Episode #664: How To Market Non-Traditional Therapy

Summary

Abundant Practice Podcast Summary
Episode #664: How To Market Non-Traditional Therapy
Host: Allison Puryear
Release Date: July 5, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode #664 of the Abundant Practice Podcast, host Allison Puryear delves into the challenges therapists face when marketing non-traditional therapy modalities. The episode addresses the common struggle of explaining unconventional therapeutic approaches without overcomplicating the message, ensuring potential clients feel understood and attracted to the unique offerings.

Understanding the Challenge

Allison begins by acknowledging the widespread difficulty therapists encounter when presenting non-traditional therapies such as expressive arts therapy or somatic therapy. These modalities diverge from the conventional image of therapy—typically two chairs and verbal dialogue—and often require a different approach to communicate their value effectively.

“When the way you work looks different from what people picture when they hear the word therapy, it's really common to feel like you have to over explain it, defend it, justify it.”
— Allison Puryear [04:30]

Shifting the Focus: From Modality to Client Experience

Instead of diving deep into the specifics of the therapeutic techniques, Allison emphasizes the importance of connecting with clients by reflecting their experiences and emotions. The key is to make clients feel seen and understood, which naturally builds trust and piques their curiosity about the therapy offered.

“The way to help people get non-traditional therapy isn't to explain the modality. It is to describe their lived experience so clearly and compassionately that they feel seen.”
— Allison Puryear [07:15]

Crafting Resonant Messaging

Allison provides practical examples of how therapists can articulate their approach by focusing on the client's pain points and desires. Instead of starting with technical jargon, she suggests beginning with statements that mirror the clients' struggles and aspirations.

Examples include:

• “You've tried talk therapy before. Maybe it helped a little, but you still felt stuck.”
• “You had a hard time putting words to what you're going through.”
• “Your anxiety isn't just a thought loop. It's tightness in your throat, restlessness in your legs.”
• “You're exhausted from intellectualizing everything, but insight hasn't brought you peace.”

“When you reflect back how frustrating it is to know something's wrong but not be able to talk your way out of it, they're going to lean in.”
— Allison Puryear [12:45]

Introducing Your Unique Approach

After validating the client's experience, Allison recommends briefly introducing your therapeutic approach as a solution tailored to their specific needs. This method ensures that the explanation is both relevant and engaging without overwhelming the client with information.

Sample Introductions:

• “In my work, we slow down and listen to the body because sometimes the body holds things we can't quite say.”
• “Sometimes I'll invite you to express something through movement or art or sound, not because it needs to be pretty or perfect, but because it helps your system process in a way that words can't always reach.”
• “This isn't traditional therapy, and that's on purpose. It's for people who've tried traditional therapy and didn't feel it went deep enough.”

“Notice how you're not explaining your entire modality. You're giving just enough of a window into why your approach helps them.”
— Allison Puryear [18:20]

Emphasizing Experiential and Embodied Healing

Allison highlights that non-traditional therapies often work by bypassing the "talking brain" and accessing deeper emotional and physiological layers. This experiential and embodied approach is challenging to convey through words alone, underscoring the importance of creating an environment where clients can experience the therapy firsthand.

“The truth is, a lot of these non-traditional approaches work because they bypass the talking brain. They access emotions and memories and healing in ways that are experiential, embodied, intuitive.”
— Allison Puryear [22:10]

Filtering and Attracting Ideal Clients

A crucial aspect of effective marketing, according to Allison, is filtering out clients who may not resonate with your approach while attracting those who are actively seeking the unique services you offer. This selective process ensures that therapists do not burn out attempting to convince everyone, but instead focus on engaging with clients who will truly benefit from their methods.

“You don't need to appeal to every client. Let your messaging gently filter out the people who aren't ready or interested and pull in the ones who are quietly hoping that something different is out there.”
— Allison Puryear [26:55]

Practical Tools and Resources

Allison concludes the episode by introducing a free worksheet on website copy tips, designed to help therapists articulate their non-traditional approaches effectively. She encourages listeners to utilize these resources to refine their messaging, making it more aligned with the language that resonates with their target clients.

“Today's free worksheet is website copy tips. It's good for all therapists no matter how you practice, but I find it really clarifying for those who do things less traditionally.”
— Allison Puryear [30:00]

Conclusion

Marketing non-traditional therapy requires a delicate balance of validating client experiences and introducing your unique approach succinctly. By focusing on the client's lived experiences and emotions, therapists can effectively communicate the value of their services without overcomplicating the message. Allison Puryear provides actionable insights and resources to guide therapists in refining their marketing strategies, ensuring they attract the right clients while maintaining a fulfilling practice.

