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.

In this episode of The Private Practice Elevation podcast, we will be exploring 8 eye-opening statistics about website users and how they interact with therapy websites.

In today's digital age, having a strong online presence and professional website is crucial for any private practice, as more and more people turn to the internet to search for mental health services.

But just having a website is not enough.

It's important to understand how users behave on your website in order to optimize its design and content to serve their needs better.

Doing so can help you communicate your value and services more effectively, and improve the number of clients your website adds to your practice.

In this episode, we'll be sharing eight key statistics about website users that will change the way you think about your therapy website. Some of these may even lead you to get serious about that website redesign you've been thinking about!

From bounce rates to mobile usage, we'll dive into the data and provide insights on how to improve your website's user experience and ultimately attract more clients to your therapy practice.

Understanding how users interact with your website is crucial because it can help you improve the user experience and ultimately attract more clients to your therapy practice.

By analyzing user behavior, you can identify areas of your website that may be causing frustration or confusion for visitors, and then make changes to address these issues. This could include optimizing the layout and design of your website, improving the content or navigation, or ensuring that the website is mobile-friendly.

Additionally, by looking at these statistics and understanding how potential clients interact with your website, you can gain insights into what types of content are most popular, which can help you tailor your website to better meet the needs of your target audience.

Plus, your website is often the first point of contact that potential clients have with your practice.

Therefore, optimizing the user experience on your website can help you make a positive first impression and ultimately attract more clients to your practice.

• Original article from Sweor

• Google Pagespeed Insights

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 that come together for education, training, and events.

Alma gives clinicians the tools they need to build thriving private practices. When you join their insurance program, you can get credentialed within 45 days, and access enhanced reimbursement rates with major payers. They also handle all of the paperwork, from eligibility checks to claims submissions, and guarantee payment within two weeks of each appointment.

In addition to their insurance program, Alma offers timesaving tools and administrative support — so you can spend less time on paperwork, and more time delivering great care to your clients.

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

In this episode of the Private Practice Elevation Podcast, you're going to learn how our perceived failures can be turned into learning opportunities that can help you reach your private practice goals.

Like all things in life, your business will go through seasons.

There will be highs and lows, and tons of challenges along the way.

But it's how we view those challenges that can mean the difference between feeling stagnant in your business growth and truly thriving while growing your business.

One of the main things that can hold you back from growing your business is fear.

It can be scary to pay the money you feel like you don't have to invest in Google Ads, a coaching program, or maybe a mastermind group.

But as our guest explains, you can shift to view these things as investments that you can trust will be returned exponentially.

Maira Holzmann is the owner of Somatic Therapy Partners in Denver, CO and she loves helping other therapists find the tools, support, and guidance necessary to build a thriving, soul-aligned private practice.

After three failed attempts at private practice and ending burnout and overwhelm for good, Maira is committed to serving therapists in creating better outcomes with their clients and living a balanced life with more joy.

Listen to our conversation as we share experiences of the highs and lows of business building and how you can come to terms with investing (even learn to love it!) in your business so that you grow and build a business and life that you love.

• Mistakes people make when first starting out in private practice

• Why you need marketing so that people can find your business

• The difference between investment and cost and how investing in yourself and your business can make a huge impact on your growth

• How to calculate your return on investment for Google Ads so you can confidently market your practice and attract clients

• How investments open possibilities for you

• Maira's tips for being in FLOW - "Feeling love over worry" and how when you're in the FLOW, you're able to be more creative, confident, and at peace

• How to confront resistance as you grow your private practice

• Why it's so important to trust you will get an ROI when investing in your business

• Why investing in a thriving life is the best thing you can do for your clients

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 that come together for education, training, and events.

Alma gives clinicians the tools they need to build thriving private practices. When you join their insurance program, you can get credentialed within 45 days, and access enhanced reimbursement rates with major payers. They also handle all of the paperwork, from eligibility checks to claims submissions, and guarantee payment within two weeks of each appointment.

In addition to their insurance program, Alma offers timesaving tools and administrative support — so you can spend less time on paperwork, and more time delivering great care to your clients.

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

• Somatic Therapy Partners

In this special episode of The Private Practice Elevation Podcast, I'm going to crack open the book on a subject I don't talk a lot about… myself!

Over the years, I know I've shared bits and pieces of my story and how I started Create My Therapist Website and Private Practice Elevation.

Especially how I helped my wife get her private practice online and get her ideal clients to her website.

But I thought it would be fun to let you into all the little bits of it all and put all the pieces together from start to finish.

I know for myself I find so much inspiration in other business owners' stories.

There's so much we can learn from others' mistakes, highs and lows, and the lessons that they've learned from being in the trenches of building a business.

