Through the launch and growth of MTM and subsequently MCM,  I have spent a great deal of time researching and learning about the world of therapy and what goes into creating a positive therapeutic outcome.

The research is clear: when there is a sense of safety and trust between the client and the therapist, there is a greater chance for therapeutic change and a mutually positive experience.  Trust and rapport do not guarantee therapeutic change, but they are prerequisites.   However, without a deep sense of safety, trust and familiarity, change cannot and will not happen.  Period.

This is the most profound discovery I have made through this leraning process. It has reinforced the idea behind MTM and MCM and even strengthened it.

The concept behind  the importance of trust and rapport in therapy is not new.  It has been around for a while, and was substantiated by Dr. Carl Rogers’ work in the 1960’s.  Carl Rogers is one of the founders of the humanistic approach to psychology.  He noted at the time that the three most important elements in creating real therapeutic change are authenticity, acceptance and empathy:

“The first element could be called genuineness, realness, or congruence. The more the therapist is himself or herself in the relationship, putting up no professional front or personal facade, the greater is the likelihood that the client will change and grow in a constructive manner.

The second attitude of importance in creating a climate for change is acceptance, or caring, or prizing–what I have called ‘unconditional positive regard.’ When the therapist is experiencing a positive, acceptant attitude toward whatever the client is at that moment, therapeutic movement or change is more likely to occur.

The third facilitative aspect of the relationship is empathic understanding. This means that the therapist senses accurately the feelings and personal meanings that the client is experiencing and communicates this understanding to the client. When functioning best, the therapist is so much inside the private world of the other that he or she can clarify not only the meanings of which the client is aware but even those just below the level of awareness. This kind of sensitive, active listening is exceedingly rare in our lives. We think we listen, but very rarely do we listen with real understanding, true empathy. Yet listening, of this very special kind, is one of the most potent forces for change that I know.”

I would argue that subconscious rapport is the most important factor that leads to the level of comfort and safety that is required to create openness and authenticity by the client, leading to change, led by the therapist.  Subconscious rapport is a survival mechanism built to ensure our safety. Our safety is largely governed by the ‘old’ or ‘reptilian’ brain.  Way back when us humans lived in small groups on the plains, we heavily relied on our senses to help keep us safe from danger.  Not only were humans hunted by animals, but also by feuding tribes.  Our visual acuity evolved to allow us to pick up on subtle queues that indicated whether another human was a friend or foe.  Is he one of ‘us’, or is he potentially going to hurt me, my family, my children.

It turns out that people who spend a lot of time together tend to act in similar ways.    We pick up similar movements, similar ways of speaking and a whole host of subconscious movements, tones, looks, etc. from those who we spend most of our time with.  These subconscious behaviors are considered normal, familiar and accepted ways of being.  Those in the tribe (all behaving in similar ways) can be trusted because there is no risk of danger.  These people are familiar.  (The definition of “familiar” is: of a household or domestic).  Your family is not going to hurt you, but a stranger might.

Dr. Carl Rogers said:

“Any experience which is inconsistent with the organization of the structure of the self may be perceived as a threat.”

Someone from outside the tribe will not know these subtle queues, movements, tonalities, sayings.  He or she is not familiar and not from within the family.  In a world where unfamiliar people are a potential threat, the evolved ability for humans to pick up on these queues is an important survival trait.

In today’s modern society, these hard wired traits still help guide us and let us know who is friend and who is foe.

The premise for MyTherapistMatch.com and MyCoachMatch.com is that we can improve the probability that you’ll find a therapist or coach who you will have immediate subconscious rapport with, so that you can have an opportunity to feel open and comfortable with the therapist.  They will be familiar and therefore you can trust them, leading to the real possibility of therapeutic change.

The Golden Circle answers the questions: Why, How and What.  Start with why.  Why did you start  your business? The answer to the question ‘Why’ is your driving motivation for action. Everything else emanates from this purpose.  Once you have answered the Why, then you can move to the How.  The Hows are the specific actions that are taken to realize your Why.  And finally, once you have identified the How, you can discover The What you are going to do to accomplish your Why and How. The Whats are the tangible ways in which you bring your Why to life.

