Episode #660: How To Change Your Niche - Abundant Practice Podcast

Summary5 min read

Abundant Practice Podcast Summary
Episode: #660: How To Change Your Niche
Host: Allison Puryear
Release Date: June 21, 2025

Introduction

In Episode #660 of the Abundant Practice Podcast, host Allison Puryear delves into the intricacies of changing your niche within a private therapy practice. Addressing a common concern among therapists, Allison provides a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to successfully navigate the transition, ensuring both personal satisfaction and professional growth.

Understanding the Motivation Behind Changing Your Niche

Allison begins by emphasizing the importance of introspection before making any drastic changes to your practice. She advises practitioners to pause and reflect on their reasons for wanting to switch niches. This differentiation helps determine whether the desire stems from genuine misalignment or temporary challenges.

Allison [02:30]: "There is a big difference between 'this population doesn't feel aligned anymore' and 'I had a slow month and now I'm panicking.' One is wisdom and the other is fear dressed as logic."

By discerning the underlying motivations, therapists can make informed decisions rather than reactive ones.

Step 1: Clarity Before Visibility

Before announcing any changes publicly, Allison stresses the need for clarity. She cautions against impulsively altering your website or marketing materials without a well-defined plan.

Identify Your Ideal Client: Determine who you want to work with and understand their specific struggles.
Assess Your Fit: Reflect on why you're uniquely equipped to assist this new demographic, possibly leveraging your own experiences or previous clinical work.

Allison [05:45]: "Don't immediately post 'I'm now working with new moms to navigate grief' just because you had a good session with someone's aunt last Thursday."

This foundational clarity ensures that subsequent actions are aligned with your professional objectives.

Step 2: Quiet Experimentation

Allison recommends testing the waters discreetly before fully committing to a new niche. This phase involves subtly integrating elements of the desired niche into your existing practice to gauge interest and viability.

Content Creation: Publish blog posts addressing common issues faced by your new target audience.
Social Media Engagement: Share Instagram stories or posts that resonate with the frustrations and needs of your potential clients.
Website Adjustments: Update language to reflect both your current and prospective niches, seeking areas of overlap.

Allison [12:15]: "This is your soft launch. You're testing the waters while still keeping the business side stable."

Successful experimentation will often manifest through increased inquiries and client engagement from the new niche.

Step 3: Layering in the New Niche

Rather than eliminating your existing niche abruptly, Allison advises a gradual integration of the new focus. This approach minimizes financial risks and eases the psychological transition.

Maintain Current Operations: Continue accepting and serving clients from your existing niche while slowly incorporating the new one.
Shift Marketing Efforts: Gradually adjust your marketing strategies, networking efforts, and messaging to emphasize the new niche.

Allison [18:50]: "Slow and steady shifts are not only safer financially, especially in this economy, but they also help your nervous system not completely freak out."

This method ensures continuity and stability, allowing your practice to evolve organically.

Step 4: Updating Your Messaging

Once you're ready to fully embrace the new niche, it's crucial to revamp your messaging to clearly communicate your new focus to potential clients and referral sources.

Be Specific: Clearly articulate who you work with and the type of support you provide.
Consistent Branding: Ensure that your website, directory listings, and elevator pitches uniformly reflect the new niche.

Allison [24:30]: "Don't keep one foot in the old niche with vague messaging like 'I work with teens and also high-powered CEOs and also couples.' You're not a Cheesecake Factory Menu. Be specific."

Clear and consistent messaging helps in establishing authority and attracting the right client base.

Step 5: Communicating with Referral Sources

Effective communication with those who refer clients to you is essential during a niche transition. Allison provides strategies to inform referral partners without causing confusion or alienation.

Direct Communication: Reach out to referral sources with a concise update about your new focus.

Allison [28:10]: "Hey, I've been working more with new moms navigating anxiety and identity shifts, and it's been a really great fit. If you know someone in that boat, I'd love to help."
Maintain Relationships: Assure them that you're still available to assist clients, albeit in a new capacity, thus ensuring they continue to feel confident in referring clients to you.

Addressing Common Challenges

Allison also prepares therapists for potential obstacles that may arise during the transition:

Temporary Dip in Referrals or Inquiries:
- Solution: Recognize this as a normal phase of building momentum and remain patient.
Imposter Syndrome:
- Solution: Acknowledge your expertise and the value you bring as a seasoned clinician, even when venturing into new territory.
Guilt Over Letting Go of the Previous Niche:
- Solution: Understand that overextending yourself due to guilt can lead to burnout. Focus on serving the new niche with intention and respect.

Allison [33:45]: "You're the one doing the work. You should like the work you're doing."

Conclusion and Encouragement

Allison wraps up the episode by reiterating that changing your niche is not only permissible but often necessary for sustained professional fulfillment and growth. She encourages therapists to approach the transition with intention, planning, and self-compassion, trusting that such changes lead to a more authentic and thriving practice.

Allison [35:20]: "The best version of your practice is the one that really fits who you are now, not who you were five years ago. You've got this."

Additional Resources

Free Worksheet: Things to Explore Before Changing Your Niche
- Access: Visit abundancepracticebuilding.com or DM Allison the word "sheets" to receive it directly.
Support: For personalized assistance through the niche transition process, DM the word "limitless" on the platform.
Membership Program: Abundance Party
- Features: Step-by-step guidance on optimizing your practice hours, income, and client relationships.
- Learn More: www.abundanceparty.com

Connect with Allison Puryear

For further support or to have your questions addressed in future episodes, reach out via email at help@abundancepracticebuilding.com or explore the Ask Allison resources on the YouTube channel.

