Social Media Strategies for Therapists
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When Amanda Petrik-Gardner started her practice part-time, social media was the marketing she could afford, because it was free. She also did almost everything she would now tell you not to do. She posted when she felt like it, without any pattern. And nearly every post was some version of hire me, which gives a reader no reason to follow, engage or pass it on.
In 2019 she decided to work it out properly and spent a year on one platform, testing what got engagement and what did not. This course is what came out of that. It is taught by a clinician who built a practice, not by a marketer who has never sat with a client, and she is direct about follower counts being a poor measure of anything worth having.
Two and a half hours across two sessions. Which platforms suit a therapy practice and why picking one and doing it properly beats spreading yourself across four. What to actually post, meaning content someone would choose to follow rather than announcements about your availability. Specific techniques on Facebook and Instagram for reaching the people you want to reach. And how the whole thing connects to the practical end of a practice: referrals, networking, and being visible to the people who send you clients.
You’ll walk away with
- Why the obvious approach, posting about your services when you remember to, produces nothing
- Choosing the platform that fits your practice, and why one done well beats several done badly
- Creating content people follow, engage with and share, rather than content about you
- Consistency as the mechanism, and what a workable posting pattern looks like for a busy clinician
- Specific Facebook and Instagram techniques for connecting with the audience you want
- Identifying who you are actually trying to reach before you write anything
- How social media fits alongside the referral and networking work that does the heavier lifting
- An honest view of what follower numbers are and are not worth
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CPD Information For Mental Health Professionals
Enjoy complete flexibility with 100% self-paced learning you can access anytime, anywhere, and on any device. This course is included with your Tatra Training membership, along with every other course in the library.
Please note: this course covers practice marketing rather than clinical practice. Check with your professional body before counting it toward CPD. Social media platforms change quickly, so treat the platform-specific material as a starting point rather than current settings.
Course Duration: 2.5 learning hours
Certificate and CPD hours: On completion you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion to support your CPD records. Your certificates are yours to keep.
Assessment: Complete a short quiz at the end (80% pass mark), which you can resit as many times as needed.
Revisit Anytime: Come back to the course as often as you like while your membership is active, whenever you want a refresher for practice.
CPD Eligibility: This program may be suitable for CPD for professionals such as:
- Psychologists
- Counsellors and Psychotherapists
- Social Workers
- Community Workers
- Mental Health Nurses
- General Practitioners (GPs)
- Occupational Therapists
CPD requirements vary between professional bodies, so please check with your association or credentialing body to confirm you can claim CPD hours/OPD points for this program and what evidence they require.
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Meet Your Instructor
When clients with OCD, anxiety disorders, and body-focused repetitive behaviors need evidence-based treatment that actually works, clinicians refer to Amanda Petrik-Gardner. Her specialised expertise in exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral interventions gives practitioners proven methods to help clients break free from the most stubborn anxiety patterns.
Licensed across eight states with over a decade in private practice, Petrik-Gardner has built her reputation on delivering concrete results for conditions that often resist traditional therapy approaches. Her deep training in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Inference-Based CBT, and the Comprehensive Behavioral Model makes her a go-to resource for clinicians treating OCD, trichotillomania, skin picking, hoarding, and complex anxiety presentations.
What sets her training apart is practical application. Petrik-Gardner doesn't just teach theo - she shows clinicians exactly how to implement ERP protocols, structure exposure hierarchies, and navigate the challenging moments when clients want to avoid or seek reassurance. Her specialised knowledge spans everything from panic disorder and social anxiety to body dysmorphic disorder and selective mutism, giving practitioners comprehensive tools for anxiety spectrum conditions.
Her approach combines rigorous evidence-based methods with compassionate understanding of how these disorders impact daily life. She teaches clinicians to recognise the subtle ways OCD and BFRBs present, how to differentiate between anxiety disorders that look similar, and most importantly, how to help clients build lasting recovery skills.
For your practice, expect to gain specific ERP techniques for different OCD subtypes, practical strategies for treating body-focused repetitive behaviors, and clear protocols for helping clients with hoarding behaviors. Her methods help clinicians feel confident treating conditions they may have previously referred out.
Quick Win: Petrik-Gardner's approach to compulsive reassurance seeking - teaching both clients and their support systems how to respond differently to anxiety - helps to create immediate relief and faster treatment progress.
Qualifications
- M.S., Counseling Psychology, University of Kansas, 2008
- B.A., Psychology, Kansas State University, 2006
- Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (Kansas, Maine)
- Licensed Professional Counselor (Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Arizona)
- Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner (Nebraska)
- Approved out-of-state telehealth provider (Florida)
Authored Books
- The Compulsive Reassurance Seeking Workbook (2024)
Featured & Recognition
- Creator, OCD Exposure Coloring Books (2021)
- Guest, OCD Family Podcast (2024)
- Active YouTube and Instagram mental health educator (2022–2025)
Teaching & Roles
- Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Private Practice, Topeka, KS and Telehealth, 2015–present
- IOCDF Conference presenter (multiple years)
- Professional webinar presenter (2022–2025)
- Licensed Clinical Outpatient Therapist, Stormont Vail, Topeka, KS, 2014–2016
Feedback & Reviews
This course includes:
- Lessons 3
- Topics 0
- Duration 2.5 hours
- Quizzes 1
- Language English