Originally published November 22, 2014. Updated November 23, 2020.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday of the year.

Being thankful for the relationships, opportunities, and time we have on this planet is something I try to celebrate daily.

Taking one day off each year to really celebrate and revel in that gratitude seems a bare necessity, and not nearly enough at that… But I’ll take it and celebrate it gladly!  😉

And I have A LOT to be thankful for – an intelligent, beautiful, and supportive wife, an adorable, smart, and irreverent 12-year-old daughter, great relationships with both of my parents, and close relationships with some really good friends scattered across the globe. But that’s not all…

One of the things I’m most thankful for is the work I do. I feel beyond blessed to able to help mental health professionals around the country successfully market and grow their practices!

Why?

Well, if you’re a mental health professional and are reading this now… It’s because of the work YOU do.

As you already know, we can’t change people who don’t want to change themselves. But where do people turn who want to change but can’t?

They turn to you.

The only way we can really make the world a better place is by bettering ourselves. And it is you who help people do precisely this.

You create incredible value every day by helping people learn to help themselves.

Unfortunately, many psychotherapists don’t seem to see the value inherent in being owners of their own businesses… But, make no mistake about it, your psychotherapy practice is a business, and a very valuable one at that.

Businesses exist by creating value for their customers and clients. And I can’t think of anything more valuable than the services you provide.

Sure Google and Amazon are great. I may love Starbucks and my iPhone. But none of these help people create better relationships and live richer, more personally rewarding and fulfilling lives.

If you have a product or service that solves a problem, fulfills a need, and provides value, and your prospective clients value that product or service more than the money you’re asking for in exchange, you have a viable business.

Don’t get me wrong… Businesses are in the business of making money. But money is just a medium of exchange. A medium of exchanging value. Without money, we’d be stuck bartering. Yes, money has value… But only because we give it that value. Value is subjective.

So, being in business means offering something that your prospective clients value more than the money you’re asking for in return for the product or service you’re offering.

It’s a completely voluntary, win-win situation. If either you or your prospective clients don’t feel you’re coming out ahead in the transaction, you wouldn’t offer your product or service to your prospective clients at the price you’ve set and/or they wouldn’t buy from you.

If either you or your clients feel you’re losing out from your business transactions, I guarantee you won’t be in business for long. If both you and your clients feel you’ve received more value than you’ve given, you have the makings of a successful business.

As my mother likes to say, it’s an abundant universe. The world isn’t a limited pie in which the only way someone comes out ahead is by taking from someone else.

On the contrary, we’re in business to CREATE value… To increase the size of the pie so that both parties come out ahead and are richer (in every sense of the term) thanks to our business transactions!

Now, if you believe in the value of the services you offer… If you believe, like I do, that psychotherapy is one of the best investments a person can make when it comes to their self-understanding and future happiness, then you should have no qualms about marketing your services…

Marketing your counseling and psychotherapy services is all about making sure the people who need them are aware of the services you provide and how they can help.

In fact, as I’ve said before, not getting the word out about the services you provide – not marketing your practice – is actually doing a disservice to all the people who need your help.

This is why I feel so thankful to be doing the work I do.

I’ve been helping counselors and psychotherapists successfully market their practices for well over a decade. And every time a client of mine tells me how much their practice has grown, I feel doubly happy…

I’m happy for my client’s increased income and confidence in their ability to make a good living doing the work they love. And I’m happy because I know that therapist is reaching and helping more people, and each and every person they help makes the world that much better.

So, THANK YOU!

Thank you for the work you do. For helping make the world a better place. And for allowing me to help you get the word out, reach and help more people, and create the abundant practice, lifestyle, and world you desire.

Wishing you a Happy and Abundant Thanksgiving, today and each and every day of the year!

– Sean Armstrong

What are you thankful for? Let us know by leaving a comment below… We look forward to hearing from you!