mindyourmindpro.ca

As a mental health professional, some of you have a personal website that explains and advertises your services. Any prospective client will make his or her first impressions of you by visiting this site. What they learn about you on that visit plays a crucial role in whether they access your mental health services — or services in general.

Think of it as a first step in your therapeutic relationship.

Silence Genti, a Web developer long experienced in the industry, says:

“Imagine you are a store owner. You place attractive products on the window and, when people come inside the store, you want to make it easy for them to get what they want. You want them to have a good experience, so you won’t place boxes right at the entrance, where they get in the way. You also won’t stand in front of your customers and block their access to the great products you have in your store.”

Unintentional clutter is not exclusive to mental health services. “A lot of sites frequently clutter and effectively block the visitor's access to useful information, all because they fail to prioritize the user’s experience,” says Silence.

This failure to empathise with what that person is going through can have crucial impact in our field. Let’s not forget: they need information as they take the very-courageous first-step towards getting help.

“As a Web developer, I have often come across people who get excited about the latest craze: “Hey, I want that flashing thing I saw on my site!” Silence adds. “Sorry boss. Your site is not about you. In fact, don't call it “your website”. Cease and desist! Call it “my client's website.”

Because that’s the person you should most care about.

This holiday season, play good Santa. Revise your website so that it really shows clients that you think about their experience!