Can You Afford Your Private Practice? With Claire Ratcliffe

Have you ever sat down and worked out how much your private practice is costing you? Sometimes it's more than you realise and this can have an impact on whether it's a business that actually supports you.

Your session fees need to not only cover day to day costs such as supervision, but also allow for holidays, sickness and retirement.

In this second episode with psychotherapist and supervisor, Claire Ratcliffe, we discuss how to build a sustainable practice including how to attract clients.

In this episode:

How Claire started TikTok, despite her discomfort with visibility, and how she makes it work alongside running a busy practice and being a single parentThe impact of her TikTok channel on her enquiriesWhy she thinks it is important to let people know who you are and what you offer rather than relying on a single place to find clientsThe hidden costs of running a private practiceThe beliefs therapists can have about being greedy or selfish and the impact on their feesAccessibility and why higher fees can make it easier to offer concessionsHow our personal history with money can affect the fees we are comfortable to chargeWhy comparing your fees with another therapist can be misleading due to different financial circumstances

The main message Claire would like you to take away is not "Charge what you're worth" but to remember your worth isn't determined by what you charge. It doesn't change if you charge £50 or £500. Instead, base your fees on what your practice, your health and your wellbeing need so that you can continue to keep doing the work.

And if Claire’s comments about letting people know who you are and what you have to offer have got you thinking about your own practice, this is exactly what we’ll be working on next in Therapy Growth Group.

From the week beginning 12th October, we’ll be spending four weeks looking at your niche: who you most want to help, what makes you unique and how you can communicate that so the right clients can find you.

If you’d like some support to work through this alongside other therapists, you can find out more about Therapy Growth Group HERE

If you'd like to find out more about Claire and her new supervision group aimed at relationship therapists, please visit her website HERE

Setting up in private practice? Download my free checklist HERE

Need ideas for how to get clients? Download my free handout 21 Ways for Counsellors to Attract New Clients HERE