You don't need to 'do everything' to market a therapy practice. Five low-effort, ethical habits — a clear website, a Google Business Profile, occasional helpful content, directory listings and asking for referrals — compound over twelve months into a steady flow of enquiries, without fear tactics or daily posting.
It's OK to hate marketing
The version of marketing most clinicians dread — the hooks, the performances, the hot takes, the constant content — isn't actually what makes therapy practices grow. Therapy practices grow on quiet, slow signals: a thoughtful website, a few words from the right kind of person, a consistent presence in the directories that matter.
Five low-effort habits that compound
1. One updated page per quarter
Pick a single page on your website each quarter and improve it. Over a year, your four most important pages have been rewritten.
2. A 60-second voice memo per week
Open your voice memo app and talk for 60 seconds about something you've been thinking about clinically. Send it to a copywriter to turn into a 300-word blog post.
3. One review per month
After a session that goes well, ask the client — only if clinically appropriate — to leave one sentence on your Google Business Profile.
4. Directory housekeeping, twice a year
Twice a year, log into Counselling Directory, Psychology Today, BACP, and any modality-specific directory. Update your photo, refresh your bio.
5. One referral conversation per month
Coffee or a call with one colleague a month — a GP, a coach, another therapist working in an adjacent specialism.
Slow marketing isn't a euphemism for doing nothing. It's the discipline of doing the right small things, consistently, until they compound.
Adam Watters, Founder, Psyche Creative
Atlantic CBT & EMDR took a version of this approach — they wanted genuine content, not outsourced noise, so we coached them through building the in-house capability rather than doing it for them. Read the Atlantic CBT & EMDR case study →
If you'd rather hand off the writing, scheduling and directory work entirely, that's exactly what we do. See our Social Media Management service →
Adam works with UK therapy practices, EMDR trainers and mental health organisations on websites, social media and digital campaigns. He started Psyche Creative to give clinicians a marketing partner who understands the sector — and won't compromise on professional standards to get results.
