Martin Hogg

What do you think of this- is he my AI friend or should he be retired

Feast and Famine.

Three enquiries in one week. Then nothing for a month. Sound familiar?

That rollercoaster is exhausting. You can't plan your income, you can't book a holiday with any confidence, and in the quiet weeks you start saying yes to clients who aren't right for you, at whatever fee they suggest, just because something is better than nothing.

And then a busy patch arrives and you stop doing any marketing at all, because you're full. Which guarantees the next quiet patch. Round and round we go.

A steady flow of enquiries doesn't come from luck, or from one big burst of effort when things get desperate. It comes from doing something small every single week, even when you're busy. Especially when you're busy.

So here's a question for you. What's one thing you could do for your practice this week that takes less than an hour? Just one. Do that this week, and again next week. It's the doing it every week that changes everything.

If you would like some help with your Private Practice, schedule a free call with me inside Private Practice Success. It's just seven pounds a month, and you can cancel anytime. Inside, you will join over 350 UK counsellors building their practices using proven techniques. DM me for the link.

The role of local marketing in growing a successful private therapy practice in the uk

"Don't waste your time; all Private Practice Clients come from online now." Really? Then I guess I'll have to give mine back. 😄

Counsellors, don't let anyone tell you that you need to spend a fortune on some fancy online system to get clients.

Local marketing is very much alive. Referrals, talks, networking with fellow counsellors, even cards and flyers done the right way. Still some of the most effective ways to fill a counselling practice, especially if you have a niche.

It's all about building your presence in your local area, and most of it costs nothing but a bit of time.

👇 Drop your thoughts in the comments, or DM me your questions and share this with someone who needs to know. 👇

private practice counsellors ask me how do I know I am ready for private practice in the UK

It comes down to working within your competence, staying inside your ethical framework, and checking four things:

1️⃣ Proper training. Are you at the point of real competency, with your insurance in place? If anything were to go wrong, you're covered.

2️⃣ The right experience. Placement hours completed, fully qualified, and not working outside the areas you actually know.

3️⃣ Good supervision. Ideally from somebody who has been a private practitioner themselves, because carrying responsibility for your own clients is different to working for an organisation. You need someone you see regularly who properly supports you.

4️⃣ A business head. You don't need a marketing degree, but you do need to think of your practice as a business. Just be careful with generic business advice, because most of it misses the subtleties of private practice.

If you can tick those four, you're more ready than you think.

If you know a counsellor who's wondering whether they're ready, share this with them. 💛