NOTES FROM THE EDITOR

There's one aspect of client attraction that is almost never mentioned by marketers. But but it’s central to your business strategy:
​Being consistently chosen by your "ideal clients".

Every time I work with a private-pay practice, I run into the same issue: They’re not the obvious choice yet.

While you can't predict other people's behavior, you can influence how easy it is for someone to choose you.

When your positioning is clear and specific, the right clients don’t need convincing. They recognize themselves and reach out.

When it’s not, you end up attracting interest but not commitment.

Even when you're doing all the "right things" like choosing a niche, building a website, investing in ads, you may still attract clients who are hesitant to pay your full fee.

Many private-pay therapists find themselves attracting people who:

• are looking for in-network providers
• aren’t ready to engage in the work
• or turn out to be a poor fit

On the surface, it looks like leads are coming in.

But underneath, there’s a leak: time, energy, and attention spent on people who were never going to move forward.

To fix this, you need to identify where that leak is coming from. Is it:

• your positioning
• your messaging
• or your visibility

And specifically:

• Are you positioned to attract people who are ready for therapy and able to pay your fees?
• Does your messaging speak directly to them?
• Are you visible in the places where they’re actually looking?

One of the biggest mistake is to assume that insurance-based and private-pay clients have the same priorities and search behavior, but they don't.

Once you define your real bottleneck you can start correcting it.

I’ve worked with practices that changed how they were understood in the market and were able to reduce the misaligned inquiries, while attracting better-fit clients.

If you’re not sure where your bottleneck is, we can look at it together.

​Book a Strategic Direction Call​

See you next week,

Avivit

And now to the news!

NOTEWORTHY

Psychology Today Referrals Are Declining

Source: Clear Health Costs​

Therapists are reporting noticeable drops in referrals from Psychology Today, raising concerns about over-reliance on a single directory for visibility.

Why it matters: Relying on one referral source is risky. Practices need multiple paths to stay visible and consistent.

BUSINESS AND PRIVATE PRACTICE

Why Most Therapy Websites Don’t Convert

Source: REdD Strategy​

Many private practice websites fail to turn visitors into clients due to unclear messaging, weak positioning, and lack of direction for the reader.

Why it matters: Visibility alone isn’t enough. If your website doesn’t convert, more traffic won’t fix the problem.

INDUSTRY NEWS

ACA Changes Could Reduce Coverage

Source: KFF​

KFF outlines how policy changes and expiring subsidies could lead millions to lose ACA coverage over time, including those with mental health needs.

Why it matters: As coverage becomes less stable, more clients may face higher out-of-pocket costs or shift toward private-pay options.