Therapist Spotlight: Psychology Today & Marketing with Orion Crook
This Therapist Spotlight is a part of our interview series with experienced Mental Health Practitioners, where therapists share their experiences in Private Practice Therapy.
What was one of the biggest problems you struggled with and ultimately solved in the beginning of your private practice? What solution did you find to your (perhaps persisting) problem?
Knowing how to market myself and do with an intentional approach. I believe I come into the counseling field with a non-traditional approach and unique perspective, which lended itself to be a draw to potential clients. I also took one course and am about to take another to further my marketing knowledge with C4 Atlanta.
What advice would you give to a budding mental health practitioner just getting licensed?
Find people in the field that recently started their practice and reach out. As well, find the ones who are doing work similar to yours and see where they have worked and again reach out. Take all network opportunities, you never know what might lead back to a connection. Make sure you have a good website and get on Psychology Today (that where 70% of my clients come from).
What advice would you have given yourself early in your career?
Keep following what interest you, in the end it comes together and you can look back and be like, “Thats what my specialties are.” Connect with people in our field, get involved in the LPCA, go to workshops, don’t stop asking questions..even when you think you know the answers.
Do you see any persisting or upcoming problems in the private practice industry. If so, how do you handle them?
Due to the affordable health care act, all insurance must offer some sort of mental health support. However, many of them don’t offer great packages, and one day if they do running a practice without taking insurance may be more of a struggle, even though there are a lot of benefits to it. The downfall of insurance offering better support is all the paperwork, being paid less, having to diagnoses everyone, and the unknown.
Please let us know about you: where are you located, any specialties, credentials, and educational background. How should someone get in touch with you?
I currently work out of the Oakhurst (Decatur) area. I often work with the GLBTQ community and artist. I also work with people who are living great lives, but want to go deeper or address a particular issue. I am an LAPC, soon to be LPC and hopefully soon to be in my own space. I sometimes work with Expressive Therapy techniques, which means if there is a space that you find you expression in we may bring it into the therapeutic relationship. I also specialize in adolescent and young adult work. I went to University of West Georgia and trained from a Humanistic Foundation.
What makes you and your practice, your approach, unique? How are you different?
I think I am more real with my clients, I take a strong focus on the relationship between us. Coming from a Humanistic perspective has taught me to meet the client where they are at, so I access a lot of approaches depending what the client is bringing into the room.
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