Watch this episode on YouTube
Marketing can feel uncomfortable for a lot of therapists. Most of us were trained to be neutral, private, and to keep the focus on the client. So when someone tells you that you need to show up on social media or talk about your work publicly, it can feel a little strange.
But visibility matters more than ever when it comes to building a private practice.
In this episode, I’m joined by Jazzmyn Proctor, a therapist, podcaster, and marketing mentor who helps clinicians show up online in ways that feel authentic and sustainable. Jazzmyn shares how she started building her presence while still in grad school and how social media became a natural way to grow her practice and connect with the right clients.
We talk about the tension many therapists feel between being a “blank slate” and being visible online, how to find a marketing style that fits your strengths, and why you do not have to be everywhere to grow your practice.
If social media has ever felt intimidating or overwhelming, this conversation will give you a practical and realistic way to think about marketing your work.
Meet Jazzmyn Proctor 
Jazzmyn Proctor, M.S., LGPC, NCC, CTP, is a mental health therapist specializing in trauma-informed, attachment-based therapy under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Kaufman Walker. She earned her master’s degree from Hood College. During her time in graduate school, she was actively involved in community initiatives, including serving on the board of directors for Annapolis Pride. Jazzmyn believes strongly in working to create meaningful change both inside and outside of the therapy room.
Why Marketing Feels So Uncomfortable for Therapists
Many therapists were trained with a very specific clinical posture in mind. In graduate school and clinical training, the emphasis is often on being neutral, professional, and somewhat private. The therapist is taught to be a “blank slate,” allowing the client’s experience to take center stage.
That approach can work well inside the therapy room. But outside of it, particularly when it comes to marketing a private practice, it can create a real tension.
Marketing often requires visibility. It involves sharing your perspective, showing some personality, and helping potential clients get a sense of who you are. For therapists who were trained to reveal very little about themselves, that shift can feel deeply uncomfortable.
The Blank Slate vs. Visibility
One of the key themes in this conversation with Jazzmyn Proctor is the challenge therapists face when trying to reconcile clinical training with modern marketing.
The traditional model of therapy encourages therapists to minimize personal disclosure. The focus stays squarely on the client’s story, not the therapist’s. But when someone is searching for a therapist online, they often want to know more than just credentials and a list of specialties.
Potential clients want to understand how a therapist thinks, what they value, and whether they feel relatable and approachable.
That is where visibility becomes important.
Visibility does not mean oversharing. It means giving people enough insight to understand who you are and what it might feel like to sit in the room with you.
Why Social Media Has Become So Important
For many therapists today, social media has become a significant referral source. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok allow clinicians to share ideas, perspectives, and small pieces of their story in a way that builds connection with potential clients.
Jazzmyn Proctor recognized this early in her career.
While still in graduate school, she began thinking about how she could diversify her professional path and build additional streams of income beyond traditional therapy work. Social media felt like a natural extension of her creativity and interests.
Over time, those platforms became not just a creative outlet but a powerful marketing tool.
By consistently showing up online, she was able to connect with other clinicians, attract ideal clients, and open doors to new opportunities such as podcasting, brand partnerships, and speaking engagements.
Finding a Niche That Resonates
Another important piece of marketing is clarity about who you serve.
Jazzmyn works primarily with high-achieving women and couples. Many of her clients struggle with perfectionism, anxiety, and the pressure that often comes with high performance.
Because she understands those experiences personally, she is able to create content that speaks directly to those struggles.
When therapists share insights that reflect the real challenges their ideal clients face, the content naturally resonates. It feels authentic rather than forced.
That authenticity is what often draws people in.
Marketing Does Not Have to Look the Same for Everyone
One of the biggest misconceptions about marketing is that everyone has to follow the same formula.
In reality, different therapists thrive in different formats.
Some enjoy speaking on video and creating short-form content. Others prefer writing, whether that is through blog posts, newsletters, or long-form social media captions. Some find that podcasting or guest appearances allow them to communicate their ideas most effectively.
The key is identifying your strengths.
When marketing aligns with your natural communication style, it becomes much easier to maintain over time.
Avoiding Burnout in the Marketing Process
Another concern therapists often have about social media is burnout.
Trying to keep up with constant posting, trends, and platform changes can quickly feel overwhelming. Jazzmyn emphasizes the importance of building systems that support sustainability.
Batching podcast episodes, using scheduling tools, and allowing space for creativity can make a significant difference.
Marketing does not have to feel like a daily grind. It can become a manageable part of running a practice when the right systems are in place.
