Marketing for Therapists: How to Grow Your Practice Without Guesswork

The biggest pain point for therapists in private practice is typically marketing. Simply put, people want to know how to get more referrals so they can grow their practice. And that makes a lot of sense—who doesn’t want their practice to grow? But how do we actually do this?

The Problem

Most therapists don’t have much (if any) training in marketing or business. If you’re like me, you had zero. Trying to grow my practice felt like throwing a whole bunch of spaghetti at the wall, hoping something would stick. And most of the time? Nothing did. It always felt like there was some secret answer out there that I just didn’t know.

Here’s the thing: there’s no magic bullet. No single marketing tactic guarantees instant success—no matter what anyone tells you. That said, we don’t have to throw spaghetti at the wall anymore. We can actually empower ourselves with the right information to make smart, informed marketing decisions that do lead to success. So how do we start?

The Solution

Even if you know nothing about marketing or business, not all is lost. In fact, you probably know more than you think. That’s the first step: use what you already have. Start by collecting the data you do have to help figure out what the real problem might be.

So many therapists come to me saying they need one thing: more clients. But when I ask, “How many referrals have you received in the last year?” they’re often unsure. That’s a big deal. If we want effective marketing, we need to empower ourselves with real data that tells us what’s actually going on.

What Data to Collect

You don’t need to be a data scientist to get started. In fact, the data we need is pretty straightforward—and chances are, you already have access to it through your EHR (more on that below).

Start with these four basics:

• How many leads/referrals are you getting?

  Track how many new inquiries you receive each month. This helps determine whether the issue is generating leads or something else.

• Where are those leads/referrals coming from?

  Are they coming from word of mouth? Google? Your website? Knowing this helps you decide where to double down.

• How many people are converting into clients?

  Out of all the leads you receive, how many become active, paying clients?

• What’s the average value of a client?

  This is a big one. It helps you understand how much you can spend to acquire a client. For example, if the average client brings in $500, spending $250 to bring in that client makes sense. To get this number, multiply the average number of sessions by your average session fee.

Of course, you can collect more, but these four are a solid starting point. Once you know these numbers, you’ll have a much clearer picture of your practice—and what your actual marketing needs are.

Analyze the Data

Here’s the fun part: look at what you’ve gathered. How many referrals did you get last month? How about last year? Any seasonal trends or dips?

Many people come back to me after doing this and realize the issue isn’t what they thought. They’re actually getting enough leads—it’s just that the conversion rate is low. That usually points to an issue with their phone screening process.

Other times, people were right and they are not generating enough leads, but we also realize there is nothing more than a PsychologyToday profile. We know we need to invest in a broader lead generation strategy.

Looking at your data lets you stop guessing and start making informed changes.

How to Collect the Data

There are plenty of tools—from spreadsheets to HIPAA-compliant CRMs—but the simplest place to start is often your EHR’s reports section. I use SimplePractice and find myself in the analytics tab often, combing through the numbers that help guide my decisions.

If you want more customization, export the data into Excel or Google Sheets. SimplePractice makes this easy. Once it’s in a spreadsheet, you can start organizing the numbers in a way that works for you.

Conclusion

Marketing doesn’t have to feel like a mystery. You don’t need a flashy ad agency or a PhD in data science—you just need to get curious about your own numbers. Collecting and analyzing a few key metrics will give you insight into what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus next.

You already have the tools. Now it’s just about using them to build a practice that’s not only full, but thriving.

Next Steps…

If you are interested in working together to grow your practice book a free call below. I would love to chat with you about how we can help you achieve your goals.