So You Want to Plan a Conference

So You Want to Plan a Conference

Curt and Katie talk about the ups and downs of planning Therapy Reimagined 2018.  We share tips and tricks for planning an event as well as things we’re going to do differently next year.

It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.

In this episode we talk about:

  • Reflecting on Therapy Reimagined 2018
  • The importance of planning ahead
  • Creating time and space to do something extra
  • How to create buzz and excitement throughout a long event
  • Messaging and marketing
  • The importance of creating a cohesive marketing plan from the beginning
  • The loss of creativity and perspective when you are super busy and overwhelmed
  • Delegating when something grows bigger than you can manage on your own
  • The danger of burnout when working TOO much, even when you are doing something you love
  • Taking care of the details and creating templates for the next year
  • Event planning and negotiating with the venue – knowing what you don’t know
  • Planning ahead – not just creating stuff to use now, but actually making templates and structures that are repeatable
  • Getting and supporting sponsors
  • Creating relationships and leveraging them to grow the movement
  • Being very clear with the information that sponsors, speakers, and exhibitors can and should share, and when. How important it is to be specific.
  • Being directive, respectful, and specific on how people can help and participate
  • Understanding that we packed WAY TOO MUCH into 2 days
  • Thinking through your whole schedule from the participants’ perspective
  • Making sure you put forward clear instructions for your participants
  • The challenge we had with continuing education sign in and certificates (#fail)
  • How to vet speakers, working with them earlier in the process, the details that are important
  • Taking care of the technological aspects of presenting multiple speakers
  • Looking at it as a production, versus an “educational event”
  • Getting feedback from everyone who attended to improve (our deliberate practice)
  • Announcing the tentative plans for Therapy Reimagined 2019
  • How to incorporate feedback and criticism into future decision-making, and how important it is to be responsive

Our Generous Sponsor:

Thanks again to our sponsor, SimplePractice!

SimplePractice is an all in one platform where you can schedule appointments, use paperless intakes, file insurance claims, and meet with clients remotely using our integrated Telehealth system.

Go to https://ter.li/tr2018 to sign up for a free 30-day trial.

Because running your practice should be Simple, so you can do the work that really matters.

Resources mentioned:

We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links.

Katie Read Katie Write

#therapymovement

Our Facebook Group – The Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Group

Relevant Previous Episodes:

Own Your Awesome Business (with Kelly Higdon)

The Burnout System

Addressing The Burnout System

Our event this year:

The Therapy Reimagined Conference in Los Angeles in October 2018!!

Our consultation services:

The Fifty-Minute Hour

Who we are:

Curt Widhalm is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in private practice in the Los Angeles area. He is a Board Member at Large for the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, a Subject Matter Expert for the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, Adjunct Faculty at Pepperdine University, and a loving husband and father. He is 1/2 great person, 1/2 provocateur, and 1/2 geek, in that order. He dabbles in the dark art of making “dad jokes” and usually has a half-empty cup of coffee somewhere nearby. Learn more at: http://www.curtwidhalm.com

Katie Vernoy is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, coach, and consultant. As a helping professional for two decades, she’s navigated the ups and downs of our unique line of work. She’s run her own solo therapy practice, designed innovative clinical programs, built and managed large, thriving teams of service providers, and consulted hundreds of helping professionals on how to build meaningful AND sustainable practices. In her spare time, Katie is secretly siphoning off Curt’s youthful energy, so that she can take over the world. Learn more at: http://www.katievernoy.com

A Quick Note:

Our opinions are our own. We are only speaking for ourselves – except when we speak for each other, or over each other. We’re working on it.

Our guests are also only speaking for themselves and have their own opinions. We aren’t trying to take their voice, and no one speaks for us either. Mostly because they don’t want to, but hey.

Stay in Touch:

http://www.mtsgpodcast.com

http://www.therapyreimagined.com

Our Facebook Group – The Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Group

https://www.facebook.com/therapyreimagined/

https://twitter.com/therapymovement

https://www.instagram.com/therapyreimagined/

Credits:

Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/

Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano http://www.crystalmangano.com/

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