When I first started in private practice, I thought finding self-funding clients would be incredibly difficult. Fuelled by this fear, I signed up to every directory I could think of and tried every marketing tactic going. Unfortunately, I ended up building a business I didn’t enjoy running!
A couple of years in, I decided to focus purely on self-funding clients. This was a huge turning point for me, both as a therapist and a business owner.
Why Self-Funding Clients Matter
Attracting self-funding clients who have researched you thoroughly and chosen to work with you is extremely rewarding. They’re often motivated, committed to starting therapy, and keen to begin making positive changes.
On top of this, there’s no panel or agency dictating your terms. You get to be your own boss, giving you more flexibility and autonomy over how you work with clients. There is also less paperwork to contend with, which is always a positive in my book!
Here’s the Trade Off You’ll be Making...
While agency and waitlist referrals tend to be more plentiful and usually require minimal effort to generate, you may only get to keep a third of the fee. Self-funding clients definitely take more work to attract, but you also earn more per client. Agency work feels like the easier route, but long-term it’s a disservice to yourself and your business.
One Thing I Want You to Understand
The key thing I’d like you to take away from this article is this: you do not need a huge audience to find self-funding clients.
Instead, you need a small number of consistent trust-building systems. I’m talking about clear positioning, useful content, visible search presence, and warm referral pathways.
There is high demand for the services you provide – people just need to see you so they can get to know you, like what you do, and trust you’re the right therapist for them.
If you’re looking for more advice like this, sign up for my next online workshop on Monday 7th September at 6 pm.
Five Things to Understand Before You Take the Leap into Private Practice is a 90-minute session within which I’ll walk you through the five key foundations of a safe, sustainable private practice. By the time we’re done, you’ll understand what you’re building, so you can avoid having to work it all out alone, late at night, once you’re already seeing clients.
There will also be time set aside for you to ask all the questions you’ve been quietly carrying about private practice – from fees, referrals and first clients to the practical realities of getting started.
You don’t need thousands of followers or a huge advertising budget. What you do need is a clear system for helping the right people find you, trust you and take the next step. Below, I’ve broken down exactly where I’d start.