bmspa.biz - Help in finding a counselor online.

BMSPA
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Wichita, Ks
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Behavioral
Medicine
Specialists
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Office Hours
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Mon - Thur
8:00 - 6:00
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Friday
8:00 - 2:30
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Evening
Appointments
Available
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Phone:
316-686-5195
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Fax:
316-686-8714

Finding a reputable counselor is hard enough without adding the extra trick of finding one online. Let's go about this in an organized fashion.

If you do not have a recommendation from your doctor you can let your fingers do the walking in the yellow pages of your local telephone directory. But how secure is that? After all, anyone can place an ad in the yellow pages.

Online you should be able to search out a lot more information about any given psychologist, therapist or counselor. The more details you can find the better off you will be in making an already difficult choice. So, put the phone book away and begin your journey in whichever search engine you like to use.

Online you also get directions and photos or images to help you along the way. Want a place close to where you live? That would be smart too. When searching put in your city and state after the search term. You will need local results. Just make sure you follow these guidelines.

Tips For Finding Reputable Counselors Online.

Does the web site have enough detail to tell you about the counselors in question? Look for lots of personal information. A professional is not afraid to tell you who he or she is and about their formal education and professional history. Short generalized descriptions do not really tell you anything and are not useful information.

Look for and read detailed information.

Find a group that offers different kinds of therapy solutions. If you have never seen a mental health counselor before and are unfamiliar with the language, read the articles on this web site to help you get a handle on some of the types of therapies available.

Look for diversity of services.

- - - Click here to go to the articles page. - - -

Professional counselors should hire reputable web site design firms to market and represent them on the internet. Unfortunately this is not always the case. The following list is just some of the ways you can be fooled into thinking one group of counselors are better than another. Ask your M.D. for a referral when you are unsure of who to call.

Watch out for and don't fall for
these "black hat" web site techniques.

• Multiple web sites representing one counseling group.

They are called "mirror" and/or "duplicate sites." This is where a group of counselors use 5, 6 or more domain names to represent themselves for a few different search terms in the search engines. This kind of misrepresentation is unprofessional, unseemly and frowned upon by reputable webmasters and search engines alike. It is a "black hat" search engine spamming trick and is often called "search engine spam."

Where a web site has multiple pages explaining the same services that do not contain useful information. The same junk over and over. These pages usually have a set of keywords and/or key phrases used again and again to get the search engines to list them higher in respecitive keyword and key phrase positions. They use these terms in multiple places and sometimes even in the web page menus.

Using multiple web sites to spam the search eninges and direct browsers to a central location using fraudulent and redundant information. You will find some in Wichita, KS who seem to be expert at this. There are some everywhere, in most large metro areas.

Web Sites that allow automatic linking. Would you want a counselor who does not care who they link to or who links to them on the internet? Asking for blanket linkbacks and linking to anyone out there who is willing to "swap" links is just bad policy. Find a counseling web site that links only to professional organizations or other counselors. Like content and articles of interest are acceptable. Linking is a time consuming prospect but true professionals will take the time or find qualified people who will, (at the very least) check up on the web sites and counselors who own them before linking.

Incoming links are important to search engines as they pertain to the same type of content. Counselors who build blogs without useful content and erroneous web sites just for the incoming links are using a tactic called "bombing." They use anchor text in hundreds of places to link to their web site pages and thus making their web site look more important to the search engines resulting in a higher search engine postion for a particular search term. This is not only unprofessional it is downright dishonest.

• Multiple pages touting the same services over and over.

• Spamdexing.

• Link Farming.

• Web Site "Reverse" Bombing.

Find a counselor who devotes their time to their patients and not dishonest search engine tricks or study in how to fool search engines and all the "black hat" items listed above.

A professional counselor will not spend their time worrying about their web site. Professional counselors hire the right people to handle their online marketing issues using only "white hat" techniques. Meanwhile, they will be helping their patients gain a happier, healthier and more productive life.

The RIGHT kind of counselor.

Patient care is our NUMBER ONE priority.
Integrity in our lives, business and internet presence.
Honesty and Honor - Go hand in hand in dealing with others.
Forthright - No hype, just the facts.
Professional Counseling with YOUR needs in mind.

How could you trust anyone who uses these tactics?
Who do you NEED to talk too?
A Professional Counselor or a search engine spammer?

• FREE phone consultations are just sales calls in reverse.

How many lawyers, Doctors or Psychologists do you know who give you advice or services over the phone for free? Try none. This is, yes you guessed it, a psychological trick. You think you are going to get advice for a specific situation or problem and wind up making an appointment to see a counselor who has a good sales pitch. Perhaps they have trained a receptionist or call center on how to turn your questions around so you think you need their specific services. Don't be fooled by this one. You calling them is what it sounds like - a sales call in reverse. If you want to make an appointment and have done your research - THAT is when you call or ask your M.D. for a referral.

Locating a Counselor whose
number ONE priority is patient care.

The Psychologists, Counselors and Therapists
at BMSPA Put Patient Care FIRST.

• Web Site Content Theft.

Web site content should be fresh, up to date and useful. Unfortunately, it seems that many counselors who build their own web sites do not take the time to research keywords and key phrases. They simply steal terms and ideas from their competition. This is very hard to spot but we know how to look for these types of details. Being sneaky about it does not make it right. Blatant content theft is a copyright infringment and is illegal.

BMSPA - Behavioral Medicine Specialists, P.A.
Mental Health Counseling IS our Biz...

All content on BMSPA's web site carries copyright. We will file charges and prosecute any known offenders of web site content theft. If you have concerns or questions please feel free to call Eileen Brown at BEK - BMSPA's webmaster at 316-788-0026.

Buddy Copywriting

How to search "smart".

Use specific terms and add "counseling," "counselors" or "therapy," "therapists" and your city, state at the end of the word or term. These are examples of keywords and key phrases to use in a search engine:

depression counseling new york ny
adhd counselors los angeles ca
panic disorders counseling wichita ks
aspergers therapists minneapolis mn

This should be enough to help you get started. Be sure to get referrals from your M.D. if needed for your particular type of insurance coverage.