From Trainee to Private Practice
You’ve trained to become a therapist. Now what?
Qualifying as a counsellor or psychotherapist is a huge achievement.
But somewhere between completing your final training hours and seeing your first private client, you may find yourself asking:
How do I actually build a practice?
What should I charge?
Who do I want to work with?
How do I find clients?
Do I need a website?
How do I market myself without feeling like I'm selling?
How many clients do I actually need?
And how do I build a practice that works for me — rather than taking over my life?
These are questions that therapist training doesn't always prepare you for.
From Trainee to Private Practice is designed to bridge that gap.
A practical, interactive one-day course for counsellors and psychotherapists who are approaching qualification, newly qualified, or in the early stages of developing a private practice.
Designed to help you make the transition from therapist in training to confident practitioner, this course gives you the essential foundations for starting a private practice that works for you.
Your training taught you how to be a therapist.
This course helps you work out how to become a practitioner.
We'll explore the practical realities of setting up and developing a private practice — from your first thoughts about what you want your practice to look like, through to pricing, positioning, marketing, finances and attracting clients.
This is not just a 'how to run a business' course'. It's about building a professional, ethical and sustainable practice that fits the kind of therapist you want to be.
What we'll cover
Designing your practice
What do you actually want your working life to look like?
We'll explore different practice models, working patterns, online and face-to-face work, capacity, boundaries and the kind of clients you would like to work with.
The business basics
Sole trader or limited company? What costs should you expect? What should you be keeping track of? How do you think about tax, expenses and income?
We'll make the financial side of private practice much less intimidating.
Pricing your practice
How do you decide what to charge?
We'll look at the practical considerations alongside the psychology of pricing — including confidence, comparison, affordability, concessions and the uncomfortable question of what you believe your work is worth.
Getting found
Websites, directories, LinkedIn, referrals, networking and word of mouth.
We'll look at practical ways people can find you — without asking you to become someone you're not.
From enquiry to client
What happens when someone actually gets in touch?
We'll map the client journey from first enquiry through to assessment, contracting and ongoing therapy, including some of the boundaries and systems you'll need along the way.
Building a sustainable practice
How many clients do you actually need?
We'll look at capacity, income, holidays, cancellations, admin, supervision and the difference between being busy and having a practice that is genuinely sustainable.
Why learn from me?
I'm a Chartered Accountant, practising psychotherapist, supervisor and counselling tutor. I spent two decades working in professional services before retraining as a therapist. So I've experienced both sides of the equation: the world of business and finance, and the very different world of therapy.
I know that the language of business can sometimes feel a little alien to therapists.
My aim is to make it practical, understandable and relevant — without losing sight of the values that make therapy different from most businesses.
This isn't just a day of presentations
You'll spend the day working on your own practice.
You'll leave with:
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a clear picture of the practice you want to build
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a starting point for your pricing
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an understanding of the income and client numbers you may need
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a clearer idea of who you want to work with
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a simple marketing and visibility plan
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a mapped-out client journey
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practical tools and templates
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a 90-day action plan for getting started
And there is one important thing that comes afterwards.
Around one month after the course, you'll have a 60-minute individual Practice Review with me. We'll look at what you've put into action, what's worked, what's got in the way and what you want to focus on next.
Because a plan is only useful if you actually put it into practice.
Who is it for?
This course is particularly suited to:
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counsellors and psychotherapists approaching qualification
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newly qualified therapists
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therapists in their first couple of years of private practice
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therapists considering moving into private practice alongside other work
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practitioners who have started a practice but aren't quite sure where to take it next
You don't need to have a business background or a flashy business strategyy. Just the desire to succeed in private practice and commitment to put in the builing blocks to achieve this.
What will you leave with?
Not a 47-page business plan that looks great, and has your best intentions, but gets forgotten in a drawer (or somewhere on the cloud).
You'll leave with something much more useful:
A plan for your practice.
Something you can actually start putting into action the following day!
Course details
From Trainee to Practice
Format: One-day interactive course
Venue: Initially in-person from St Albans, online version to be launched shortly after
Duration: 7 hours learning + lunch
Follow-up: Individual 60-minute Practice Review approximately one month later
Group size: Limited places to allow plenty of interaction and individual attention
First course date: Coming soon
Price: £249, Early Bird £199
Register interest
Be part of the first cohort
I'm currently planning the first 'From Trainee to Practice' course and am inviting expressions of interest from counsellors and psychotherapists who would like to take part.
Register your interest now to:
✓ Be among the first to hear when dates and venue are confirmed
✓ Secure access to the introductory course price of £199
✓ Help shape the first course through your questions and interests
✓ Receive priority booking when registration opens