What's in a Video or a Sound Bite When You're Looking for a Therapist?
When therapists develop a well produced audio or video for a internet directory or their own website they stand a good chance of attracting clients. Jeff Fisher, the developer of CounsellingBC.com states that individuals often want more information than the written word can provide when selecting a therapist from one of British Columbia's most well respected directories of mental health professionals. It's a new phenomenon that is bound to gain momentum.
Vancouver, BC, Canada (PRWEB) May 23, 2009 -- CounsellingBC.com developer, Jeff Fisher, feels that individuals should be able to receive information through as many senses as possible when choosing a therapist via the Internet. So his company, Absolute Balance Counselling & Consulting Ltd. has been encouraging counselors and psychologists to produce one-minute audios or videos along with their profiles on the well-utilized counselling directory that is part of CounsellingBC.com (http://www.counsellingbc.com). The audio/video component provides individuals with the opportunity to experience much more than what can be provided with the written word.
"If you think about it", Fisher says, "clients will be spending quite a bit of time in that therapist's office. Some may want the additional information that an audio or video of that person provides them."
CounsellingBC.com has been focused on innovation since its inception as a popular resource in BC since 1999. It has provided the public with an effective way to find Counselors and Psychological services throughout much of British Columbia.
In addition, the site provides other resources, including articles and information about local presentations. What many people have found valuable about the site's directory is the ability to read abut the therapeutic styles and credentials of a very wide range of counselors and psychologists - over 300 at present - who have expertise in a number of areas of practice.
Since the site has a large database for provincial website, it is a resource that is often used by government agencies, medical practitioners, and the press.
The site also boasts a user-friendly interface that helps individuals search for therapists via their areas of expertise, approaches used, office location, and language spoken. Presently there are 19 languages represented, other than English, so individuals who are not proficient in English or prefer to receive counselling in their native tongue, have a good change of finding an appropriate therapist on the site.
Until now, CounsellingBC.com, and most other sites that contain professional directories, have relied solely on textual descriptions of the therapists on the website. The visitors scan the directory, read about the professionals' credentials and approach to therapy, and then make a decision.
For some people text alone is not enough to make a decision, particularly for younger clients who have been exposed to so much sensory information on the Internet, including online videos, music, and podcasts. Some want (and may even need) audio and/or video information to help them with their decision making process. Jeff Fisher feels that the extra dimension that audio and/or video provides may be enough to help people take the first step to get the help they need.
While Fisher feels that audios and/or videos have the potential to be a great thing for therapists, he also recognizes that a poorly produced audio or video may actually turn off clients. So he suggests that therapists learn what they need to learn to feel spontaneous and natural in front of the camera or microphone.
"So", Fisher says, "It's a bit of an experiment". And he will be looking for feedback about this experiment from people who use the new feature over the next several months. He is also expecting that other websites will follow this trend since the technology to produce such sites is becoming more readily available.
Contact: Jeffrey Fisher, M.A., RCC
Developer of CounsellingBC.com
http://www.counsellingbc.com
604 729-6059
About Absolute Balance Counselling & Consulting Ltd.:
Absolute Balance Counselling & Consulting Ltd. dba CounsellingBC.com is a BC-based business that has provided high quality information about Counselling and Mental Health Resources in BC. CounsellingBC.com has been used widely by the press to find professionals who are interested in speaking about therapy and controversial issues that relate to therapy or trauma in the News.
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