As therapists, we train rigorously and passionately because we want to get better at easing other people’s suffering. We want to support and understand our clients in new ways so they can grow into their best selves. We don’t become therapists because we crave the spotlight or want to be recognized on the street for our massive social media following. And we certainly don’t become therapists to create Instagram reels between sessions, scroll through website templates, or distill a mission statement into a catchy logo or six-word tagline.
And yet, in today’s world, branding has become an essential tool for therapists who want to attract clients, build a career, and even shape the cultural conversation around mental health. Time magazine’s most influential people list includes psychiatrists Vikram Patel and Bessel van der Kolk, and psychotherapist Esther Perel has been named to Oprah Winfrey’s list of visionary leaders. Even though developing a brand as a therapist may feel uncomfortable and overwhelming to many introverted therapists, few can opt out of it entirely.
To help, we asked nine successful mental health practitioners about the most powerful steps they’ve taken to brand themselves—and learned that great branding can be counterintuitive. So don’t be surprised if you’ve never heard advice like this before.
SAHAJ KAUR KOHLI: Go Public with Your Story
The founder of Brown Girl Therapy shares her countercultural secret to building an online community.
NEDRA GLOVER TAWWAB: Keep Social Media Simple and Real
One of the world’s most popular Instagram influencers offers her evolving take on social media.
ALEXANDRA SOLOMON: Collaborate Wisely
After landing a Masterclass series, a renowned relationship expert shares her hard-won formula for discerning what projects to accept and which to turn down.
TERRY REAL: Find the Right Mentors
The developer of RLT recounts the surprising path he took to write his first bestselling book.
SARA KUBURIC: Tell the Truth—Even When It’s Hard
The Millennial therapist who took social media by storm shares what sets her apart from other influencers.
VIENNA PHARAON: Let Changing Priorities Shape Your Focus
Bestselling author and podcaster shows you how less can be more in branding.
DENÉ LOGAN: Be Willing to Challenge Norms
Popular podcast host and author reveals the key she discovered to showing up authentically in the public sphere.
ELIZABETH EARNSHAW: Do the Opposite of Branding
A renowned therapist, author and influencer challenges the popular wisdom behind branding yourself as a therapist.
MARIEL BUQUÉ: Align Your Brand with Your Mission
Trauma expert and author offers some key questions she used to bring meaning into branding a practice.
Sahaj Kaur Kohli
Sahaj Kaur Kohli, MAEd, LGPC, NCC, is a practicing therapist, international speaker, and the founder of Brown Girl Therapy (@browngirltherapy), the first and largest mental health and wellness community organization for adult children of immigrants. She’s the author of But What Will People Say?: Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love, and Family Between Cultures and a columnist for The Washington Post’s advice column Ask Sahaj. Her work has been featured in Today, Good Morning America, CNN, the New York Times, and HuffPost.
Terry Real
Terry Real, LICSW, is an internationally recognized couples therapist, speaker, author, and founder of the Relational Life Institute (RLI). His latest bestseller is Us: How to Get Past You and Me to Build a More Loving Relationship. He’s also the author of I Don’t Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression (Scribner), the straight-talking How Can I Get Through to You? Reconnecting Men and Women, and The New Rules of Marriage: What You Need to Make Love Work.
Alexandra Solomon
Alexandra H. Solomon, PhD, is internationally recognized as one of today’s most trusted voices in the world of relationships, and her framework of Relational Self-Awareness has reached millions of people around the globe. A couples therapist, speaker, author, professor, podcast host, retreat leader, and media personality, Dr. Solomon is passionate about translating cutting-edge research and clinical wisdom into practical tools people can use to bring awareness, curiosity, and authenticity to their relationships. She is a clinician educator and a frequent contributor to academic journals and research, and she translates her academic and therapeutic experience to the public through her popular and vibrant Instagram page, which has garnered over 200K followers. She is on faculty in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University and is a licensed clinical psychologist at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. Her hit podcast, Reimagining Love, has reached listeners across the globe and features high-profile guests from the worlds of therapy, academia, and pop culture. Her latest bestselling book is Love Every Day. You can visit her online at DrAlexandraSolomon.com and on Instagram at @dr.alexandra.solomon.
Nedra Glover Tawwab
Nedra Glover Tawwab is a New York Times bestselling author, licensed therapist, and sought-after relationship expert. She has practiced relationship therapy for 14 years and is the founder and owner of the group therapy practice, Kaleidoscope Counseling. Every day she helps people create healthy relationships by teaching them how to implement boundaries. Her philosophy is that a lack of boundaries and assertiveness underlie most relationship issues, and her gift is helping people create healthy relationships with themselves and others. Learn more on her website.
Sara Kuburic
Dr. Sara Kuburic, known as the Millennial Therapist, is an existential psychotherapist, consultant, writer, and columnist for USA Today. She’s also the author of It’s On Me. Sara was born in Yugoslavia and raised in Canada. She is passionate about helping people seek change and live authentic, free, and meaningful lives. Her interest in psychology stems from her personal experience living through wars, navigating complex relationships, and continually learning what it means to be human. Visit her website at sara-kuburic.com.
Vienna Pharaon
Vienna Pharaon, LMFT, is the author of The Origins of You.
Dené Logan
Dené Logan is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a group facilitator, and an author based in Los Angeles. She specializes in supporting couples with finding more fulfillment in their relationships. Dené utilizes her background in depth psychology to infuse archetypes, ritual, and metaphysics into the exploration of how each of us can reclaim the aspects of our authentic selves we’ve been culturally conditioned to turn away from in an attempt to maintain attachments. Her first book, Sovereign Love: A Guide to Healing Relationships by Reclaiming the Masculine and Feminine Within, is available now!
Elizabeth Earnshaw
Elizabeth Earnshaw, LMFT, CGT, is a licensed therapist, supervisor, and author of I Want This to Work, ‘Til Stress Do Us Part, and The Couples Therapy Flip Chart. She’s also the founder and Clinical Director of A Better Life Therapy.
Mariel Buqué
Mariel Buqué, PhD, is a trauma-trained psychologist and author of the book Break the Cycle: A Guide to Healing Intergenerational Trauma. She received her doctorate in counseling psychology from Columbia University, where she trained as a fellow in holistic mental health. Visit her website at drmarielbuque.com.
