Episode #673: Building A Practice In A Saturated Market - Abundant Practice Podcast

Summary

Abundant Practice Podcast: Episode #673 Summary Title: Building A Practice In A Saturated Market
Host: Allison Puryear
Release Date: August 2, 2025

Introduction

In Episode #673 of the Abundant Practice Podcast, host Allison Puryear tackles a common concern among therapists: building a thriving private practice in a saturated market. This episode provides actionable insights, personal experiences, and strategic advice to help therapists navigate highly competitive environments successfully.

Understanding Market Saturation in Therapy

Allison begins by addressing the prevalent worry among therapists about entering or operating in markets crowded with professionals. She poses the critical question from a listener:

“I live in a saturated market. It feels like there are therapists on every street. Should I focus on online therapy in other areas, even if I prefer in person?”
— Listener's Question

Allison’s Personal Experience with Market Saturation

Allison shares her personal journey moving to Seattle and later Asheville, both of which presented seemingly oversaturated therapy markets. She recounts the initial fear and overwhelm, especially in Asheville where the saying goes:

“You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a therapist here.”
— Allison Puryear ([04:30])

Despite the high concentration of therapists, Allison observed that many practitioners were thriving, indicating underlying demand.

Reframing Saturation: Demand vs. Competition

One of Allison’s key insights is redefining market saturation. She emphasizes that the presence of numerous therapists often signifies strong community investment in mental health. Drawing a parallel with Starbucks, she explains:

“Starbucks is not opening in areas without demand. They’re choosing locations where demand already exists.”
— Allison Puryear ([15:45])

Similarly, a saturated market for therapy indicates a healthy demand for mental health services.

Strategies for Thriving in Saturated Markets

Allison outlines several strategies to excel despite high competition:

Focus on What You Can Control: Instead of fixating on the number of competitors, concentrate on delivering exceptional services and building a strong personal brand.
Create a Niche: “You can become an expert in your niche and that's going to help you stand out from the crowd.”
— Allison Puryear ([23:10])
Leverage Virtual Therapy: Expanding beyond local clients can tap into broader markets, mitigating local saturation.
Invest in Continuous Learning: Engaging in courses and seeking guidance can sharpen your skills and marketing strategies, giving you an edge over less proactive peers.

Embracing a Niche and Expanding Beyond Local

Allison stresses the importance of defining a specific niche to differentiate oneself in a crowded market. By specializing, therapists can attract clients looking for particular expertise, thereby reducing direct competition.

Additionally, she encourages embracing virtual therapy as a means to reach clients beyond the immediate geographic area, thus expanding potential clientele.

Importance of Mindset and Continuous Learning

A pivotal theme in the episode is the mindset shift from viewing saturation as a barrier to seeing it as an opportunity. Allison asserts:

“Even if you feel like your market is saturated, you can still succeed. All you need is the right mindset, the right strategies, and a willingness to invest in yourself and your business.”
— Allison Puryear ([36:50])

She underscores the value of resilience, adaptability, and ongoing education in overcoming perceived market limitations.

Practical Resources and Takeaways

To support listeners in implementing the discussed strategies, Allison offers practical resources:

Free Worksheet: “6 Tools to Shift Scarcity Mindset” – Available by DM’ing her.
Abundance Party Membership Program: Step-by-step guidance on reducing work hours while tripling income. Interested therapists can DM the word “party” for access.
Additional Support: Access free trainings, checklists, and worksheets at www.abundancepracticebuilding.com.

Furthermore, Allison reiterates the importance of not succumbing to the fear of saturation and encourages therapists to focus on building their unique practice regardless of market conditions.

Conclusion

Episode #673 of the Abundant Practice Podcast by Allison Puryear is a comprehensive guide for therapists navigating saturated markets. By shifting mindsets, focusing on niches, leveraging virtual platforms, and committing to continuous growth, therapists can build successful and fulfilling private practices even in highly competitive environments. Allison’s blend of personal anecdotes and strategic advice offers both inspiration and practical steps for mental health professionals striving to thrive.

Additional Resources:

Membership Program: Abundance Party
Free Tools & Worksheets: AbundancePracticeBuilding.com
Email Support: help@abundancepracticebuilding.com

Note: While sponsorship mentions TherapyNotes, this summary focuses solely on the content related to building a practice in saturated markets, omitting advertisement details as per guidelines.

