Psychologists/Therapists/Coaches: 9 of Your Colleagues Weigh In on How They Build Their Practices

I recently contacted several psychologists, therapists, and coaches on LinkedIn, requesting interviews about how they had successfully built their practices and gained more clients. The result was enormously enlightening. I discovered a variety of strategies that you might find helpful.

Of course, as a book coach, ghostwriter, and editor, I help people in these professions create books that expand the reach of their expertise. But I didn’t want to write an article that only discussed this method. I wanted to include other ways that you could become better known and increase your revenue. Of course, I'm aware of the differences between licensed therapists and coaches, but many of the marketing tactics overlap.

The following is what I learned in my interviews, thanks to the gracious LinkedIn users who agreed to speak with me.

Matthew Zakreski, Psychologist. Matthew stresses the importance of finding a unique niche that you’re passionate about and which differentiates you from others. “If you’re following the niche with passion, people are going to be drawn to you,” he says. While he’s qualified to work with people who suffer from depression and other mental health issues, he has found a specialty in working with neurodivergent children, and he now works entirely online. “I've got kids that I work with who not only are in mental health deserts, but certainly don't have any experts in their region. Thanks to the magic of the internet, all they need is a Wi-Fi connection and a laptop, and I can see kids from Washington State to Washington, DC to Washington Township here in New Jersey,” he says. While he can’t say that treating people online is exactly as good as treating them in person, he feels it’s 80-90 percent as good. He also finds that it’s less stressful for busy people who might have to travel an hour to take their child to his office, wait an hour during the session, and then spend another hour driving home. That three hours lost for a parent is huge when the alternative is to simply turn on a laptop.

Rana Peri Davis, Professional and Transitional Life Coach. Rana suggests having a unique coaching program and online teaching platform. “This saves time, energy, and your effectiveness as a coach. Make the program authentically ‘you’ so it will be your ‘signature,’” she says. She also stresses the importance of being authentic and not being afraid to switch gears. In the beginning, she focused on working with divorced women, but since then, she has expanded her practice to other groups.

Sola Togun-Butler, Ph.D., LCSW, LISW-S, Licensed Clinical Therapist and Certified Professional Life Coach. For Sola, being involved in community events and meeting with community leaders has been fruitful in getting the word out that her practice provides culturally sensitive therapy. She sponsors events and finds organizations/places in the community that might want to hold an event where she can talk about mental health and what her practice offers. She also suggests posting short videos on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok that highlight the pain points your services can address.

Kate Snowise, Executive Coach. As an executive coach, Kate suggests that you claim your expertise right at the beginning of your practice, writing guest articles for blogs and publications. She has also found that rather than trying to seek new individual clients over and over again, strategic partnerships with organizations has helped her to have a constant influx of clients. Depending on your niche, you might find corporations or non-profits that would provide repeat business.

Dr. Jo, PsyD, RYT, YACEP, Women's Holistic Healer/ Intuitive Coach. For Dr. Jo, the most beneficial marketing strategy has been through providing workshops in her community or online. It can even be advantageous to offer mini-workshops or talks for free in order to generate more word-of-mouth about your practice and expertise. She also emphasizes that it’s helpful to network with anyone and everyone. You never know when someone might have a referral for you or where you might find a great lead.

Dr. Maria Emil Jimenez, Licensed Clinical Psychologist. Like many of the professionals I spoke with, Maria has found a niche that’s unusual, in demand, and highly rewarding. She works within the court system to evaluate immigrants who are possibly facing deportation, as well as the other people who will be adversely affected if an individual is deported. This might include family dependents or the employees of an immigrant who has started a legal business. Some immigrants may also have physical or mental health conditions that hinder their capacity to learn English. Maria administers standardized tests and advocates on their behalf. Otherwise, Maria emphasizes that your website must have a personal touch so that potential clients understand what to expect from you beyond a dry, clinical rundown of your experience. “I've noticed that you have a lot more retention when the people who have chosen you as their provider already have a sense of who you are,” she says.

Ryan C. Warner, Ph.D., Consulting Psychologist. As a diversity consultant, Ryan has also found a niche that’s in demand these days. He serves as a speaker and trainer to help employees and others learn about diversity, equity, inclusion, and the mental health issues that come from racism and microaggressions in the workplace and beyond.

Saul Rosenthal, Ph.D., Clinical Health Psychologist, Biofeedback and Neurofeedback Provider. In Saul’s case, his niche is psychophysiology, biofeedback, and neurofeedback. If your practice has a physical component like his, or if you see clients for depression, anxiety, or other mental health disorders, he says it could be advantageous to reach out to primary care physicians to let them know what services you can offer their patients who need a referral.

Renee Exelbert, Ph.D., Psychologist; Certified Elite Personal Trainer. Piggybacking on Saul’s advice, Renee’s is similar in that she recommends networking with unrelated practitioners who may have deeper conversations with their clients about suffering from depression, going through a divorce, or needing help with life coaching or executive coaching. The kinds of practitioners she suggests connecting with include nutritionists and personal trainers.

I hope some of these suggestions will be helpful to you in growing or maintaining your practice as a psychologist, therapist, or life/executive coach.

Of course, if you’re interested in writing a book about your expertise, please feel free to contact me about my services. I regularly work with top publishers and literary agents, as well as self-publishing authors.