Episode #656: Does It Take More Work To Get Clients Now

Sat Jun 07 2025

In today's Ask Allison, I’m answering a question that’s on a lot of therapists’ minds in 2025: Do I have to offer more services or hustle harder to keep my practice full? Spoiler: more isn’t always better. In fact, trying to do it all...

Summary

Abundant Practice Podcast Episode #656 Summary: "Does It Take More Work To Get Clients Now"

Release Date: June 7, 2025
Host: Allison Puryear

Introduction

In Episode #656 of the Abundant Practice Podcast, titled "Does It Take More Work To Get Clients Now," host Allison Puryear addresses a pressing concern among therapists: the increasing effort required to attract and retain clients in today's competitive landscape. This episode delves into effective marketing strategies tailored for private practice, emphasizing quality over quantity and intentionality over sheer volume.

The Evolving Therapeutic Market

Allison begins by contextualizing the current state of the therapeutic market. With the rise of telehealth and the influx of therapy tech companies since 2019, therapists now face a saturated market with clients having "thousands more options for therapists" compared to a few years ago. This surge has made client acquisition more challenging, necessitating a strategic approach to marketing.

Allison (05:30): "Clients have literally thousands more options for therapists now than they did back in 2019, before telehealth was so popular and before big therapy tech wooed so many therapists onto their payroll."

The Necessity of Focused Marketing Over Increased Effort

Contrary to the intuition that more efforts equate to more clients, Allison argues that "you shouldn't offer more to get more clients." Instead, she emphasizes the importance of focused marketing—targeting specific niches and refining existing marketing strategies rather than diluting efforts across multiple services.

Allison (07:45): "Having to market multiple services really waters down what you do. It takes away more energy and it can really confuse people. And a confused mind says no."

She further explains that while some therapists might need to initiate marketing efforts if they hadn't previously, those already engaged in marketing should aim to enhance the quality and consistency of their strategies rather than increasing the quantity.

Allison (10:15): "If you were already marketing before, you don't need to do more marketing, you just need to do it better."

Five Key Marketing Strategies for Therapists

Allison outlines five essential marketing strategies designed to attract the ideal client without overwhelming the therapist with excessive work:

Niche-Specific Website
- Description: Develop a website that exclusively discusses your niche, addressing problems as clients would articulate them during initial interactions.
- Purpose: Clear messaging attracts clients seeking specialized services.
- Quote:
  
  Allison (14:20): "Of those five strategies, one needs to be a very clear niched website. You only talk about your niche on your website."
Weekly Networking
- Description: Engage in networking activities at least once a week to build relationships and gain referrals.
- Adaptability: Extroverted therapists or those aiming for rapid growth may increase this frequency.
- Quote:
  
  Allison (16:05): "Another of those five strategies needs to be weekly networking. You can do it more than weekly if you're extroverted or you need to build quicker."
Additional Strategies Tailored to Strengths
- Options Include:
  - SEO Optimization: Enhance your online presence to improve search engine rankings.
  - Public Speaking: Offer talks and workshops to establish authority.
  - Optimized Online Listings: Refine profiles on platforms like Psychology Today to reflect your niche.
- Purpose: Leveraging personal strengths ensures consistency and effectiveness.
- Quote:
  
  Allison (18:50): "If you love tech, that could be SEO. If you love public speaking, that could be giving talks."
Consistent and Intentional Marketing
- Focus: Maintain regularity in marketing efforts to build momentum and visibility.
- Quote:
  
  Allison (22:15): "You have to be really clear on your ideal client. You have to take the time to think about perspective before they call you and use their language, not your conceptualized psychobabble."
Clear Communication of Value
- Description: Ensure all marketing communications clearly convey your ability to serve your specific ideal client.
- Outcome: Attracts clients who resonate with your services, leading to a higher conversion rate.
- Quote:
  
  Allison (25:40): "If in all five marketing strategies you communicate that you really get your specific ideal client, then you're going to get calls."

The Importance of Consistency and Grit

Allison stresses that while the time to see results may extend compared to previous years, "consistent action leads to consistent, though delayed results." She acknowledges the challenges therapists face in maintaining their marketing efforts, especially when immediate results aren't evident. However, she encourages resilience and persistence, highlighting that sustained effort will ultimately lead to a thriving practice.

Allison (29:10): "It may take more time than it would have a few years ago, but you're going to get full if you keep using marketing best practices because people are getting slower results."

She advises therapists to confront tough days by choosing to invest in necessary marketing activities rather than dealing with the long-term consequences of insufficient client acquisition.

Allison (31:05): "On tough days, ask yourself which problem you want to have. You want to put in the effort for the marketing activity that isn't the most fun thing to do? Is that the problem you want to have, or do you want to have to continue to worry about not having clients months from now?"

Conclusion and Resources

Allison wraps up the episode by reiterating that success in client acquisition doesn't stem from doing more or offering a broader range of services, but from focused and strategic marketing. She invites listeners to access a free worksheet titled "Common Marketing Strategies for Therapists" and offers additional support through her membership program, Abundance Party.

For further assistance, therapists are encouraged to visit www.abundancepracticebuilding.com to access resources such as checklists and worksheets or to join the Abundance Party for more in-depth guidance.

Key Takeaways:

Quality Over Quantity: Focused marketing on a specific niche is more effective than offering multiple services.
Five Essential Strategies: Implement a niched website, engage in weekly networking, and choose three additional strategies aligned with personal strengths.
Consistency is Crucial: Regular and intentional marketing efforts lead to sustained client acquisition.
Adapt to Market Changes: With increasing options for clients, therapists must refine their marketing approaches to stand out.