Transcript

A (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. I live in a saturated market. It feels like there are therapists on every street. Should I focus on online therapy in other areas, even if I prefer in person? Before I answer this, I want to thank Therapy Notes. They have sponsored Ask Allison for quite a long time. We've talked about them for years. You probably know their features by heart, but what really sets them apart is that they genuinely care about your experience. Experience. It's not just about troubleshooting. They actively implement user suggested features like secure messaging, clinical outcome tracking, real time insurance checks, and their AI feature, therapy fuel. 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 and no pressure to prioritize their investors over their customers. This independence allows them to keep prices fair, to focus on innovation and 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 the code abundant@therapynotes.com okay, I hear this all the time about saturation. When I moved to Seattle, this phrase saturated market came up again and again. And I'll admit that I started to worry a bit. Like, how could I possibly stand out in a city with thousands of therapists on psychology today? A lot of competition. So instead of letting the idea of market saturation dominate my thoughts, I decided to focus on what I could control and apply the same approach I was using in my personal life to my business, creating a smaller community within a much larger system. And you know what? It worked beautifully. I'm going to share exactly how and why I think that's possible, so stick with me. Then when we moved to Asheville, I heard the phrase saturated market again. Actually, somebody told me you can't. This is so weird. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a therapist here. So really strange metaphor but the whole point was there are a lot of therapists in this area. I mean, like, a lot. And there's even more now. And here's the kicker. Most of us are doing pretty well. There are probably 50 to 100 therapists within a two block radius of my office. And you'd think, like, okay, well, that's overrun, because this is not a huge city. There's no way you could succeed in that environment. But in Asheville, therapy is a part of the culture. People here are committed to personal growth. In fact, many folks have not just therapists, but they also see reiki practitioners and functional medicine doctors and maybe even a guru or two in astral therapy isn't just an option. It's kind of woven into the community. So, yes, while it's true that there are many therapists around, the abundance of therapists is actually a good thing because it shows that people are willing to invest in their mental health. And here's the big point I want you to take away. If there are a lot of therapists in your area, it's because there are a lot of clients. So let's back up for a second. What happens when you're in a truly saturated market? Let's say you live in a town of 3,000 people and there are 500 therapists. That might be what we call true saturation. But here's the thing about saturation is it's relative. What you need to ask yourself is, how does your niche, your specific offering, fit within that market? Is there a demand for your skills, for your services, for your unique way of approaching therapy? And here's the cool part. Even in those small, more saturated towns, you can still succeed. And I'm going to explain how. Have you ever noticed how Starbucks seems to open up right across the street from your favorite local coffee shop? And you might think, well, wait a minute, doesn't that hurt their business to open up across from a different cafe? But here's the thing. Starbucks is actually learning from that local coffee shop. They're not opening in a place where there's no demand for coffee. They're choosing locations where demand already exists. If a local coffee shop has been doing well, Starbucks knows it's a prime spot to open another store. That's what makes Starbucks move successful. They're not opening in an area with no customers. They're choosing places that are already showing there's a market for what they're offering. Let's apply the same principle to therapy. If you're worried about the saturated market in your area, Think of it this way. Your competition actually shows there's demand for what you do. The presence of other therapists means that people in your community are open to therapy. They value mental health, and they're actively seeking out support. That is a great thing for you. But what if you're in a small town or a place where therapy isn't as ingrained in the culture? What if you're an area with limited demand and There are already 10 or 20 therapists and business seems tough? Well, first of all, you're not stuck. You can still thrive even in these environments. And here's how. If you're in a location where therapy isn't as widespread, you don't have to limit yourself to just local clients. You can offer virtual therapy to people in bigger, more saturated cities, or even from other parts of the country or the world, if you're licensed properly. Now, if I had truly believed that Seattle's market was too saturated, I would have made some very different decisions. While networking, I was offered two different jobs. One with my population, but working at a higher level of care, and one working with a population I wasn't particularly skilled with. If I bought into this scarcity of a saturated market and I took one of those jobs, it would have set me up for a lot of frustration and burnout. It's not what I wanted. I would have felt like I wasn't cut out for private practice because I hadn't gotten the leverage yet that I wanted to get in private practice. And my personal life would have suffered too. But instead, I pushed through that fear of market saturation. I stayed committed to building my practice and. And not only did I thrive professionally, but personally, it was one of the most empowering things I've ever done. It provided stability for my family. We were able to hire a nanny so I could have dedicated child, free time, travel for conferences that improved my clinical skills, and take better care of myself through self care. And looking back, I'm so grateful for that decision because it's made my life, my practice, so much better. So I want to make some things clear. If you're stuck thinking your market is oversaturated, I need you to let go of that. Excuse me? You don't need to fall into the trap of thinking it's too late for you. If other therapists in your area are doing well, it's because there are plenty of clients to go around. They didn't get them all. There are plenty of clients to go around. On the flip side, if you see other therapists struggling it's possible that they just aren't marketing themselves effectively or reaching out for help in building their practice. If you're the one who's watching or listening to this, taking courses, learning from experts, and practice building, you have a huge, huge advantage. So here's the big takeaway. Even if you feel like your market is saturated, you can still succeed. All you need is the right mindset, the right strategies, and a willingness to invest in yourself and your business. You don't have to be like an expert in everything, but you can become an expert in your niche and that's going to help you stand out from the crowd. I've got something helpful for you. I want you to DM me the word sheets and I'll send you this week's free worksheet 6 Tools to Shift Scarcity Mindset and you'll also get access to all the previous worksheets in the series. These are designed to really help you move past and build your marketing strategy. Like move past the scarcity stuff. Build your marketing strategy. Stay focused on your goals no matter what market you're in. If you want strategy and step by step guidance on how to build your practice, I want you to DM the word party and I'm going to send you the link for the Abundance Party which has helped thousands of therapists fill their practice. Remember, there is always room for you. I'll talk to you soon. 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, 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.