Here are my answers to The Golden Circle for MyTherapistMatch.com:

Why did I start MyTherapistMatch.com?

I started MTM to help people get good therapy.

Finding a therapist who you can truly trust and become aligned with is a critical factor in determining the outcome of therapy.  In other words, the quality of the relationship between you and your therapist will determine the quality of the therapy.  The better the relationship (trust/rapport/alignment/etc.) the better the therapy.

Before MTM, the only way to find a therapist online was through a therapist directory where you search for a therapist based only on zip code. By using this method, there is no way to know if you will easily connect with a therapist.  MTM matches clients and therapists based on 23 criteria, including personality match, communication style and issue of concern.  Our goal is to increase the probability that you will find a therapist that you will like, so that you start resolving your issues (instead of shopping for a therapist) and enjoy some good, effective therapy.

How are we accomplishing this?

• We use the power of technology and the Internet to help connect compatible individuals with therapists
• We use our understanding of personality type, conscious and unconscious communication and preferences to match compatible individuals and therapists
• We continually refine our approach, so that the matches we provide improve over time
• We collect and use feedback from our therapists and clients to help us refine our approach

What are we doing to accomplish our Why?

My business partner and I, Dr. Robert Dee McDonald, have devel0ped MyTherapistMatch.com, which includes a 58 question online survey that both clients and therapists are required to answer.  The survey elicits 23 criteria that we found are important in determining a good match between a client and therapist.  Once the survey is completed, clients are presented with up to 10 of their best matched therapist. Clients can contact the therapists that they like directly from the site.

As these emails present an opportunity for new business, therapists will eagerly reply.  However, based on reports from many therapists, it is difficult to get the prospective client to reply to the therapist’s reply email.

This webinar lays out the best practices for therapists on how to respond to prospective client’s emails, such that they increase the probability that they will get a response back.

Here is a link to the webinar.

Here’s a synopsis:

The top 5 scams online today:

• Auction Fraud – question you need to ask yourself: ‘Why is someone selling a $200 purse for $20?’
• Phishing Fraud – question you need to ask yourself: ‘If this matter is so important, why isn’t my bank calling me?’
• Nigerian 419 Letter – question you need to ask yourself: ‘Why does a Nigerian prince need MY help?’
• Postal/Forwarding Scam – question you need to ask yourself: ‘Why can’t these people send their own mail?’
• Congratulations, You’ve Won an iPod – question you need to ask yourself: ‘When did I enter into a contest to win a iPod?’

Here’s the presentation:

“There is no apparatus in place if somebody wants to find a good therapist,” she says. “In therapy, there aren’t any meet-and-greet events. It’s interesting because therapy is probably more important than anything in the world because you want to feel comfortable with somebody and you don’t want to waste $100 on an intake session.”

Unsatisfied with current methods of finding a therapist through a directory website, she came up with this speed-date idea to give therapist-seekers a chance to briefly meet with therapists see if there is a good ‘fit’.

Because fit between therapist and client is so important in the process of therapy, I think more and more of these types of compatibility based therapist / therapist-seeker solutions will evolve.  My favorite, of course, is MyTherapistMatch.com.

You can visit the site here: MyTherapistMatch.com.

Here’s a brief video on why I started MyTherapistMatch.com:

* There was a 210% jump in March on the term “unemployment”.
* The Largest realized volume increase for Unique Searches was seen for the term “Coupons”.

Please let me know what you think!

Corey

SEO Presentation for Convention and Visitor Bureaus

Topic to include are:

• SEO 101—an overview
• SEO strategies and tactics for convention & visitor bureaus
• SEO linking strategies and tactics
• SEO content strategies and tactics
• SEO and social media—how to leverage social networks to increase your visibility in the search engines
• SEO trends—improving position and traffic volume

Here is the conference brochure:

Western Association of Conventions and Visitors Bureaus