Divisions join forces to develop major marketing campaign

Two APA divisions have teamed up to widen the market for psychological services by educating consumers about the efficacy of seeing a psychologist. Divisions 29 (Psychotherapy) and 42 (Independent Practice) have developed a series of brochures to help practitioners educate the public about what psychologists do and how they can help people with important life issues.

'Many people won?t come into therapy unless they are invited into the possibilities of how psychology can help,' says Laurie Kolt, PhD, a national practice-building consultant and private practitioner in La Jolla, Calif., who is co-director of marketing for the project. 'This is exactly what we can do if we go out into our communities and know how to really reach the public.'

The series, Talk to Someone Who Can Help, offers brochures on eight topics: Separation and Divorce; Breast Cancer; Attention Deficit Disorder; Serious Illness; A Parent?s Guide to Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents; Aging Today; Managing your Difficult Child; and Heart Disease.

Each brochure outlines a specific life issue and describes how psychologists can help. For example, 'Breast Cancer' describes the myriad effects the disease has on the individual and the family and addresses how psychologists can assist with medical decision-making, coping with treatment, helping the family and long-term recovery.

As part of the brochure project, Divisions 29 and 42 are offering joint programming at APA?s 1998 Annual Convention in San Francisco. There will be four programming tracks:

? A track on treatment strategies for parenting and family relationship issues, Friday, Aug. 14, 11 a.m.?3:50 p.m.

? A forensic psychology track that offers insight on practice opportunities in the court system, Saturday, Aug. 15, 9 a.m.?1:50 p.m.

? A track on women?s health that covers treatment strategies for breast and ovarian cancer, menopause and infertility, Sunday, Aug. 16, 9 a.m.?1:50 p.m.

? A track on businesswomen that describes the ways practitioners can coach working women, Sunday, Aug. 16, 11 a.m.?4:50 p.m.

At the end of each track there will be a two-hour marketing workshop that covers how practitioners can use the brochures as marketing tools, create an annual marketing plan and target opportunities to market services.

Brochures can be ordered by mail and will be sold at the convention. A marketing package and list of additional resources for professionals and patients is included with every brochure order. Psychologists can put their names, addresses and phone numbers on the back of the brochures to use them as marketing tools.

The cost for 100 brochures for members of either division is $30, and the cost for 100 with printed name and address information is $50. The cost for APA members who are not members of Division 29 or 42 is $50 without the printed information and $70 with the printed information, and the cost for nonmembers is $60 without the printed information and $80 with the printed information.

The brochures are also available in quantities of 500 or 1,000, and in quantities of 50 without the printed information only. Contact: The Brochure Project, 3900 E. Camelback Road, Suite 200, Phoenix, AZ 85018-2684, (602) 912-5303, fax: (602) 957-4828.