Choosing a Niche for Your Private Practice
One of the best ways for a private practice to develop a solid client base is by choosing a niche.
A niche is a specialty, or focus, that helps define the scope of your practice and the types of customers you attract.
Wait, doesn’t that narrow your customer pool?
Yes!
But that’s a good thing.
Whenever people choose something to buy, even mental health care, they want the RIGHT thing.
Not a close thing.
Or an almost-there thing.
The right thing.
Without a niche, you’ll never be RIGHT to anyone. You’ll never stand out to potential clients, and they won’t reach out to you.
While a niche does limit your customer pool, it’s actually doing you a favor because now you have a small group of potential customers that you can cater to specifically.
And when those people look for care, you’re going to be that RIGHT fit.
What Matters Most
Okay, so we see why a niche is essential. But how do you choose?
Well, it depends on what matters the most to you.
Is it working with a specific group of people?
Is it the style of your therapeutic care?
Are there specific conditions or disorders you’re passionate about?
Is it where you work?
Each of these questions could be a spark that leads to a niche. Notice that none of those questions cover all areas of business – it’s a start.
For example, let’s say you only know one thing about what you want your niche to be – you want to work with couples only.
With couples in mind, start asking yourself more specific questions.
What kind of care do couples need and want?
What’s the best kind of session and schedule for couples?
How would you set up a room (in-person or remote) to make couples feel most comfortable?
Where do couples look to find care?
The list goes on and on.
With each question you answer, you’re zooming in on your niche.
Not Enough Room
One concern that pops up with therapists at this stage is that there isn’t enough room for your practice, no matter the niche.
But, that’s not the case.
“Couples” is only the beginning of defining your business (in our example). It’s probably even better to keep zooming in, depending on the competition.
- Same-sex couples
- Couples that have served
- Grieving couples
- Non-monogamous couples
These are just a few examples to show how endlessly specific you can (probably) be.
To help you brainstorm, here are a bunch of different ideas for niches! Feel free to mix match ideas until you find that perfect match.
Age-based
- Parents living alone after kids move out
- Young professionals
- Adults with aging parents
- New Retirees
Career
- Actors and Performers
- Influencers and YouTubers
- Healthcare Professionals
- Combat Veterans
Marginalized Groups
- Indigenous Students
- Women in Engineering School
- Sex Workers
- Senior Citizens
Privileged Groups
- People with new money
- Relatives of celebrities
- Therapy for Genius/Gifted/Savant
- Men
Event-based
- Acts of Terrorism
- School Shooting
- Hostage Situation
- Unexpected Loss
Conditions
- ADHD
- Bipolar Disorders
- Cancer Survivors
- Former Smokers
- Addictions
- People with Diabetes
Choosing a niche is important for every practice. Hopefully, these ideas get you on the right path.
If you have more questions about niches or anything about providing care, reach out to us here!