Working Smarter With Tools and Systems
Today’s platforms offer built-in tools that can simplify the marketing process.
For example, Meta’s scheduling tools allow therapists to post to Instagram and Facebook simultaneously. Draft features inside many apps make it easy to create content in advance and publish it later.
These systems allow clinicians to extend their reach without doubling their workload.
Marketing does not have to mean constantly being online. With the right structure, it can be something that supports your practice rather than draining your energy.
Building Confidence Through Practice
For therapists who are new to marketing, the biggest barrier is often simply getting started.
It can feel awkward to talk about your work publicly. It can feel uncomfortable to share parts of your story or perspective.
But like most skills, confidence grows with practice.
The more therapists experiment with different formats and approaches, the more they begin to discover what feels authentic to them.
Expanding Your Career Beyond the Therapy Room
Another important point Jazzmyn raises is that social media can also create opportunities beyond traditional therapy work.
Many clinicians are exploring ways to diversify their careers. That might include consulting, speaking, teaching, writing, or creating digital products.
A visible online presence can open doors to these possibilities.
Even for therapists who plan to stay primarily focused on clinical work, visibility can strengthen professional connections and expand referral networks.
Taking the First Step Toward Visibility
At the heart of this conversation is a simple but powerful idea.
Therapists do not have to abandon their values or professionalism to market their work effectively.
Visibility can coexist with integrity.
It starts by sharing thoughtful insights, speaking honestly about the challenges people face, and allowing potential clients to see the human side of the therapist behind the credentials.
For many clinicians, that small shift from invisibility to authentic presence can make all the difference in building a thriving practice.
Jazzmyn Proctor The Practice of Therapy Podcast
Gordon Brewer: Well, hello everyone and welcome again to the podcast and I'm really happy for you to get to know today. Jazzmyn Proctor. Welcome, Jazzmyn. Glad to have you.
Jazzmyn Proctor: Thank you so much for having me, Gordon.
Gordon Brewer: Yeah. And Jazzmyn is a, a podcaster as well, and she's gonna tell us more about that. But Jazzmyn is a start with everyone.
Tell folks a little bit more about yourself and how you've landed where you've landed.
Jazzmyn Proctor: Absolutely. So I am a mental health therapist based in Washington, DC uh, where I serve clients virtually in the states of Maryland and Virginia as well. And while I was in grad school and thinking about ways that I wanted to diversify my career and build external streams of income outside of being a therapist, social media seemed like the really natural route to take.
So from there I built my podcast, the Visibility Standard, and started building my marketing, especially through like platforms like Instagram and TikTok. So that's where I am now.
Gordon Brewer: Oh, cool. Tell tell folks the name of your podcast.
Jazzmyn Proctor: My podcast is the Visibility Standard.
Gordon Brewer: Okay. Okay good.
So as you, uh, started making this transition, I know one of the things that we talked a little bit about before we started recording is just, um, I think maybe sometimes, therapists maybe sometimes struggle a little bit with being public facing and then using mm-hmm. Yeah. You know, getting on social media and maybe there is different comfort levels with that and that sort of thing.
But tell us kinda your journey through all of that and how you, how you came, landed on that.
Jazzmyn Proctor: Yeah. I mean, a lot of us therapists learn like. You wanna be a blank slate, right? So you want to make sure like the client knows the least amount of you as possible. Uh, and that's really hard with social media 'cause part of marketing is sharing about yourself and being more personable.
For me it has always been really valuable for me to access my creativity in multiple ways. And so that's why social media was really important to me, but I also recognized. Since like 2020 that marketing my practice on social media was going to be a, a stronger referral base for myself to connect with other clinicians, to connect with potential clients.
And so it was. I don't know. I guess it was kind of less about me being public facing when I first started and more about like, okay, what does it mean to practically market my business and and build the caseload that I need to?
Gordon Brewer: What sort of things did you find that were resonating with people as far as your niche and that sort of thing?
And I guess that might be a good question as well, is what niche do you identify for yourself? You know, the type of clients you seek.
Jazzmyn Proctor: So I work primarily with high achieving women and couples. I love couples work. Uh, and I, I think that approaching both like differently, like with individuals, I love the public facing and getting to be one-on-one.
And then with couples, like you get to work with the unit. And I, I love being able to be a witness to strengthening a bond. So I work a lot with relationships. Of all types and as well as a lot of mood disorders perfectionism, anxiety, a lot of things that I would see with high achieving individuals.
