Finding Your Ideal Client

Identifying an ideal client can help niche down your practice and ultimately build your practice. Brainstorming who your ideal client is can assist in helping you market your practice and attract clients who choose and are invested in you.

As therapists we are taught to be generalists. There is a fear in private practice that if we specialize or develop a niche, it will hurt our practice. But that is far from the truth. Developing a niche leads to attracting your ideal clients. Ideal clients choose you, and are invested in you. Learn more about developing your niche.

Who are my ideal clients? It's a big question to ask yourself, and maybe it would be easier if you asked yourself the following questions. But if you are just starting out, try not to overthink it and just brainstorm who and what is ideal.

Who do I like to work with?

Think of all your client’s demographics. What is the age range, sex, gender, race, ethnicity of your ideal client? Do you like working with adult women of color? Or maybe you like helping children ages 0-5. Narrowing down specifics can be really helpful in coming up with a clear picture of who you want to work with.

What issues or problems am I passionate about?

Is there a specific issue that you are excited to work with? Or a mental health problem that you are really interested in and invested in? Maybe you are interested in the autism spectrum and want to work with kids navigating challenges that come with neurodivergence.

I know that I really enjoy working with sexual trauma and abuse survivors. It’s an interest I’ve always had based on being a survivor myself. And over time in my career I also noticed most people who seek services from me are not only survivors, but are creatives as well. I realized I also really like working with creatives and artists. Over time in your career, you might be surprised what clients are attracted to your services.

If these above questions are difficult to answer, it might be a little more helpful to reflect on the work that you are doing or have done with clients already.

Which clients do I like working with best?

Thinking of past and current clients that you have great relationships with and clients that you are excited to work with, can also be good indicators of ideal clients. Maybe we shouldn’t play favorites, but there are definitely those clients that you are just excited to work with and feel really aligned with.

Which clients do I feel most rewarded by after a session?

Reflecting on which clients give you those rewarding feelings after a session can also lead you in the right direction. Every therapist knows that unexplainable feeling where you felt like you really helped someone make a breakthrough or just feel that the relationship you have with them is just smooth and easy. This is not to say that there are never difficult sessions with this client, but overall this client is one you genuinely enjoy working with.

Which clients do I not like working with?

When it’s important to think of clients you enjoy, it's just as important to think of the clients that you don’t genuinely enjoy, and in fact do just the opposite. Some clients drain you. It's a hard truth that can seem wrong to think of, especially if we are trained to be generalists. But the truth is, we are humans, and therapy at the end of the day is a relationship. We just don't vibe with everyone, and that’s totally okay. Being a therapist in private practice, allows you to have choice in who you want to work with. So finding who you don’t like to work with, can lead you closer to who your ideal client is.