How Thoughtful Content Grows a Therapy Practice

12 MIN READ | JAN 29, 2026

By Chip Neuenschwander, MA, LMFT
Interview with Darla Mae Swanson, Professional Writer

A printable PDF version of this article is also available.

Practice owners can feel pulled between two priorities that often seem to compete: preserving trust and increasing visibility. How does a clinician move forward confidently and ethically while still helping the right clients find them?

In a conversation with professional writer Darla Mae Swanson, we explored practical steps and a grounded philosophy around blogging, content creation, and sustainable practice growth.

1. People Search Long Before They Call

One of the most important insights Darla offered is that clients rarely decide to seek therapy in a single moment.

“A lot of people… want information before they go see a therapist… I googled all sorts of things about my personal issues before I thought, ‘I need to go talk to somebody about this.’”

By the time someone contacts a therapist, they may have spent weeks or months reading, researching, and trying to make sense of what they are experiencing. Your website or blog often becomes part of that private decision‑making process.

As you create content, don’t think of it as advertising. Imagine your potential client during a most vulnerable season. This is a time to speak encouragement to them long before they click the “Contact” button.

2. Blogging Is Trust‑Building, Not Promotion

Darla is explicit that blogging works best when it is not treated as marketing.

“I don’t look at blogs as marketing necessarily… I’m trying to put relevant and helpful information out there on the internet.”

Effective content normalizes experiences. It provides helpful education with clarity and without selling. For a profession built on trust, this distinction matters deeply.

When done well, blogs:

• Build emotional safety before the first session

• Establish professional authority naturally

• Reduce anxiety and shame before outreach

• Help clients decide if you are a good fit

In Darla’s words: “It’s educational, it’s normalizing experiences… and it helps people feel less anxious or embarrassed before they reach out.”

3. Accuracy Matters More Than Visibility

One motivation Darla emphasized repeatedly is the need for clinicians to place accurate information online.

“There’s a lot of woo out there… a lot of misguidance… people make things sound really good, but that doesn’t mean it’s true.”

For therapists, this becomes an ethical contribution as much as a business one. In a sea of well-meaning voices, thoughtful content counters misinformation and protects vulnerable readers.

Sometimes the impact is invisible. Darla recalled, “That doctor who wrote about nocturnal panic attacks… he’ll never know that he helped me, but I know he helped me.”

4. Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Content marketing in healthcare is a long game. “It’s not a sprint… it’s consistency and quality that builds results over time.”

Darla suggests realistic expectations:

• Three months is too soon to judge impact

• One year is a meaningful benchmark

• Progress comes from accumulation, not spikes

Search engines reward steady, authoritative, helpful writing. So forget about volume or hype. Practices that stick to creating quality content month-after-month see results in time. “It absolutely works. It’s not a matter of if. It’s just a matter of when.”

5. Write Narrow, Not Broad

A common mistake therapists make is writing too generally. “Being too broad is a mistake… you could do a whole year on childhood trauma. So break it into tiny, specific topics.”

Case Example

During the conversation, Darla turned directly to Chip (writer for this article) and used his clinical niche as an example of how specificity works in practice.

“Chip, what’s your area of couples?”

“911 call couples.”

From there, she immediately reframed that niche into a content strategy. Darla asked, “What do people ask you?”

Chip responded, “’Can you even help us? Is it too late for us?’”

Darla pointed out, “Which is a great blog title: ‘Is it too late for my marriage?’”

Darla then proposed that Chip could use this one cornerstone topic as the foundation for a monthly blog throughout the year: a 911 marriage series with each of the 12 months covering a different aspect.

Use this to jump-start your content for the year.

• Start with the clients you already see.

• Use the language they already use.

• Build content around the exact questions they are afraid to ask.

Rather than chasing trends or generic topics, Darla’s advice grounds content in clinical reality. Practitioners know better than anyone the words they hear during the intake call, the first voicemail, or the moment of crisis when someone finally reaches out.

6. Avoid Sounding Too Clinical or Too Personal

Darla warns against two extremes she sees therapists slip into:

Too clinical:

“People don’t understand your acronyms and jargon.”

Too personal:

“People don’t want to feel overly exposed or read something that feels too vulnerable.”

The goal is conversational professionalism. Your guiding star is to produce helpful information that is clear and accessible without oversharing or lecturing.

Her guiding principle:

“Explain it like you would to someone sitting across from you.”

7. Overcome Writer’s Block

One of Darla’s most practical techniques is voice‑to‑text drafting.

“If you get writer’s block… go for a walk, turn on your phone, and just explain it like you would in session.”

Then:

• Transcribe

• Lightly edit

• Clarify tone

• Publish

This preserves your authentic clinical voice and dramatically reduces friction.

“Then it sounds natural and friendly… like you’re actually talking to someone.”

8. Use AI as an Editor, Not a Replacement

Darla offers a balanced view of AI tools:

“ChatGPT is fantastic as a tool… but it’s derivative. It’s not your voice or your insights.”

Best use cases:

• Cleaning grammar

• Improving tone

• Editing drafts

• Refining clarity

Worst use:

• Generating original clinical insight

• Replacing professional judgment

• Writing content without clinician input

As she put it: “It should be 90% you and 10% editor.”

9. Choose Platforms Based on Demographics, Not Trends

Social media success stories can mislead. “For every person who succeeds on Instagram, there’s a legion who worked just as hard and didn’t.”

Instead of chasing platforms, Darla recommends demographic matching:

• For younger adults focus on Instagram and YouTube.

• Middle‑aged parents will often find you on Facebook.

• For a broad reach that’s cross‑demographic, create blogs and use email outreach.

Blogs and email remain uniquely durable. “Blogs don’t take demographic research. They’re relevant across the board.”

10. Blogging Helps Clients Choose You, and You Choose Them

Content serves both sides of fit. “It helps clients decide if you’re right for them… and helps you attract your ideal clients.”

Darla uses the “Costco sample” metaphor:

“Give them a taste… then they decide if they want the whole box.”

Good content helps clients self-filter, leading to better clinical matches and fewer misaligned intakes.

11. The Three Most Common Therapist Mistakes

According to Darla:

1. Being too broad

2. Expecting fast results

3. Sounding too clinical

And a fourth, unspoken one: perfectionism (which, for many of us, is about fear of failure). Darla simply laughed and offered her best advice:

“Just barf on the page… the first draft is always the worst.” It was classic Darla: honest and oddly liberating.

12. The Simplest Way to Start

For overwhelmed clinicians, Darla recommends a minimal, achievable approach:

• Gather 3–4 therapists

• Brainstorm 12 client questions

• Leave with 12 blog titles

• Write one per month

Progress beats paralysis.

Conclusion: Content as Clinical Presence

At its best, therapist content is not marketing at all. It functions as psychoeducation, normalization, and a quiet pre-therapy alliance. An act of altruistic public service, done regularly, can become a quality referral source. Long before a client ever schedules a session, thoughtful writing can begin building safety and offering language for experiences they have not yet been able to name.

As Darla summarized it simply: “It’s not self-promotion. It’s helping people find accurate information… and feel safe enough to reach out.”

In a field built on trust, that may be the most powerful marketing there is.