And so part of then building content around how to meet my ideal client was okay. Talking about. The struggles with being a high achiever that, that fear of not being able to turn it off talking a lot about self-worth and as also a someone who aspires high and, and has had high expectations for themselves.
I found myself being able to naturally incorporate myself, my story into the content, which made me more. Relatable as a, a therapist and people seem to gravitate to that.
Gordon Brewer: Right. You know, um, you, you said something earlier that I think a lot of us in our training get in that is to be kind of a neutral blank slate with people.
But one of the things I've learned in the almost 25 years that I've been doing been in. Been a therapist is, is that I think you give yourself more credibility when there's a bit of self-disclosure. Mm-hmm. And so being able to kinda share kind of your humanness, I think goes a long way with building rapport.
And I think it really resonates with people as well.
Jazzmyn Proctor: Absolutely. I mean, people are coming in and sharing their like the most sacred parts of themselves sometimes in the space, and so social media has also made it possible for me to share tidbits of my story without taking up session time. So that's been a really good value when we think about.
The value of self-disclosure, the value of connecting with potential clients, current clients, uh, I, I get to share who I am, share how people can experience me in session without necessarily taking up time, like in the client session.
Gordon Brewer: Mm-hmm. Yeah. And so, yeah. And so as you think about your, have you, as you have kinda learned all of this and I'm assuming maybe, uh, did, were you, did you have any background with any of this before you started doing your own marketing?
Any,
Jazzmyn Proctor: yes. So I, um, worked for a quasi government agency a nonprofit basically, and they were just. Building their social media platforms when I was hired on. And so I decided to take that on during the COVID year. It got me to network with people, uh, local leaders, uh, government officials that were in the area.
And it allowed me, again, to foster that creativity in a, a role that I didn't really expect to be building social media. And so from then on, I knew that social media would always be a part of my work. I just didn't expect it to be for myself, uh, specifically. Uh, and so that was the fun turn of events, but I was like, well, if I can do it for other people, I can probably do it for myself.
Gordon Brewer: So maybe walk us through a little bit of your process with all of that as far as how you develop your posts and which platforms you find most successful. For what you do.
Jazzmyn Proctor: So the most thoughtful process I have is my podcasting process, especially since I have guests and, and so I try to automate a lot of that process as much as I can.
Mm-hmm. Uh, with Z Cal and other like online schedulers. So from there I batch maybe a couple of episodes ahead of time so that I don't have to always record in the moment that allows me to stay organized and on top of, uh, the weekly cadence that I like to maintain with platforms like Instagram and TikTok, I.
Post what I feel like talking about. I find that's what keeps it fun. It's how I avoid burnout. So whether it's a clinical insight, some storytelling, or promoting my podcast Instagram and TikTok is a bit more like free is a bit more free. It's a freer process. Uh mm-hmm. I have found the most success with marketing on.
Instagram, uh, I always say, you get what you put into it. And so mm-hmm. I've put a lot of work time and dedication into it and have been thankful to reap the rewards, not just clinically but been able to partner with different mental health aligned brands articles and guesting on podcasts too.
Mm-hmm. So, uh, it's been very fruitful. Um, been very grateful.
Gordon Brewer: Yeah. Yeah. So if, if someone is maybe thinking, okay, I need to up my social media game, how would you tell them to kind of go about doing that?
Jazzmyn Proctor: So I work with therapists, uh, in identifying what platforms they do want to, invest in, uh, I offer, uh, mentorship to business owners and therapists, private practice owners, uh, and I always identify, I want them to identify their strengths first.
So not everyone enjoys talking in front of the camera. Some people prefer text posts, pretty picture posts, and that's okay. Instagram may be the platform for them. TikTok may not be the platform for them. Some really thrive with block style writing and long form content. Okay, so you're guesting on podcasts or you are, uh, building out a substack, which has been really helpful for leads.
And so allowing the clinician to first identify. What kind of time they feel like investing in their marketing and what are their strengths in terms of their creating style.
Gordon Brewer: Are there particular, uh, do you use, do you create within Instagram or do you use things like Canva or other.
Platforms to help with that.
Jazzmyn Proctor: All of 'em. Canva a lot for my, when I do kind of carousel text posts to make 'em fun. I'll use Canva. I do a lot of my video editing in Instagram and TikTok. Uh, and then with my podcast, I use a podcast editor. Have a good microphone. And again, like have those systems that I found work for me.
Mm-hmm. Um, so it, it makes the process more easy. But I will say, like in first starting out, it definitely feels like a big lift because you're still just learning a lot of this. And I mean, a lot of us in grad school didn't get a tech 1 0 1 class, right. We don't necessarily talk about marketing. And so I can understand too, why it can feel really intimidating for clinicians to start creating.
