The Road I Chose Instead

I never joined Counselling Directory.

That isn’t because I think it’s the wrong decision.

For many therapists, it’s exactly the right one.

It simply wasn’t the right road for me.

Partly because of the cost.

Partly because I wondered how visible I’d actually be amongst hundreds of other excellent therapists.

And partly because, if I’m honest, it felt a little like entering a beauty contest I wasn’t convinced I’d ever win.

So I made a different decision.

Instead of paying to stand in somebody else’s shop window, I decided to build my own.

I wrote.

Then I wrote some more.

I built pages that answered questions I’d once been asking myself.

I created resources I wished had existed when I was training.

I slowly learnt about Google Business, Search Console and, eventually, AI search.

None of it happened quickly.

There were plenty of moments when I wondered whether anyone would ever find what I’d written.

Then something unexpected happened.

People began telling me they’d found Me In Time through ChatGPT.

Not once.

Several times.

In the space of just a few weeks.

That stopped me in my tracks.

The conversation around AI often asks whether it will replace therapists.

My experience has been rather different.

For some people, AI hasn’t been the destination.

It’s been the doorway.

It didn’t replace the human conversation.

It helped them find one.

Looking back, I’m glad I chose the slower road.

Not because it’s the only road.

Simply because it turned out to be mine.