January often comes with pressure to be “back”, focused, and already making progress. In private practice, that pressure can push therapists into action before there’s any real clarity about direction.

In this episode, I’m talking about why pausing first is not indulgent or avoidant, but a strategic and grounding step when building a sustainable private practice in 2026.

I share why I deliberately take time at the start of the year to review my business, reflect on what’s working, and get clear on what I actually want from the year ahead. From there, I introduce the Private Practice Compass a simple framework I use with therapists to help them orient themselves before making decisions about marketing, visibility, or growth.

We explore:

• Why rushing into action without direction often leads to overwhelm and comparison
• How values, capacity, and season of life should shape your business decisions
• The importance of holding a longer-term vision, especially in a changing therapy landscape
• Why strategy only makes sense once you’re clear on who you’re building your practice for
• How your ideal client’s age, needs, and habits influence where your marketing energy is best spent

This episode is an invitation to slow down, step back, and think intentionally about your private practice before defaulting to what everyone else seems to be doing.

If you’re feeling a bit rudderless, pressured by January energy, or unsure where to focus in 2026, this is a good place to start.

You can find full details of my therapist membership community here:
https://www.prosperinprivatepractice.com/prosper-in-private-practice-hub

Inside the membership, therapists get ongoing support with clarity, marketing direction, sustainable growth, and practical tools including AI support that’s ethical, grounded, and actually useful.

Link to the Private Practice Compass:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12C5kxwcU7sd_OCTGmUKMImGiVDAe68ty/view?usp=sharing

Episode Summary:
If you’ve ever felt pressured to show up on Instagram or TikTok just to get clients — this episode is for you. In today’s conversation, Claire unpacks the myths around social media marketing and explores where therapy clients are actually finding their therapists in 2025.

Drawing on recent UK data (including the NCPS survey showing 66% of therapists get most of their new clients through directories), Claire shares a calm, reality-based perspective on what really works when it comes to private practice marketing.

You’ll learn:

• Where clients in the UK are currently searching for therapists (Google, directories, social media, and even ChatGPT)
• Why social media is often a secondary stop, not the first place clients go
• The key role of Google Business Profiles, directories, and your website in being discoverable
• How client age and demographics influence search behaviour
• How to decide whether social media is worth your time — or if your energy is better spent elsewhere

This episode is a grounded reminder that you don’t need to become an influencer to fill your private practice — you just need to be findable where your ideal clients are already looking.

In today’s episode, we’re talking about how clients are starting to use tools like ChatGPT to look for therapists. Not instead of Google, but alongside it. And that changes how we think about visibility, websites, and how we talk about our work online.

This is not about becoming “techy” or learning a new platform from scratch. It’s about something much simpler: making sure the way you describe your work online is clear, recognisable, and easy for both humans and AI search tools to understand.

We explore:

• Why some therapists are already being recommended by ChatGPT
• How AI-based searching is different from traditional Google search
• What information AI tools are pulling from (it’s not just your website)
• The surprising importance of using client-friendly language, not clinical jargon
• How directory profiles, Google Business listings, and service pages work together to support visibility
• A gentle way to start making updates without burning out or re-doing your whole website

I also share a few quick reflection prompts you can use right away:

• What would a client in your niche actually type if they were asking ChatGPT for help?
• Does your online presence reflect the way real clients describe their struggles?
• If someone searched your name in ChatGPT today, what might come up?

The aim of this conversation is not to pressure you into marketing harder. It’s to give you clarity and confidence in how you show up online, so that the clients who need you can find you more easily. Even as search habits evolve.

A calm, steady approach works here. No rushing. No “rebranding”. Just gentle clarity.

https://www.prosperinprivatepractice.com/