Gordon Brewer: Yeah. Yeah. Are there any particular I know there's, uh, it's been a while since I've been directly involved in social media. I thank goodness I've got my assistant, Rachel, that handles all of that for me, and she does a much better job than I could ever dream about doing. But, um, are there any sort of scheduling software or platforms that you use as far as, you know, creating a bunch of posts and then it.
Thing put out there
Jazzmyn Proctor: on a schedule. Uh,
Gordon Brewer: so
Jazzmyn Proctor: Meta for Business, oh, sorry, go ahead.
Gordon Brewer: Yeah, yeah, go ahead. No, go ahead. You're fine.
Jazzmyn Proctor: Um, meta For Business, uh, allows you to schedule posts on Facebook and Instagram and as a fun. Cross posting tip, like when you post on Instagram, it can automatically also post to your Facebook.
So that doubles your marketing efforts without you having to do any work really. Mm-hmm. Uh, again, allows people to expand their reach, their SEO. And so sometimes it's nice to find those platforms too that help you work smarter, not harder,
Gordon Brewer: right?
Jazzmyn Proctor: So matter for business. Instagram. TikTok, you can also create posts and draft them so you can save them for later.
Uh, you can also schedule through the in-app. A lot of the social media apps have a lot of really great in-app functions already, and so we don't have mm-hmm. To. Go to a million different apps to accomplish what we want to accomplish.
Gordon Brewer: Yeah. Things have really changed since I first started out. And, uh, thinking about marketing, we used, uh, um, and I'm not sure if we're still using it or not, but we used, um, a platform called Buffer, which allowed us to post on several different platforms.
Okay. Yeah. You know, create the post and then it would feed it out to mm-hmm. Different platforms. So, yeah. So I thought that was, at the time, that was pretty cool. But I'm sure things have changed a lot since we did all of that. Well, um. Jazzmyn if people are interested in working with you, tell 'em, tell folks a little bit more about what you do and kinda your process there.
Jazzmyn Proctor: Absolutely. So if you go to my website at healing with Jazzmyn, J-A-Z-Z-M-Y-N there you will see all of my offers for therapy as well as marketing business coaching for therapists and business owners. Uh, from there you'll be able to fill out a form that will email me directly. I also have a number on there if you prefer to text, to reach out, and I would be happy to talk more about what it would look like to work together.
Gordon Brewer: That's awesome. And we will have links in the, the show notes and the show summary, and I'm assuming your podcast can be found almost any of the podcast platforms.
Jazzmyn Proctor: Yes, the visibility standard can be found on Spotify, apple, YouTube. Anywhere you listen to your favorite podcast, you can also find my show.
Gordon Brewer: Sure. Sure. And well, again, we'll have links here in the show notes and the show summary for people to get to those things easily. But, um, Jazzmyn, any parting thoughts just on what you do and maybe some encouragement for people out there that might be a little intimidated with doing a lot of social media?
Jazzmyn Proctor: Absolutely. I mean, so many of us find ourselves pivoting, whether that's. Uh, adding something on, on top of being a therapist or pivoting out of therapy altogether, allowing yourself to flex that risk muscle, uh, and trying something new through creating on social media can be a really great way to test what you're into next.
Gordon Brewer: Oh, great. That's great. Jazzmyn I appreciate you being on the, on the show and, um, do check folks, do check out her things. Again, you'll find links here in the show notes, in the show summary and, um, hopefully we can have another conversation here soon.
Jazzmyn Proctor: Absolutely. Thank you so much, Gordon.
Gordon Brewer: Thank you.
Being transparent… Some of the resources below use affiliate links which simply means we receive a commission if you purchase using the links, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for using the links!
Jazzmyn Proctor’s Resources
Website
Instagram
Resources
Use the promo code “GORDON” to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free.
Start Consulting with Gordon
Listen to other great Podcasts on the PsychCraft Network Today!
Google Workspace (formerly G-Suite) for Therapists Users Group on Facebook
The Course: Google Workspace for Therapists
Follow @PracticeofTherapy on Instagram
Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT
Gordon is the person behind The Practice of Therapy Podcast & Blog. He is also President and Founder of Kingsport Counseling Associates, PLLC. He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. PLEASE Subscribe to The Practice of Therapy Podcast wherever you listen to it. Follow us on Instagram @practiceoftherapy, and “Like” us on Facebook.