Practice Innovations, Vol 10(4), Dec 2025, 320-333; doi:10.1037/pri0000289
To be successful in the business of practice, it is essential that practitioners engage in effective ongoing advertising and marketing practices. These practices hold the objective of promoting the practitioner’s business and generating referrals so the practitioner may be financially successful and maintain a viable practice. Effective advertising and marketing should inform and educate the public and potential referral sources about the practitioner, the professional services they provide, and relevant mental health-related issues. It is hoped that members of the public and potential referral sources will be provided with the information needed to be able to find the mental health services they are seeking and to make informed decisions about seeking professional services from the practitioner. A wide range of advertising and marketing strategies are reviewed to include their potential benefits, strategies for implementing them successfully, and ethical pitfalls and challenges to avoid. Practitioners’ fiduciary responsibility to patients, the role of the profession’s underlying values and the General Principles of the ethics code in decision making, and relevant ethical standards are discussed and reviewed in detail. Key ethics issues addressed include accuracy and honesty in public statements, avoiding undue influence and exploitation, preventing inappropriate multiple relationships, and protecting each individual’s confidentiality. Specific recommendations are made for the ethical and effective advertising and marketing of mental health services by practitioners to include in-person, print, and online activities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)