Thoughts on Filling Your Practice (When things feel uncertain)

I’m hearing this question from many therapists now about their practice:

“It’s not just me… right?”

The calendar isn’t as full as it used to be.

A few clients finished up… and weren’t replaced.
New inquiries have slowed down.
Cancellations feel more frequent.

Therapy – fairly or unfairly – is being treated like a “nice to have” even though the most important time to have help is when the world’s stress starts ramping up.

There’s a lot going on in the world and you wouldn’t be the first person to wonder:

“What if this doesn’t pick back up?”

I recently spent some time chatting with Edward Plant, a colleague who is a business consultant. He has worked directly with therapists, psychologists, and allied health practitioners around the world to rebuild their practices after COVID and other setbacks. And he has spent a long time figuring out how to make the business part of private practice a great deal less painful!

I have spent most of my career helping therapists sharpen their skills with couples and relationships. But as the world evolves, so does The Couples Institute. I am hearing from too many therapists that the economy, war, AI, and telehealth are impacting their practices. I can’t continue as though nothing is happening. So I wanted to offer something a little different to support you.

I’m pleased to share a few of his ideas here.

1. Waiting it out is not an option.

It might be tempting to sit back and wait for things to change. That sounds so much easier and less stressful than facing the problem directly.

How does that work for your couples, when they see issues on the road ahead and they choose to look the other way? You know it’s not really a viable strategy. In fact, it’s not even an option. You also know how much stress that actually causes! Waiting it out is not an option.

2. Since you have to take action, play to your strengths.

Ed pointed out to me that therapists and coaches are in the business of relationships. You are an actual pro at helping people make the most of their relationships. And that turns out to be a huge advantage for you. He has created a system for getting referrals that is built around collaborative partnerships — relationships with a small number of people who already have your future clients in their orbit, and who send you introductions on a regular basis.

He’s teaching a webinar for us through The Couples Institute. But the thing you should know, whether you join the webinar or not, is that your temperament and skills are probably ideally suited to finding and building a few of these “collaborative partnerships”  – even if you are an introvert.

3. Building “Collaborative Partnerships”

Think about cultivating a small number of carefully chosen relationships, built with genuine care, that generate referrals because the trust is real. It’s not the kind of networking that makes you squeamish. It’s an approach that plays directly to your strengths. You do what's comfortable for you. It’s authentic and professional while being extremely practical.