When I started Create My Therapist Website as a blog back in 2016, I had no idea that nearly 6 years later I'd have a podcast and build a website design agency for therapists.

Initially, I thought there would be more focus on online courses and webinars to help private practice owners DIY their websites.

While I still do those things, I've learned that I enjoy working with fewer people to create a big impact in their business through the services we offer.

But I never would have learned that if I hadn't started where I was.

And a big part of who I am and what my business looks like comes from my introverted personality.

I'm continuing to learn how to build a business that fuels my energy and plays to my strengths.

Because when I'm at my best, our clients benefit!

So in this episode, I'll talk a lot about what it means to me to be an introvert and how I used that strength in starting my business.

Whether you've been a listener for a while or you're new to this community, I hope that by listening we'll get to know each other better and that you'll learn some valuable lessons you can apply to build your own business.

If you're not yet subscribed to the podcast I want to encourage you to do that today. This is the best way to make sure you don't miss an episode! Click here to subscribe on iTunes.

And if you're feeling extra generous, I'd love to hear what you think about the podcast. Reviews help others find the podcast plus I'd really love to hear what you think! Click here to leave a review. Just click on "Ratings & Reviews" then "Write a review." Let me know what you like best about the podcast. Thank you!

Today's episode of The Private Practice Elevation Podcast is a step-by-step lesson on how to optimize any web page or blog post for SEO (search engine optimization).

We'll be using our favorite WordPress plugin for SEO: Yoast SEO.

For the many of you using WordPress for your private practice website, I know you've likely heard of this plugin or may even be using it yourself.

But when we asked listeners of the podcast to send in their specific questions, a handful of folks asked about Yoast SEO.

More accurately, "how do I get all the dots green in Yoast SEO?"

If you don't know, Yoast SEO is one of the most popular plugins for WordPress to help you optimize your content so that Google (and your ideal clients) will know what your website is all about.

It allows you to set your keyword and then analyze your content to make sure it's optimized correctly for that keyword so that it will hopefully show in Google search results.

But sometimes it can be challenging or confusing to know how to edit your content so that Yoast SEO gives you the passing grade.

So I'm going to take you through a real-life scenario where we'll optimize a web page on my wife's private practice website so that you can understand how we use Yoast SEO at Private Practice Elevation and the ways you can use it to improve your SEO.

• Step by step how to use the Yoast SEO plugin
• You'll follow along as I optimize a real page on my wife's private practice website
• The most important factors for ranking a webpage well in Google search results
• The handful of places you should put your SEO keywords so that Google will know what your content is about

If you're not yet subscribed to the podcast I want to encourage you to do that today. This is the best way to make sure you don't miss an episode! Click here to subscribe on iTunes.

And if you're feeling extra generous, I'd love to hear what you think about the podcast. Reviews help others find the podcast plus I'd really love to hear what you think! Click here to leave a review. Just click on "Ratings & Reviews" then "Write a review." Let me know what you like best about the podcast. Thank you!

• 80. What SEO Keywords Should I Use on My Private Practice Website?
• Yoast SEO Plugin Website

In this episode, you're going to learn how a break-in at one therapist's home led to an idea to create an app for keeping track of your continuing education certificates and requirements.

Sounds like a good story, right?!

Have you ever had an idea for an app, a website, or even a business that will help solve a problem you know many people are facing?

Maybe you've got a big idea for something to create, but you're not sure what the next step is or where to begin.

The thing is, many people have "big" ideas all the time. I know I do!

But it's what you do with those ideas and the baby steps you take that make all the difference.

Today's conversation will give you the inspiration to take those steps and start building that thing you have in your heart and mind.

Dr. Lani Chin is the creator of CE Hub, an app that conveniently stores all of your continuing education documents and allows you to track your progress along the way for when it's time for your license renewal.

From seeing what my wife goes through to keep up with her continuing education documentation, I KNOW this app will help many!

In our conversation, she shares all about how she got the idea for this app and how she worked with a team to bring it to life.

• The most important thing you can do to validate your big idea before taking the steps to build it
• How a break-in at one therapist's home led to the creation of an app that will help thousands
• Some of the steps involved with working with a team to create an app and bring a vision to life
• The challenges you may face and things you need to think through when creating an app that other people will use
• What the CE Hub app is and the different features that will help you keep track of your continuing education certificates

If you're not yet subscribed to the podcast I want to encourage you to do that today. This is the best way to make sure you don't miss an episode! Click here to subscribe on iTunes.

And if you're feeling extra generous, I'd love to hear what you think about the podcast. Reviews help others find the podcast plus I'd really love to hear what you think! Click here to leave a review. Just click on "Ratings & Reviews" then "Write a review." Let me know what you like best about the podcast. Thank you!

• CE Hub Website
• CE Hub Facebook