Have you ever considered writing a book as a therapist? Guest author Ann Jaloba explains why you may already have more than enough knowledge and experience to get started. With changing technologies, publishing a book has become easier and easier. However, for many people, becoming an author still seems a daunting prospect.
But if you run a successful practice then, with a bit of expert help, you can probably do it.
It is a lot of work, so you might be saying: ‘why bother?’
Why bother writing a book?
I have found through my own experience that it is worth the effort. If you publish a book you will stand out from the crowd. You will be perceived as an expert by others in your field and have something else of real value to give to your clients.
You probably know more than you think
You might be thinking you do not know enough to write a book. I bet you do and you just don’t know it. Do this thought experiment.
Look around your office or therapy room and count up how many handouts you have to give to clients, how many books you refer to, how many case notes you have acquired, how many toolkits you use.
Perhaps you are feeling that all this information and knowledge around you is just too much. How would you order all that into a book? So if this looks like too big a mountain to climb then step back and ask what you want to do.
Why do you want to write a book?
Why do you want to write a book? Here are just some reasons, one might fit with you.
Ask yourself, do you want to:
- Increase your authority so you can teach or train
- Increase the number of clients you see
- Enhance your reputation, so you can charge more
- Or something else
This list is just to get you started. You may have another idea, and that is great. As long as you choose one thing, it will make it easier.
Who are you writing for?
If you are clear to yourself about your reason for writing a book then you will find it easier to decide on these things and that will make your messages clearer to your readers.
To give just one example, if your book is directly addressing clients it is more likely to have a chatty style, if you are writing for other professionals you may be a bit more formal and include details such as references and a bibliography. Everything flows from this initial decision. So don’t rush, take your time and get ready for the journey.
I hope this little article has convinced you that writing a book is a possibility. For me, I know it transformed my business and it’s really enjoyable as well.
Editor’s Note.
I’ve been gradually transferring some of the older articles from the original YHT blog, and this guest post still struck me as relevant.
It was written in 2015, before generative AI became widely available. AI tools have since added another dimension to researching, planning, drafting and editing books, along with some important questions about accuracy, copyright, confidentiality and retaining the author’s own voice. I’ll be looking at those issues separately in a future article and in the meantime please check out my CPD course on using AI in your therapy practice.
Guest Blogger
Ann Jaloba has spent her whole career writing, editing and authoring health and wellbeing journals, books, websites and magazines. She is a qualified therapist and supervisor, and coaches and supports entrepreneurs who want to write for publication. Ann has edited award-winning journals for the Royal College of Nursing, including the best-selling weekly Nursing Standard. She is the former editor of The Hypnotherapy Journal. Her books include FirstDays: how to set up a therapy business and stay sane. She co-edited The Hypnotherapy Handbook, a comprehensive guide to the major client issues in hypnotherapy which features chapters by many of the UK’s leading hypnotherapists. Her latest collaboration is The Pocket Book of Stress Busters, a simple and powerful set of techniques to help anyone cope.
