Find your niche!

The Power of Niching: Standing Out in a Crowded Market

As therapists, we often hesitate to specialise beyond our core training. The idea of narrowing our focus to a specific client group can feel restrictive—even risky. But consider this scenario: A potential client is looking at ten different CBT therapist websites, none with any specialisation. How do they choose? Without differentiation, their decision often defaults to price alone.

This is precisely why niching is crucial for your practice's success. When a potential client lands on your website and thinks, "This therapist truly understands my specific challenges," they're not just more likely to book—they're willing to pay a premium for your specialised expertise. Your niche becomes your unique value proposition, eliminating the need for potential clients to continue their search elsewhere.

Whilst specialising might feel daunting, today's remote therapy landscape offers abundant opportunities to build a thriving practice within your chosen niche.

Remember: charging higher fees means you can maintain a comfortable income with fewer clients. Moreover, your specialisation opens doors to additional revenue streams through books, workshops, and other specialised offerings that leverage your expert status.

Whilst niching isn't mandatory, it's worth noting that the most effective marketing strategies in therapy practice consistently centre around specialised expertise. Your niche isn't just a marketing tactic—it's your pathway to becoming a recognised authority in your field.

Pro Tip: Think of niching as amplifying your impact rather than limiting your reach. When you speak directly to a specific group's needs, your message resonates more powerfully than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Common fears

  • I get it, I felt the same. However if you speak to everybody you speak to nobody. Think about it this way, you’re looking for therapists and see a famous therapist who has no speciality but are well known. You then find a smaller therapist who specialises in your exact problem. They’re not famous, but they’re website and marketing speaks to everything you’re going through. Who do you go with? The smaller therapist. This is where niching is so powerful.

  • Without sounding super old, back when these famous therapists made it (think dr julie, holistic psychologist etc.) there was less competition in the online space for therapeutic content. They were pioneers. They didn’t need to niche because there was less competition. Times have changed and marketing therefore has to be stronger.

  • Some therapists feel they are the niche. For example, they have lived experience, they deliver multilingual therapy etc. This is certainly a strong point, and the best marketing would be combining this with a niche. However, you can just offer yourself as a niche without niching down further. It’s up to you.

    However, look at what’s stronger here:

    “I offer CBT in two languages”

    “I offer CBT to perinatal women in two languages”

    Which one speaks directly to a client?

  • This is where Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) plays a role. We make sure your website has every term in it, and teach you ways to help grow your website, to get it high in the google listings. There are always enough clients for your niche if your reach is big enough.