Productive Therapist Podcast

Is Google Ads actually worth it for your practice, and if so, how do you know you're doing it right? 🤔 This week, Uriah talks with John Sanders of RevKey, who's spent years running Google Ads almost exclusively for therapists (90% of his clients, to be exact). He breaks down what a solid return on ad spend really looks like, the handful of mistakes that quietly burn through budgets, and why most practice owners are better off leaving this one to the pros. If you've tried Google Ads before and gotten burned, or you're just starting to wonder if it's worth exploring, this episode will help you think about paid search a lot more clearly. What you'll learn: What kind of return on ad spend is realistic for a well-run Google Ads campaignThe two biggest budget-draining mistakes therapists make — including targeting the wrong household incomesThe minimum monthly budget you actually need to see results Resources/Links: Check out RevKey to learn more. Find out more about our services at https://productivetherapist.com/ Key Timestamps 02:23 John's Marketing Journey07:00 Google Ads Expectations09:49 Budget and ROI Math14:02 Common Google Ads Traps17:03 DIY vs Hiring Experts21:08 Build Beyond Yourself24:41 AI and Search Changes32:58 RevKey and Wrap Up

AI is everywhere in private practice right now, from note-takers, chatbots, scribing tools… you name it.  But how do you actually know what's helpful, what's hype, and what you need to think through first? 🤔 This week, Uriah sits down with Samantha Schalk, founder of Guardian Clinical Essentials, to talk through exactly that. With 20+ years in behavioral health (and a practice of her own), Samantha turns confusing compliance jargon into stuff you can actually use — no law degree required. What you'll learn: The PHI myth almost every therapist believes (spoiler: removing a client's name doesn't make it "de-identified")Why a website that says "HIPAA compliant" isn't proof of anything — and what you actually need on fileWhy chasing HIPAA "perfection" is the wrong goal, and what to focus on instead Resources mentioned: Learn more and grab free HIPAA resources: guardianclinicalessentials.comNeed help with your intake process? Book a free strategy call at productivetherapist.com

Ever feel like you're starting from scratch every time you open Claude or ChatGPT? 🤔 In this solo episode, Uriah shares a simple fix: the "Master Prompt." 🎉 Fresh off a three-hour presentation to testing psychologists in Fort Collins, Colorado, Uriah built a free tool to help practice owners give their AI assistants real context about who they are and how they run their business.  This is the key to making every AI conversation feel like talking to someone who already knows you! What you'll learn:  What a "Master Prompt" is and why it's the single best first step for getting better results from AIHow to to build your own Master Prompt in about 15–20 minutesExactly where to paste your Master Prompt in Claude (Settings → General → Instructions for Claude) or ChatGPT (as a source document in a Project) Try the Master Prompt here: http://crafted.productivetherapist.com Book a 1:1 AI strategy session with Uriah: http://productivetherapist.com/consulting Visit the website: https://productivetherapist.com/ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro + the Master Prompt Idea 01:57 Tool Walkthrough 03:22 Set Up in Claude + ChatGPT 04:36 More Free Tools 05:19 Wrap Up and Support

Cleaning your inbox feels great. But is it actually moving your practice forward? Or is it just... busy work in disguise? 👀 That's the question at the heart of this episode. Uriah sits down with Brittany Shank, LCSW, 20-year military veteran, mom of four, and owner of Solace Counseling, a 13-clinician group practice in Fargo, North Dakota. She's also the founder of "I'm Here," a client check-in app she built because she got bored one day and decided to just... make something. Brittany and Uriah dig into the real difference between busy and productive, and it's not what you'd think. Spoiler: it has a lot to do with vulnerability, dopamine, and why you'd rather reorganize your inbox than have that one hard conversation you've been putting off. This conversation will make you rethink your to-do list. In a good way. A things you'll learn: Why "busy" often masks avoidance, and how to spot the difference between a task that's genuinely urgent and one that's just a comfortable distraction. How to reduce the emotional labor behind your admin tasks (templates, systems, and delegation can save you more than just time). Why the truly productive stuff usually feels a little scary, and why that's actually a good sign. A few quotes: "Busy is easy. Busy gives us a really good dopamine hit in the moment. Busy is usually what gets in the way of being productive." "Usually the vulnerable thing is the productive thing." "Build a system that reduces emotional labor as well as administrative labor." A few links: Solace Co Directory Solace Counseling

Your admin team is about to get superpowers. 🦸 Here's a fun fact that'll make your jaw drop: in 2024, more people went to a behavioral health appointment than a primary care one. That's never happened before.  Therapists, you are in demand. Here's a less fun fact: Americans spend something like $960 billion a year just on healthcare admin. Not clinicians. Not care. Just the paperwork behind the paperwork. So what happens when someone builds a practice automation platform specifically to close that gap? Listen to this episode to find out. Justin Ith, co-founder and CEO of Aria, joins Uriah to talk AI, automation, and why "human in the loop" isn't going anywhere anytime soon — even as the tools get scary good. Top 3 things you'll learn: Not all AI is created equal. There's generic AI (your Claude, your ChatGPT, your Gemini) and there's purpose-built AI for practice-specific problems. Knowing which tool solves which problem is half the battle. The "big hospital" advantage is shrinking. Deep benefits verification used to take a human several minutes of digging through portals. Aria does it in 11 seconds — the kind of automation that used to be exclusive to billion-dollar health systems, now available to a 10-clinician group practice. AI won't replace your team — it'll supercharge them. The future isn't fewer people, it's fewer openings as your existing staff's capacity grows. You still need someone to "drive the car," as Justin puts it — these systems aren't perfect, and they're not fully autonomous. A few quotes: "You have to not just love the problem — you really have to love who you're trying to help. That's the one consistent through line." "The average person would take a couple minutes. We do it in 11 seconds." "These tools are not intentionally designed to replace you. They're intended to empower you." A few links: Head to heyaria.com/productive for one month free on Aria's practice reporting tool — Justin's gift to Productive Therapist listeners. Find out more about our services at https://productivetherapist.com/