By adhering to these principles, therapists can navigate the evolving market landscape, ensuring a thriving and fulfilling private practice.

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Transcript

Allison (0:00)

Foreign welcome to Ask Allison. Y' all ask the questions about having a fun and thriving practice, and I answer them. We have a worksheet for you today so you can bring this answer into your life. You can Access that@AbundancePracticeBuilding.com links where you'll also be able to ask any questions you have for Ask Allison. If you want more support, we've got some free trainings in there too. If you can't get enough Ask Allison, check out our YouTube channel for our entire Ask Allison library. Welcome back to Ask Allison. Here's today's question. In today's market, are therapists having to do more and offer more services to get clients? Love the question. Before we delve in, I would like to thank our sponsor, Therapy Notes. I've talked about them for years. You know their features by heart by now too. But here's what really sets them apart. First, they genuinely care about your experience. It's not just about troubleshooting. They actively implement in what their users suggest, like therapy search, secure messaging, clinical outcome tracking, all sorts of things. Everybody at Therapy Notes believes in the product and they really want you to love it too. Plus, they're independently owned, which means no venture capital and no pressure to prioritize their investors over their customers. This independence allows them to keep their prices fair, to focus on innovation, and to prioritize customer experience. With over 100,000 therapists already on board, they've proven that you don't have to compromise success for quality. If you're ready to see for yourself, try Therapy notes free for two months with the code abundant@therapynotes.com so you do not have to do more or offer more to get clients. You're really glad I said that. In fact, you shouldn't offer more to get more clients. Having to market multiple services really waters down what you do. It takes away more energy and it can really confuse people. And a confused mind says no. That's one of my very favorite marketing maxims. I suppose I should say that you may have to do more if you weren't doing anything to market before. You absolutely have to market your practice in 2025, whether you're private pay or you take insurance. Clients have literally thousands more options for therapists now than they did back in 2019, before telehealth was so popular and before big therapy tech wooed so many therapists onto their payroll. If you were already marketing before, you don't need to do more marketing, you just need to do it better. You could really honestly half ass your marketing in 2020-2023 and still get full. But referrals started slowing down in 2024 and they really slowed down for people this year. You don't need to spend more time per se, but you do need to be more intentional and more consistent. You have to be really clear on your ideal client. You have to take the time to think about perspective before they call you and use their language, not your conceptualized psychobabble. So here's what you need to fill your practice. You need a niche that describes the problem as the client would describe it in an initial phone call or an initial session. And then you need no more than five marketing strategies that are focused exclusively on this niche. It's the same thing I've been saying for years. Of those five strategies, one needs to be a very clear niched website. You only talk about your niche on your website. You will get non niche clients, I promise. I've never had more than 75% of my caseload be niche clients and it usually hovers around 60%. Another of those five strategies needs to be weekly networking. You can do it more than weekly if you're extroverted or you need to build quicker. I always did more than that, but one time a week seems to be the minimal effective dose in 2025. Then you need to have three more marketing strategies that you can play with. If you love tech, that could be SEO. If you love public speaking, that could be giving talks. If you have a Psychology Today profile, optimize it for your niche and you've got online listings handled. There are several very popular marketing strategies to choose from so you can figure out what works best with your personality, your strengths, your potential clients. This is really important because if you hate doing something like blogging for instance, you you're unlikely to be as consistent as you need to be for it to actually count as marketing. You have to choose strategies you don't hate or actually enjoy to get results. In what I've seen in my students over the last 10 years and my experience as a therapist in private practice over the last 20 years, you can white knuckle it if you want to, but there are enough marketing options that you shouldn't have to. So if in all five marketing strategies you communicate that you really get your specific ideal client, then you're going to get calls. It may take more time than it would have a few years ago, but you're going to get full if you keep using marketing best practices because people are getting slower results. Right now I'm seeing people peter out on their consistency. I know that it's really hard to keep going with marketing when you aren't getting all the calls that you want as fast as you want. But I really need you to dig deep and use some of that grit that I'm sure you earned the hard way to keep going in your practice. On tough days, ask yourself which problem you want to have. You want to put in the effort for the marketing activity that isn't the most fun thing to do? Is that the problem you want to have, or do you want to have to continue to worry about not having clients months from now? Consistent action leads to consistent, though delayed results, and as long as you're doing the marketing strategies correctly, you're going to get clients. I hope that helps Clarify it's not more work, it's not more offers, it's just more focus. If you need help choosing those marketing strategies and learning how to do them right, the Abundance Party teaches you for way less than you would get paid for one session. If you're on Social DM Party for the link and if you're listening to the podcast, you can check the Show Notes. Today's free worksheet is common marketing strategies for Therapists. You can DM me the word sheets for this and you also have access to all the other free worksheets. All right, I hope you have a great day. If you're ready for a much easier practice, TherapyNotes is the way to go. Go to therapynotes.com and use the promo code abundant for two months free. I hope that helped. If you have questions for Ask Allison or you want to get your hands on the worksheet for this episode, go to abundancepracticebuilding.com Links if you're listening, you probably need some support building your pract. If you're a super newbie, grab our free checklist using the link in the Show Notes. I'd love for you to follow rate and review, but I really want you to share this episode with a therapist friend. Let's help all our colleagues build what they want.