For additional support and resources mentioned in this episode:

• Free Worksheet: Access website copy tips at AbundancePracticeBuilding.com
• Membership Program: Learn more about the Abundance Party at www.abundanceparty.com
• Support Email: [e-mail]

Transcript

[A]

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 [e-mail] 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. How do I not over explain the non traditional therapy that I do? Before I answer this, I would like to thank TherapyNotes for sponsoring Ask Allison. I have talked about them for years. You know their features by heart probably by now too. But here's what really sets them apart. They genuinely care about your experience. It is not just about troubleshooting. They actively implement user suggested features like their new AI notes and their automated client payments. Everyone at TherapyNotes believes in the product and they want you to love it too. Plus, they're independently owned, which means no venture capital, no pressure to prioritize their investors over their customers. This independence allows them to keep prices fair, to focus on innovation, and to prioritize customer experience. With over 100,000 therapists already on board, they've proven 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 code [e-mail] so this is a really good question and you are not alone in asking it. In fact, I've had several questions. Some were like, how do I explain expressive arts therapy? And others are like, how do I explain somatic therapy? So we're going to combine them because the answer is the same. When the way your work looks different, the way you work looks different from what people picture when they hear the word therapy. It's really common to feel like you have to over explain it, defend it, justify it. Because most people still picture two people, two chairs, having a structured verbal back and forth for 50 minutes, maybe a clipboard when they hear the word therapy, when you're offering something outside of that, like expressive arts therapy or somatic work or any approach that isn't just talking. It can feel like you're constantly swimming upstream. So you don't actually need to convince anyone of the legitimacy of what you do. What you do need to do is help your clients recognize themselves in the way you describe their pain and their hopes so I'm gonna say that again. The way to help people get non traditional therapy isn't to explain the modality. It is to describe their lived experience so clearly and compassionately that they feel seen. That's what builds trust. That's what makes them curious. It makes them say, okay, maybe this therapist understands something that I haven't been able to put in words before. Most of the non talk therapies are really difficult to explain. They're more like something you have to experience to get, so you're giving them that opportunity. So instead of starting with things like, I use somatic interventions that integrate body based awareness, or my work is grounded in expressive arts modalities, start with them. I'm going to give you some examples of things like you can say things like, you've tried talk therapy before. Maybe I helped a little. But you still felt stuck. Or you had a hard time putting words to what you're going through. You left sessions thinking, I didn't say it quite right, I didn't express myself right. Or feeling like something's still trapped in your chest. Or you're someone who feels things deeply in your body. Your anxiety isn't just a thought loop. It's tightness in your throat, it's restlessness in their legs, it's a buzzing you you can't turn off. Or you're exhausted from intellectualizing everything. You're smart, you can analyze yourself all day long. But insight hasn't brought you peace. When you describe their pain in this way, when you reflect back how frustrating it is to know something's wrong but not be able to talk your way out of it, they're going to lean in. You're validating their experience in a way that feels relieving. You're helping them feel like maybe it's not that therapy doesn't work for them. Maybe they just haven't found the right kind yet. And that's when you can introduce just enough about what you do. You might say, in my work, we slow down and listen to the body because sometimes the body holds things we can't quite say. Or sometimes I'll invite you to express something through movement or art or sound. Not because it needs to be pretty or perfect, but because it helps your system process in a way that words can't always reach. Or this isn't traditional therapy, and that's on purpose. It's for people who've tried traditional therapy and didn't feel it went deep enough. Notice how you're not explaining your entire modality. You're not giving a dissertation on sensory motor processing or the neurobiology of expressive arts. You are giving just enough of a window into why your approach helps them. If they're curious, they'll ask for more. Then you can go there. You can tell them how the nervous system works or why movement bypasses the defense mechanisms that language can trigger. But you don't have to lead with that. You don't have to educate your way into legitimacy. The truth is, a lot of these non traditional approaches work because they bypass the talking brain. They access emotions and memories and healing in ways that are experiential, embodied, intuitive. Those are really hard to say on paper. They're things that have to be felt. If you've ever said I just wish they could try it once, it would make sense, you're not wrong. The experience of this kind of therapy is what makes it click. That's why your job isn't to over explain the how of it. Your job is to show potential clients that you see them, that what you offer is a path they haven't walked yet, but one that's designed for people just like them. And that's how you draw in the right people without burning out trying to convince everyone else. Here's the other piece I want to say, because I know it comes up a lot too. You don't need to appeal to every client. If someone only wants CBT or they're not open to movement or art or body based work, that's okay. Let them pass you by. Let your messaging gently filter out the people who aren't ready or interested and pull in the winds who are quietly hoping that something different is out there. Because there are people out there who've tried everything normal and still feel like something's missing. There are people who are scared to start therapy again because they don't want to just talk. And when you talk about their pain, their disappointment with therapy in the past, their sense of something in them that needs more than just words, you become the person who gives them a new option, a new chance. So bottom line, you don't have to explain everything. You just have to make them feel seen. And the rest will follow. Today's free worksheet is website copy tips. It's good for all therapists no matter how you practice, but I find it really clarifying for those who do things less traditionally. To tap into the language their clients may need. You can use it for your website or just in conversations about how you work. You can DM the word sheets if you're on social right now or you can click the link if you're listening via the podcast. If you need any support with messaging and getting clients in the door, the Abundance Party teaches you how. Step by step you can message the word party and I'll send you the link. All right, have a great 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 Abundance Practice. 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.