How to Engage with (Potential) Clients on Social Media as an Art Therapist

How to Engage with Clients on Social Media as an Art Therapist

Are you an art therapist and are you on social media? Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn…?

Have you ever wondered how you can engage with (potential) clients on these platforms as an art therapist?

This is exactly the question I’ll be answering in this blog post. Actually, I also answered this in-depth in my podcast episode #36 - if you want to listen to it (instead of read this) you can do that here. (My Thirsty For Art podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, etc… all the major podcast platforms).

So…First, why would you be on social media as an art therapist? Because social media is POWERFUL. Especially with Covid-19 happening, so many people are online.

Online is the place where your potential clients are likely hanging out. You want to find them, connect with them, and attract them to your art therapy services.

But, you may be confused or overwhelmed on how to navigate social media to promote your services, nurture your potential clients, and be authentic to yourself while also setting boundaries and being in integrity.

Let me show you the way I navigate this.

The “mental health clinician” problem of being online

I think this kind of concern or issue is very unique to mental health clinicians, including art therapists.

I’ve also felt very constricted or confused on how to show up on social media too. And then a big shift happened when I learned from life coaching and how life coaches approach these things.

What I learned was:

You gotta see yourself as human and your clients as human first. You are human first and foremost.

Be human

You are no robot, no 2-D fictional character. You are a human being.

Embrace your humanness. On social media too.

I think many therapists learn this as they gain experience. I see many therapists with decades of experience who naturally show up as themselves and able to serve their clients in the highest way.

And I think this is the same when talking about social media. Show up as yourself.

Don’t be anybody else but you.

We tend to think like we SHOULD be this or that.

We should be a perfect guide, a perfect mother figure, or an aloof freudian therapist on the opposite of a couch.

That we have to stand behind this screen to not let our clients see who we are.

BUT social media is about relationships. It’s a space where we connect with other human beings. Where we create communities. And truth is that authenticity always works in relationships.

So you want to be authentic to who you are. Think of yourself as a human being talking to another human being, when you’re on social media.

Don’t pretend to be someone else.

Where to draw the line (i.e., be “professional”)

But maybe you think, “but how do I draw the line”?

The answer is to keep in mind that you are a business owner (not even a therapist). How would you show up to your business?

So this means that you don’t talk everything about yourself. You don’t have to. (And we’re not interested in all the itty bitty details of your whole life - that’s overwhelming anyways).

No one needs to know everything about you.

Think of yourself as a business owner and a CEO. Because you are. How do you manage a business storefront? How do you engage with a customer inside your store?

This social media business. You’re here to connect with people online, including potential and current clients, and share about yourself as it relates to your audience/clients.

As long as you ask yourself: does this resonate or help my clients? Does it help my business? You’ll be able to effectively show up on social media while honoring your boundaries and others’.

Also remember that social media is a place to serve and help, not show off, not our diary, nor a place to compete.

When you remember “how can I serve my clients?” you will be professional AND you will be authentic on social media.

Let me know if this made sense to you. What specific challenges or questions do you have about showing up on social media as an art therapist? Let me know in the comments!

I really hope that this blog was helpful for you. Thanks and I’ll catch you next time!

p.s. If you are struggling with how to put yourself out there and attracting your audience/clients to your art therapy business using social media, I’ve got something for you. I have what’s called the Visionary Business course, which is a course where you’ll learn how to start your dream online therapeutic art/art therapy business using social media AND get support from fellow art therapists. If you feel lost, confused - or just don’t know how to tell people what you do in a way that attracts your ideal client, I can definitely show you how in the membership, which includes a self-paced course and ongoing community support. Learn more about it here.

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