6 Ways Therapists Can Make More Money From Each Client

When I participated in the first cohort of the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women: Black in Business Program years ago, I was sure I would learn some things. But one concept that they drove home has transformed how I do business and it’s the one that most private practice owners have missed.

Customer Lifetime Value.

I know that you love helping clients, and you absolutely want to be valuable in their lives, but if you want a profitable and successful private practice, you have to pay attention to the value they bring to the business. And one thing that many therapists do that ends up making them hustle for part time gigs is leaving money on the table. The concept of Customer Lifetime Value helps us to eliminate that problem.

A couple of things that we have to assume are true, there is a cost to acquire a client and a cost to deliver that service. Can we agree on that? Good. The lower the cost of acquisition the higher the profit on each service, right? Good. So, once we’ve already acquired that client, it’s a good idea that we serve them FULLY which allows for them to have a higher lifetime value. The problem is we don’t want to be unethical, telling them to come more frequently than they need to, having them come to sessions AFTER they should be terminated or commit insurance fraud by billing them when the diagnosis is no longer relevant.

The solution? Smart, ethical ways to generate more revenue from your existing clients, WITHOUT, adding hours to your week or risking your license. This builds on the fact that your existing clients already love and trust you, it also lets you ethically increase the profit of your work without having to haggle with insurance companies about raising your rates.. This can be done by shifting your business model slightly or adding complementary services.

Here are six ways to start:

Add-On Services (Like Voxer Coaching)

Offer a short-term or ongoing text-based check-in service. It mimics the instant access clients love on text therapy platforms but remains structured and secure. You can charge a premium for the convenience while giving clients accountability and support between sessions. I use this model and it helps clients who need a quick check-in, but not a full session get the help they need in-between appointments. For most people, a response can take 2-3 minutes max and you can easily and ethically charge clients $50-$199/month. This is also great when you have clients who move.

Group Coaching or Workshops

Convert individual topics into group sessions. You reach more people in the same time block, which multiplies your earning potential while creating community. We’ve done non-clinical topics like vision boarding and more clinical approaches like trauma recovery. As a bonus, these can also be the perfect setup to launch your speaking or consulting career.

Digital Resources

E-books, guided journals, or video courses related to your specialty can be sold as add-ons. Once created, they continue to earn without additional time investment. Digital ones can be sold right on your existing website, but we also sell these on Amazon and through print on demand services. As a bonus, these can be sold to people who will never become a client too, which creates passive revenue which we LOVE. Grab one of my templates for a jump start and email me to get your free mini strategy session after purchase so I can help you customize it for your clients.

Retreats or Intensive Sessions

Offer half-day, full-day, or weekend intensives. These provide deep transformation in condensed time frames and justify higher pricing. These are typically not reimbursable by insurance, but can be very attractive to couples who want to get to the root of the problem and solutions quickly or corporations who don’t want to give up weeks or months of back and forth.

Membership/Subscription Models

Offer ongoing support through monthly subscriptions, including check-ins, resources, or community. This builds recurring revenue from loyal clients.

Affiliate revenue

Instead or recreating the wheel, just point them in the direction of the tire shop. Make sure that you clearly outline where you will be compensated and make sure that you are offering tools that you actually believe in and you’re good to go.

Want to see which of these strategies could work for you without adding stress? Schedule a mini strategy session and let’s figure it out together.