Why a Cutting-Edge Behavioral Health Practice Takes an Old-School Approach to Market Its Services
// By Lisa D. Ellis //
A behavioral health practice in Manhattan that offers cutting-edge treatment options goes surprisingly low-tech when it comes to its marketing strategy. The results prove that sometimes simpler can be better.
Find out how this practice:
- Uses old-fashioned techniques to connect with patients and physicians.
- Takes the stigma out of accessing mental health services through strategic marketing efforts that encourage people to see benefits offered by the latest treatments.
- Builds lasting relationships that lead to a profitable business model.
A quick search of the Psychology Today online directory for therapists in New York City turns up close to 5,500 options. With that much competition, the most successful practices are hard-pressed to find a way to stand out.
Robert Reiner, PhD, executive director and founder of Behavioral Associates, a behavioral health practice on the Upper East Side, understands the magnitude of this challenge and has responded by creating a center that offers a comprehensive spectrum of services, including traditional approaches coupled with high-tech treatment strategies.
The practice, opened in 1988, today employs more than 15 psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers who specialize in using innovative strategies to help patients tackle psychological symptoms, using medications as a last resort, explains Brieanna Scolaro, LMSW, director of community relations for Behavioral Associates. She points out that some of the high-tech options offered by the practice include neurofeedback, brain imaging, and virtual reality tools.
Brieanna Scolaro, LMSW, director of community relations for Behavioral Associates
“We are the only practice I know of in this country that offers this combination of services, along with the more traditional model [such as cognitive behavioral health therapy, a form of treatment that attempts to change negative thoughts and patterns],” says Scolaro. She is responsible for managing all of the marketing, communication, and patient and physician relations efforts for the practice. Ultimately she is charged with building a strong patient and referral base, as well as working to overcome some of the stigma that has long been associated with accessing mental health services.