Therapy Business Brief

This week I had two different calls with therapists about the future of their practices. Both practices are approaching growth differently; one as private-pay and the other as an insurance-based practice. If you've been a long time TBB reader you're probably thinking that I'm biased towards the private-pay model. And I am. It allows for a greater financial independence and the freedom to do the work that you enjoy most. So you may be thinking that I would be steering the insurance practice in...

According to the Q2 New York Healthcare Innovation Report, mental health companies received just 3% of the $1.2 billion invested across New York's healthcare sector. At first glance, that might sound like bad news. But I think it could be the opposite. Over the past few years, many therapists have worried that venture-backed platforms would eventually replace independent practices. But investors have become much more selective. Rather than funding dozens of new mental health startups, they're...

During a healthcare networking event I attended this month, one word kept coming up: longevity. Within two hours, I had six meaningful conversations, and the topic surfaced in at least five of them. Mostly, the discussion centered on digital therapeutics and clinical support, but I couldn't stop thinking about what it means for mental health. People in the U.S. are becoming increasingly invested not just in living longer, but in living better. One 2026 forecast estimates the longevity market...

When my oldest son was born, I remember looking down at his tiny, perfect face and having a terrifying thought: "Somehow, at some point, I'm going to do something that screws him up." It wasn't the thought itself that scared me. It was the realization that I had no way of knowing which parenting decisions would turn out to be objectively right. So I opted for the next best thing: trying to avoid obviously bad decisions. I've found that the same principle applies to building a business. Some...

More than 250 years ago, Adam Smith argued that societies become wealthier through specialization. When people focus on doing one thing exceptionally well, they create more value that can be exchange with others. Now let me translate this to our world of private practice today. Some practices choose the path of specialization while others remain generalists. Neither model is objectively better than the other. But each one represents a different value to its clients. For people who value...

I just finished putting together a content strategy brief for my client. Typically I offer a keyword research and my recommendations for optimization of each page. This time, I approached it a little bit differently because I wanted it to also include an "authority strategy". Meaning, how to make the website a "go-to" place for a particular information, a knowledge hub for a specific audience. Today, the goal is not just ranking. It's becoming one of the trusted sources that both people and...

After I delivered this week's Masterclass on AI visibility, I received several questions about my view on positioning in the market. The overlapping theme had to do with creating a therapy brand for a specific niche. Specifically, being nervous about alienating potential clients and limiting the variety that makes your work interesting. I've heard this argument many times before. Therapists equating niching down with losing professional satisfaction. Unfortunately, this fear stalls taking...

Today, my message will be short and straight to the point. After speaking with numerous therapists in the last few months, this is the pattern that I see: Many experienced a decrease in referrals Plateauing caseloads Confusion about the future of independent private practices Instead of doom-predicting or pretending that it's "business as usual", I've put together a list of resources that will help you focus on stabilizing and increasing your revenue. All are free, and designed to help you...