For those of us who want to attract more patients to our practice with spiritual integrity, a common dilemma is:
“How do I attract more patients and not come across as self-serving?”
It seems like a lot of the marketing advice for therapists reworks the consumeristic approach to selling.
Most of it makes me feel uncomfortable.
Most of the time, I don’t know what I’m doing and feel overly self-conscious. I feel like I’m trying to convince strangers to do something they don’t want to do.
Nevertheless, when I need more patients, I press on and do stuff that’s often not from the heart.
I thought some of you might be in a similar predicament when you feel the need to grow your client and referral base.
For you, I thought I’d write down some of my thoughts on the spirituality of attracting more patients.
Even though marketing almost never feels natural. I have learned a few things that might help you reach out to others with more peace of mind.
I’m going to use the word God, even though it might be a loaded term for some of you. You might feel more comfortable with Higher Power, Life Force/Energy, or one of the many other names of God.
So here it goes,
10 Principles To Attract More Patients(without selling your soul)
- It is God who grows our practices, not us. Without the grace of God, we’re building our life’s work in vain. No matter how successful it looks from the outside.
- We must build our practices upon a foundation of prayer. The first step is to center our hearts in God through worship, contemplation, and trust. It’s from our heart-center we reach out to others.
- Always begin with an attitude of gratitude. Give thanks for what you have and how challenges help us to grow.
- Ask God to lead people to you and for others to pray with/for your practice.
- Lean into the universal law of giving and receiving. Trust in the goodness and generosity of the universe. Remain hope-filled while you wait.
- Put relationships first—work at cultivating meaningful relationships with a variety of people.
- People tend to go to where they feel loved and where they get the best care. Do both diligently.
- Follow the money trail. Money follows relationship, trust, love, service, and results.
- The spiritually integrated practice is all about loving God, ourselves, and others. Expertise is essential, but the juice is love.
- If we genuinely put relationships before money and our needs, the energy we project is attractive.
Somebody, not everybody, will eventually trust us by paying us or referring others.
God, prayer, and actions guided by spiritual values will in the end build a viable spiritually-integrated practice. No matter the number of people we are able to help.
