what others are doing, don’t look.
Be really kind to yourself as you consider the possibility of sharing a video. It may well bring up all sorts of past insecurities and activate your nervous system. So, you’ll need to give yourself lots of self care. Perhaps, seek support from someone you trust, who’ll understand your feelings, and check out the completed video.
Someone mentioned to me that they were worried about the fact that they’d put on weight, and they’re not sure they really want that to be recorded on the Internet.
But honestly, if it was me, I might find it really reassuring to see someone who wasn’t a perfect sort of celebrity model type person, because personally, I don’t feel like a celebrity model type person either. You may appeal to someone who’s looking for a therapist who gives off an aura of comfort, and I want to connect with someone that I feel comfortable with. But equally, if you are blessed with celebrity, good looks, know that you’ll attract clients who perhaps are aspiring to more confidence, or perhaps someone they can identify with because you’re younger.
Please don’t let your appearance or the way that you think about yourself get in the way, because actually, you being human is what makes you even more attractive to people who are looking for a therapist they can connect with. There’s as many different ways that people want to connect as there are different therapists.
The same applies to your voice and your accent. People may choose you precisely because of your accent and your looks, and the advantage of this is they’ve already begun to form a relationship of trust before they meet you. But most of all, it’s important to remember that people are more interested in how you could help them than how you appear on video. It’s unlikely that your video will be atrocious in comparison with all the others. If they do reject you on the basis of your video, it’s possible the relationship may not have worked anyway, and it’s best for them to choose differently.
In thinking about this, if you’re feeling frightened about the possibility of losing clients, it might be helpful to unpick your assumptions. Are you expecting to be chosen by everyone? And if so, do you think you are suitable to work with everyone? Further, are you thinking there are only a limited number of clients available, so that you have to accept everyone? Be confident in your ability to attract clients you work well with, and know that you don’t have to work with everyone.
What to Include in your Directory Video
Let’s move on now to ask, how do you actually create a meaningful 15 second video? When I was active on TikTok, who were prioritising 15 second videos, I became a dab hand at truncating the information into 15 seconds. What I’d do is I’d record what I wanted to say in long form, and then condense it, condense it, and condense it again. It is quite surprising what you can say in a short time. It may only be a sentence or 2, but you can make it impactful.
You may like to play around with that idea. Try recording what you want to say, and then edit, edit, edit. In a way, it reminds me of the times I’d be writing a case study, and I’d listen to a recording of the counselling session. The more times I listened, the more I heard about what was important. If you want to take your time over your video, you may like to try this approach.
Here are what I think are the essentials, so that people can get to know you and find out why it would be a good idea to explore your profile further. Try not to fit too much in, because you’ll just end up speaking so quickly that people won’t be able to follow what you’re saying. In order to record this episode, I practised with my stopwatch, and the following comments are based on what I could fit in. The first thing you want to do is introduce yourself and say who you are. But, you’ve got to be quick.
When I tried it, I said, hi, I’m Josephine, a BACP accredited counsellor. And as I was practising, I thought, now, really, does it matter if I’m BACP accredited? And I thought, no. It doesn’t. People can read that in the full description if they want.
So I cut out the BACP part, because that takes a second or so to say. And that’s a significant proportion of 15 seconds. So I took it out, and I just said, hi, I’m Josephine, an accredited counsellor. You might even want to say therapist, because that’s quicker than saying counsellor. It’s up to you, however you want to describe yourself, but a very quick short introduction, if possible, stating your credentials.
Then say the type of clients that you work with. Clients are often looking for someone who knows about their issues. This is where it can get quite tricky, and why, in my Therapy Growth Group, I work quite hard with people to help them define who it is that they’re working with, and the therapy that they’re actually doing with people. For me, if I narrow it down, I work with parents, but with, say, baby loss, or parents who have got transgender kids. That’s a bit of a mouthful to fit in.
I’ll describe how I did it in a moment. Let’s recap. Number 1, say who you are and your credentials. Number 2, who you’re helping. And then, number 3 is how you help them.
In other words, what can they expect to get out of therapy? It may sound like a big ask, but if you can fit it in, three key ways in which you help people. It is a challenge to say all of that in 15 seconds. I had to do a lot of practice to get that in as well. And if that isn’t already enough of an ask, also include a call to action.
For example, contact me for more information, or check out my profile to find out more. What I’m going to do now is give you my little script of what I said. What I worked out is that rather than making a separate call to action, I could put it in at the start of where I tell them the benefits, and that enabled me to get it down to 15 seconds. Here goes.
Hi I’m Josephine, an accredited counsellor, helping parents facing difficult circumstances. Contact me to make sense of your situation, to know what to say to others, and to work out what to do next.
When I first recorded that, it did fit into 15 seconds.
How to Make a Professional Looking Video
Let’s move on now to give you a few tips on making a good video. Doubting your technical ability to produce something professional may be another factor that gets in the way of you doing it.
But with a smartphone, it’s surprisingly easy. When I first started out recording videos, I didn’t have any equipment at all. No tripod and no special lighting. I had my phone. That’s what I used when I first started recording videos, and I propped my phone up on a box in front of me.
I recorded during the day to get good lighting. However, if you’re somebody who’s got a ring light or similar for online work, you could use that and record on your PC. But if you haven’t got one of those, a phone is fine. Think about where to film. If you use a particular room when you’re counselling, video yourself in that room in the chair that you would normally use.
Not only will that give clients a clue about your room, it’ll probably help you feel more comfortable too. Have a think about your background and what’s behind you. You don’t want it to be too distracting. If necessary, drape a sheet behind you or sit in front of some plain curtains. Think about what you’re wearing.
Make it something that you feel comfortable in, that you’d be seeing clients in. If you don’t normally dress smartly for clients, don’t do so now, as that’s going to give them the wrong impression of you. You want to be the person that you are when you’re counselling. Be prepared to do as many takes as you need to be happy with the video. Give yourself plenty of time to do it.
You may like to practise, like me, with a stopwatch beforehand. You could memorise what you want to say or write it on a post it note and stick it just underneath the camera lens. Once you’ve got a version you’re happy with, try it out on someone else for feedback. You know the saying, you’re your own worst critic, and other people can often be reassuring.
More Help to Feel Confident on Camera
As we reach the end of the episode, I wonder if I’ve managed to convince you yet about the benefit of a video.
If I have, but you’re still feeling scared, I’d love to encourage you to come along to my live feed challenge that I’m going to be doing later in September 2024. It’s a free challenge to help you feel more comfortable in front of the camera, and you can join in via my 2024 live feed challenge Facebook group. Find the link in the show notes. Please remember that you are far more critical of yourself than anyone else is, and that being on video helps to bring you to life for clients. All your clients are going to think is, oh, that’s what you look like, and can you help me?
Clients are not visiting directories to be film critics. They’re visiting because they want to find someone who’ll understand them and their problems. They’re keen to make a connection with a therapist. And if your video speaks to them, they’ll be more inclined to contact you rather than anyone else. Why let your self consciousness get in the way of this precious opportunity to meet someone at a deeply human level.
Thanks for listening. Do come and join my Facebook community, Good Enough Counsellors. And for more information about how I can help you develop your private practice, please visit my website Josephinehughes.com. If you found this episode helpful, I’d love it if you could share it with a fellow therapist or leave a review on your podcast app. And in closing, I’d love to remind you that every single step you make gets you closer to your dream.
I really believe you can do it.