Note: This summary excludes advertisements and non-content segments to focus solely on the valuable insights and actionable steps provided by Allison Puryear in guiding therapists through the process of changing their niche.

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[00:00]
Allison
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. Do you have any advice or resources, suggestions for switching your niche? Good timing. Before I answer this question, I'd like to thank Therapy Notes for sponsoring Ask Allison. I've talked about them for years. You probably know their features by heart too. But what really sets them apart is that they genuinely care about your experience. It's not just about troubleshooting. They implement the user suggested features like Therapy Search, Secure Messaging, Clinical Outcome Tracking, their new AI option. They have a lot they've put into place because people have asked for it. Everyone at TherapyNotes believes in the product and they really want you to love it. Plus, they're independently owned, which means no venture capital, no pressure to prioritize their investors over their customers. And this independence allows them to keep their prices fair, to focus on innovation, and to prioritize the 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, go to therapynotes.com and use coupon code abundant for two free months. All right, so I have lots of advice about changing your niche. I'm actually in the process of doing this right now, so let's talk about it. Number one, before you blow up your website and you rewrite your psych today at 2am, pause and ask why are you wanting to switch? There is a big difference between this population doesn't feel aligned anymore and I had a slow month and now I'm panicking. One is wisdom and the other is fear dressed as logic. So if you're feeling burned out or disinterested, just get curious. What used to light you up about your work? What doesn't anymore? What kinds of clients do you leave sessions thinking, I could do that all day. That was awesome. You're allowed to want to do something different. We don't expect chefs to only cook Italian food for their entire careers. Therapists can grow too. So the next Step is get clear before you get loud. Don't immediately post I'm now working with mom to crochet through grief just because you had a good session with somebody's aunt last Thursday. Instead, I want you to get really clear. Who do you want to work with? What are they struggling with really? And why are you a great fit for helping them? Bonus points if you can tie your own lived experience or your past clinical work. You don't need to start from scratch, you just need to reframe what you already bring to the table. For many of us, our niches are our own lived experience in the past. So it might be that you've been through a thing since you last niched and now this is what you want to focus on. That's great. Step three is to quietly experiment. Start dropping some breadcrumbs for your new audience that might look like a blog post about a common issue. Your new ideal client faces an Instagram story speaking to a frustration they have. Updating some language on your website to reflect both the current and the desired niche. Finding that overlap. This is your soft launch. You're testing the waters while still keeping the business side stable. If people start reaching out in response, amazing. You're clearly on the right track. Step four Layer it in. Don't burn it down Unless you're in a financial position to blow up your practice and start fresh. And if you are like love that for you, then you probably want to add the new niche before you subtract the old one. That means keep accepting clients in your current niche. Keep your current clients in the old niche. Begin by saying yes to more of the new population. When it comes up, gradually shift your marketing, your networking, your messaging towards where you want to go. Slow and steady shifts are not only safer financially, especially in this economy, but but they also help your nervous system not completely freak out. STEP 5 Update your messaging Once you're all in. Once it's time to go all in, you really need to go all in. Half in. Marketing confuses people. There might be some confusion while you're in that transition period. That's okay, it's brief. Don't keep one foot in the old niche with vague messaging like I work with teens and also high powered CEOs and also couples. You're not a Cheesecake Factory Menu Be specific. Speak directly to your new ideal client. Make it obvious who you work with and what kind of support they can expect. Your website, your directory listings, your elevator pitch at networking events. All of this should align. Step six is to communicate with referral sources, people will not refer to you if they don't know what you're doing now. So tell them you can keep it really short and simple. Like, hey, I've been working more with new moms navigating anxiety and identity shifts, and it's been a really great fit. I'm still taking clients, so if you someone in that boat, I'd love to help. You're not burning bridges. You're just kind of like rerouting traffic to better fit what you're offering. Now, now, there are some potential issues we're going to talk about because we're grownups and we name the hard stuff. A temporary dip in referrals or inquiries may happen. That's normal. You are building momentum. Stay the course. Next is imposter syndrome, especially if you're newer to the niche. You are not a baby therapist. You are a seasoned clinician bringing your wisdom into a new focus. And then the third is guilt, about letting go of a population that you used to serve, maybe a population that's underserved, that you are letting go of. That's. That's hard, that's human. But if you keep serving everyone out of guilt, you're going to be miserable and you're going to burn out in no time. This is a transition. Transitions feel weird. It doesn't mean it's the wrong move. So if your niche doesn't fit anymore, you're allowed to change it. Not just allowed, but you probably should. You're the one doing the work. You should like the work you're doing. Make this shift with intention, with planning. Like, literally plan out dates, not panic or reaction. Be really smart about it. Be clear. And most of all, trust that your growth is a good thing. The best version of your practice is the one that really fits who you are now, not who you were five years ago. You've got this. So today's free worksheet. Things to explore before changing your niche. You can DM me the word sheets and I will send it. And you'll also get access to the other free worksheets. If you want some help through the niche process and you're full, I want you to DM the word limitless. We can chat around where you are now and where you want to be in your practice. All right, great. Have a wonderful day. If you're ready for a much easier practice, therapy notes 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 practice. 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.