50+ Blog Post Ideas in 30 Minutes or Less

So, you’re convinced that a blog is a good idea for your practice and you promise to be consistent and provide value. You’re all bought in but drawing a complete blank about what to write. No problem! Get out a sheet of paper or open a blank document and let’s generate 50+ ideas in the next 30 minutes or so. Not all of them will be great, but I keep even my lame ideas because sometimes they spark a good idea later. The trick to this is to not overthink it. For some of you that’s akin to stopping breathing (I may relate), but just give it a shot. I have some examples below if you get stuck. Feel free to snag some ideas if they are a fit for you.

So seriously, grab paper or open a document.

Brain Dump 

Set a 2 minute timer. Write down whatever words come to mind when I say counseling blog. 

What to you wish your clients knew…

about themselves? about therapy? about you?

What misconceptions do you clear up about your niche or therapy in general?

This could be what you say to your family, the person in the seat beside you on a plane, or your clients. You may have some soapbox moments here.

What do you say over & over again in session?

These may be analogies, values, tag lines, idioms, explanations, answers to common questions. 

What keeps your clients up at night and how can you alleviate some of that stress?

What do you love about what you do?

Now go back through & see what blog posts you can create.

Here’s an example. I didn’t edit this, I just went through the whole exercise and came back up to the top & wrote in potential blog posts after each section. As you can see, some of these suck, some of these titles are cheesy, some of this is not super-relevant to my ideal client. That’s ok— it’s a space to work from.  

Brain Dump 

Write down whatever words come to mind when I say counseling blog: anxiety, depression, stress management, boundaries, free help, building relationship, searching for help online, feeling lost, wanting to give up, providing hope

Potential blog posts: 5 signs you may have anxiety, 7 ways to manage depression right this second, how to tell if you need better boundaries, why I have a blog on my website, what to look for in a therapist, ways to get closer with your friends, what’s the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist, how to know if therapy may help, Feeling overwhelmed?, How to cultivate optimism, 10 ways to increase motivation.

What to you wish your clients knew…

about themselves?

that they are whole and complete, that they don’t have to be perfect clients or perfect people, that they are not weak for struggling, that they are stronger than they think, that there’s a way out of this level of pain, they aren’t failing at diets, they can have a great relationships with food and body

about therapy?

that one session isn't going to fix their problems, that I’m not going to fix their problems, that it can be really hard and confrontative, that it’s entirely worth what they put in it, that it can be a weird relationship since we aren’t friends but I know a lot about them, that I usually collaborate with a treatment team

about you?

that I’m not perfect & don’t have it all figured out, that I genuinely care, that I’ve struggled pretty hard in life, too.

Potential blog posts: (themselves) Getting a A+ in therapy may mean you're failing, you don’t need fixing, everybody hurts sometimes (sing it with me), Proof that you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, famous people who have fought their way out of [diagnosis], Diets suck, you don’t, full recovery-it’s a thing! (therapy) therapy takes time, Why therapy can feel harder than your problem, how to make the most out of therapy, how long will I be in therapy?, How long will therapy be hard? Why seeing a dietitian and a doctor will help you recover faster. (You)Is it weird to ask my therapist about herself?, No, my life isn’t perfect just because I’m a therapist, Normalizing struggle, Does my therapist think about me between sessions? What’s going through my therapists head in session?

What misconceptions do you clear up about your niche or therapy in general?

This could be what you say to your family, the person in the seat beside you on a plane, or your clients. You may have some soapbox moments here.

No, being a therapist isn’t depressing. Yes, random strangers tell me personal stuff all the time and have since I was a little girl. No, all my eating disorder clients aren’t rich white girls. Yes, men get eating disorders. No, I can’t diagnose your cousin-in-law from your description. No, I’m not diagnosing everyone I meet in my head. No, rape is never the survivors fault. Ever. Ever. Nope, not even then.  Eating disorders and addiction are actually pretty different. You can’t always tell someone has an eating disorder by his or her body. Not all fat/skinny people have eating disorders. Anorexia isn’t slow suicide.

Potential blog posts: basically everything I just wrote

What do you say over & over again in session?

These may be analogies, values, tag lines, idioms, explanations, answers to common questions. 

“Progress not perfection.” My meds-may-help analogy, ACT analogies, “if you could wave a magic wand…,” skinny days followed by fat days are more about feelings than your body, anxiety is actually detrimental to getting things done, full recovery is possible for eating disorders, the difference between ACT and CBT, basic DBT skills, purging doesn’t help you lose weight. Eating disorders are the deadliest of the mental health diagnosis. Feel the fear & do it anyway.

Potential blog posts: basically everything I just wrote

What keeps your clients up at night and how can you alleviate some of that stress?

Ruminating over a conversation that didn’t go well, mired in shame, difficulty letting guard down, afraid the other shoe is going to drop, hating body, feeling not good enough, never achieving enough that you feel good about yourself.

Potential blog posts: How to stop beating yourself up for socially awkward moments, An introduction to Brene Brown and the role of shame in your life, how vulnerability is actually a sign of strength, How to relax when things are going well instead of waiting for a bad thing to happen, 10 tips to accepting your body, Ways to break through not-enough-ness, Achieving your goals isn’t actually going to make you feel happy

What do you love about what you do?

Seeing someone step into his/her power. Seeing someone get his/her life back. Seeing strong relationships. Seeing great parenting or modeling. Seeing someone let go of patterns that hurt them. Being present for powerful AHA Moments. Having a front row seat for how resilient people are. Feeling useful. When a client stops hearing my encouraging voice in her head and starts hearing her own.

Potential blog posts: Why I love being a therapist, What counseling may do for you, Glimpses of recovery: what I get to see every day, How I know you are strong as hell, I’m not why you’re feeling better; you are, Internalizing your therapist’s voice, My job is better than your job.

Your turn: What blog posts are you psyched to write about? Let me know.

Allison Puryear is an LCSW with a nearly diagnosable obsession with business development. She has started practices in three different states and wants you to know that building a private practice is shockingly doable when you have a plan and support. After retiring her individual consultation services, she opened the Abundance Party, where you can get practice-building help for the cost of a copay. You can download a free private practice checklist to make sure you have your ducks in a row, get weekly private practice tips, listen to the podcast, hop into the free Facebook Group. Allison is all about helping you gain the confidence and tools you need to succeed.

 

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