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marketing, private practice, private practice marketing, get clients, fully booked practice, counselor, counsellors, psychologist, social worker, Melbourne, Australia, how to market your private practice, how to find clients for your private practice 

Are you searching for a business coach who promises to have you fully booked in weeks? Dr Brooklyn Storme, one of Australia's leading business coaches for women in private practice, reveals why results guarantees are a major red flag and what actually creates sustainable practice growth.

In this truth-telling episode, Brooklyn unpacks the ROI rule every counsellor, psychologist and social worker needs to understand before investing in business coaching for their private practice. Learn why the 90-day marketing reality check matters more than quick fixes, and discover what separates practitioners who thrive from those who don't.

Brooklyn shares the critical differences between coaching, mentoring and consulting and why understanding this distinction determines your success. If you're tired of chasing strategies that sound good but fail in the real world, this episode delivers the honest guidance you need.

Perfect for women mental health practitioners ready to build profitable practices with time freedom and financial security.

🔗 Take the free Practice Momentum Quiz: https://brooklyn.myflodesk.com/pmquiz 🔗 Visit: https://brooklynstorme.com

Should a business coach guarantee results?

What ROI should I expect from business coaching?

How long does marketing take to work for private practice?

What's the difference between coaching, mentoring and consulting?

Why do some practitioners fail to grow their practice?

Struggling with business coaching that isn't delivering results? This episode reveals data-driven success patterns from real private practice counsellors, psychologists and social workers building profitable businesses. Dr Brooklyn Storm shares 12-month analysis of Practice Momentum™ participants, comparing therapists who achieved rapid results with those who struggled.

Discover why implementation matters more than strategy, how employee mindset sabotages business growth, and the "hockey stick" pattern that separates successful practitioners from struggling ones. Learn about the critical role of business systems, KPI tracking, and mindset shifts in building a sustainable private practice.

Whether you're working with a business coach or going solo, these evidence-based insights help mental health professionals overcome common obstacles like overwhelm, scattered focus, and the dangerous loop of starting but never finishing. Perfect for women counsellors, psychologists and social workers wanting time freedom, financial security and a thriving practice.

Most therapists have a cancellation policy they never enforce. Dr Brooklyn Storme, an evidence-based private practice business coach for counsellors, psychologists and social workers, breaks down the real cost of weak boundaries and why guilt stops you from protecting your income. Learn how cancellation policies actually strengthen therapeutic relationships, the data on revenue loss, and what changes when you shift from therapist-only to therapist-AND-business-owner identity. Real case studies from Australian private practices.

Resources mentioned:

FAQ 1: "What if my client genuinely had an emergency? Isn't it heartless to charge them?"

This is where you're confusing compassion with boundary collapse. You can be compassionate AND use the policy. It's not your job to assess the validity of their reason. That's the point of having a policy in writing that they signed. The policy applies regardless of the reason. You can say: 'I understand that was difficult. The cancellation fee still applies as per our agreement.' You're acknowledging their experience AND holding the boundary. Both/and. Not either/or. If you start making exceptions, you're the one deciding whose emergency is 'real enough,' and that IS judgement.

FAQ 2: "Won't clients just leave and find a therapist who doesn't enforce cancellation fees?"

Some might. The data shows 1-2% leave when you start enforcing. But here's what you're not considering: do you want clients who only stay because you don't have boundaries? Those clients don't respect the therapeutic container. They're perhaps less likely to be invested in the work or the outcomes and they're costing you money. Boundaries help you work with clients who value your time, the structure, and who are committed to the work. You upgrade your client base. Plus, the 95% who stay are now showing up more reliably, which means your income becomes predictable instead of chaotic.

FAQ 3: "I work with low-income clients who genuinely can't afford a cancellation fee. What then?"

If you're choosing to work with low-income clients, that's a business decision, not a therapeutic one. You need to build that into your business model. Don't make up different rules for each person based on your assessment of their finances that's inconsistent and creates resentment. 

FAQ 4: "What's a reasonable cancellation policy timeframe? 24 hours? 48 hours? A week?"

Industry standard in Australia is 24-48 hours. I recommend 48 hours because it gives clients enough notice to manage their schedules and gives you enough notice to potentially fill the gap. But here's what matters more than the timeframe is consistency. If you say 48 hours and then accept 12-hour cancellations without charging, your policy is meaningless. Pick a timeframe that feels manageable for you to enforce, put it in writing, and hold it every single time. I've seen therapists with 24-hour policies who enforce consistently get better results than therapists with week-long policies they never apply.

Need more help? Contact me using the links above.

cancellation policy therapist, private practice boundaries, therapy practice revenue loss, counsellor cancellation fees, therapist business boundaries, private practice income protection, therapy practice policies, mental health practice management, Australian therapist coaching, enforcing cancellation policy

therapist boundary coaching | private practice policy enforcement | cancellation fee guidance | therapy business revenue protection | counsellor income strategies | practice management coaching Australia | evidence-based boundary setting | therapist business owner identity

Show notes on the way!

Quiz: Take the free 10 minute private practice quiz here to receive your personalised growth insights! 

This episode goes with the Tech Stack cheat sheet that you can download from the link above! 

You’ve probably already collected enough strategies to get more clients, raise your fees, and run your practice like a business… so why does it still feel hard to execute? In this episode, I unpack the pattern I’ve observed over years of coaching counsellors, psychologists, and social workers: it’s rarely the strategy that’s “not working” it’s usually the identity you’re operating from. If you’re stuck in helper mode (client-aligned) and you haven’t integrated the business-owner version of you, even the best plan can end up abandoned, half-implemented, or constantly replaced with the next shiny “fix”.

You’ll hear what changed for me after building an AI-supported self-coaching process designed to surface subconscious drivers (the iceberg beneath the surface) and why it created a noticeable absence of anxiety, stress, and emotional spirals when doing hard business things. I also explain the identity-first framework I’ve built to help private practice owners stop cycling through “what’s the next strategy?” and instead create an upward/outward spiral of progress with an evidence bank of results that builds confidence, consistency, and income.

If you’re in Australia and you’re starting a private practice or you’re already in practice but not consistently booked (or you’re booked but not profitable), this is for you. Quick win action step: pick ONE strategy you already “know” you should do (fee increase, cancellation policy, Google Business Profile, GP meet-and-greet) and ask: “What would the business-owner version of me decide here?” Write the answer down, then implement one small, specific step within 24 hours.

Timestamps:

Call to action and resources (clickable links):

Mini FAQ:

If you’re repeatedly asking “what else should I do?” while skipping, delaying, or half-implementing proven steps, it’s likely identity friction (how you see yourself, your client, and money).

It can include mindset, but this goes deeper: identity is the role you default to under pressure (helper mode vs business-owner mode) and it drives behaviour.

No. Used well, it can reduce cognitive load and help you see patterns faster  but it should be used ethically and with clear boundaries (especially not directly with clients).

The identity work applies just as much it often shows up as undercharging, weak boundaries, inconsistent policies, or over-delivering.