This article is designed to guide therapists through the process of understanding how prospective clients find their profiles on Helpspace, shedding light on the platform's targeted advertising and personalised approach.
Targeted online advertising: Directing prospective clients
Looking for a therapist can be bewildering to a prospective client - on traditional therapist profile hosting sites there are hundreds of therapists with no clear way for a client to understand what differentiates one therapist from the other.
Helpspace recognizes the significance of a more personalised approach to connecting therapists with individuals seeking therapy. To achieve this, the platform employs targeted online advertising strategies and research about client preferences in therapy.
These strategies involve utilising digital advertising tools and algorithms to promote therapists' profiles to individuals who are looking to work in a way that is closely aligned with the way an individual therapist works.
Client preferences and personalised results
A groundbreaking aspect of Helpspace is its integration of the insights from therapy research conducted by Cooper and Norcross in 2016. This research emphasises the importance of therapeutic preferences clients have in terms of how they want to work in therapy, and the impact this has on whether clients experience therapy as successful. Helpspace employs these preferences to refine its approach to showing clients relevant therapists' profiles.
When therapists sign up to have their profiles hosted on Helpspace, they provide information about their therapeutic practices. This information serves as the foundation for the personalised process. Clients, on the other hand, are given the option to complete a brief questionnaire about their preferences in therapy when they land on Helpspace.
How the process works
- Therapist Profile Information: The information therapists provide about their therapeutic approaches, techniques, and areas of expertise plays a pivotal role in the matching process.
- Client Questionnaire: Clients have the opportunity to share their preferences and expectations for therapy through a concise questionnaire.
- Algorithmic Result: Helpspace employs sophisticated algorithms that compare the information provided by therapists and clients. The platform then generates a compatibility score to determine how closely a therapist aligns with a client's preferences.
- Results Ranking: The list of all therapists on Helpspace with availability for an Initial Exploratory Session is presented to prospective clients. This list of therapists is shown in order of how closely each therapist's profile matches the client's preferences. This ensures that clients are presented with therapists who are most likely to meet their individual needs first. However, the client does have access to view all therapist profiles who have availability, therefore ensuring complete choice and agency for the client in their choice of therapist.
Advantages of personalised matching
- Efficiency: Prospective clients are more likely to connect with therapists who align with their therapeutic preferences, leading to more effective therapeutic relationships. This also reduces the amount of clients who book an initial session but decide not to continue with therapy or who disengage early in the process.
- Client Satisfaction: Clients are more likely to be satisfied with their therapy experience when their preferences are taken into consideration.
- Enhanced Therapist Visibility: Therapists who provide comprehensive information about their practices and approaches have a greater chance of being contacted with client who want to work in the way they provide.
Helpspace's approach to helping prospective clients find therapist profiles is a fusion of targeted online advertising and personalised matching based on client preferences. Therapists' profiles are strategically promoted to potential clients actively seeking therapy, while the alignment of therapist practices with client preferences ensures a more successful and satisfying therapeutic journey for both parties.
By understanding this matching process, therapists can optimise their profiles to attract the right clients and contribute to meaningful and impactful therapeutic experiences.