In this episode of the Private Practice Elevation Podcast, we explore how AI tools—especially chatbots and AI receptionists—can transform your private practice’s intake process.

You’ll hear from Uriah Guilford, founder of Productive Therapist and creator of Simple Intake, about how therapists can use these tools to respond faster to inquiries, improve the client experience, and book more consultations—all while keeping a personal feel.

Many therapy practices struggle to follow up quickly with new inquiries.

Whether it's clunky forms, delayed responses, or confusing booking steps, these bottlenecks can cause practices to lose clients.

AI intake systems aim to close the gap between first contact and first session, so potential clients don’t fall through the cracks.

Now, you might think adding AI to your practice means replacing the human experience. But this episode shows that when used right, AI doesn’t replace your team—it enhances them.

These tools can screen inquiries, book appointments, and answer FAQs in a warm, conversational way, leaving your human team to focus on care.

• The first practice to respond to an inquiry usually wins the client
  
• AI chatbots can pull from your website and FAQs to provide accurate answers
  
• Simple Intake combines chatbot, receptionist, calendar booking, and CRM tools
  
• Clients can connect via web chat, phone, SMS, or WhatsApp
  
• The system logs conversations, tracks sentiment, and allows for real-time handoff to human staff
  
• It’s designed to assist, not replace, your admin team
  
• Data shows many clients prefer quick answers over waiting for a call back
  

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Productive Therapist
• Simple Intake
• Test a chatbot: Intune Family Counseling
• Private Practice Elevation SEO Services

RevKey specializes in Google Ads management for therapists, expertly connecting you with your ideal clients. They focus on getting quality referrals that keep your team busy and your practice growing.

Visit RevKey.com/podcasts for a free Google Ads consultation

Alma is on a mission to simplify access to high-quality, affordable mental health care by giving providers the tools they need to build thriving in-network private practices. When providers join Alma, they gain access to insurance support, teletherapy software, client referrals, automated billing and scheduling tools, and a vibrant community of clinicians who come together for education, training, and events.

Learn more about building a thriving private practice with Alma at helloalma.com/elevation.

We're introducing a new segment called 'On The Trail' aimed at providing short, meaty, and to-the-point tips for online marketing!!

In this episode, we’re diving into a question I’m hearing from a lot of therapists lately: Is it just me, or has my website traffic and inquiries dropped off a cliff? I’ll walk you through what’s happening behind the scenes in SEO and online marketing, and what you can do about it.

Therapists are seeing fewer website visitors, fewer calls, and wondering if something’s broken. It can feel isolating, like maybe your practice is doing something wrong. But you’re not alone — this is a trend we’re seeing industry-wide.

You might think the solution is just to post more on Instagram or start a blog. While those can help, they won’t fix the core issue. The truth is, search engine behavior and how people find therapists online is changing... fast.

1. What’s Changed in SEO Over the Last Year

• Google’s algorithm updates have prioritized helpful, original, and authoritative content.
• AI-generated content has flooded the web, so Google’s gotten stricter on quality signals.
• Local SEO results are more competitive — especially in saturated markets.
  

2. How AI is Changing the Game

• More people are using ChatGPT or AI tools to ask questions instead of searching Google.
• Google's AI snapshots (Search Generative Experience) are pulling answers right into results pages — meaning fewer clicks to websites.
  

3. It’s Not Just You — It’s a Landscape Shift

• Even well-optimized therapy websites are seeing fluctuations.
• Less organic traffic doesn’t always mean fewer clients — but it does mean we need to be more strategic.

So what can you do about it?...

Before you start making changes, it's essential to understand why traffic has dropped. An SEO assessment can reveal:

• Technical issues (like slow load times, broken links, poor mobile experience)
• On-page optimization gaps (are your keywords still relevant?)
• Local SEO visibility (are you showing up in Google Maps for your city?)
  

This gives you a clear baseline and prioritizes what to fix — instead of guessing. (This is exactly what we do with our SEO assessments at Private Practice Elevation.)

Choose one key service (like EMDR therapy or couples counseling) and ask:

• Does your website have a page that clearly explains what this is, who it helps, and how someone can get started?
• Is that page optimized for local search terms (e.g. "EMDR therapy in Denver")?
  

Focus on creating or refreshing one solid, helpful page — rather than trying to write 10 blog posts.

Google is still the #1 way most people find a therapist. Make sure your Google Business Profile:

• Is verified
• Has current photos, hours, and contact info
• Includes detailed services (with keywords!)
• Has recent reviews from happy clients
  

This one step can often help you get found more often without having to touch your website.

In this podcast episode you're going to learn how to step into your entrepreneur role so that you can launch new income streams and create the impact you've been dreaming about.

Dr. Christie Kederian has an extensive career as a professional matchmaker and relationship expert for eHarmony and Match.com affiliate company, Christie has helped thousands of people create lives they love and find love they deserve.

Dr. Christie is also an experienced marriage and family therapist, and a professional speaker, providing trainings with the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.

She's built multiple businesses and successfully added new income streams to her career and I'm super excited for you to learn more about how you can do the same.