Setting your Fee

If you want to cause some drama, just gather 10 therapists at a table and ask them their thoughts about session fees. The opinions are all over the map and many of them spicy ! Some therapists operate from a mindset of charging as much as the client will pay, while others feel that our work is charitable and it feels unethical to charge markedly high fees.

What feels right for you? Here is an easy guide for beginning to price your services.

• Do a little market research. IMPORTANT - do not simply look at all the therapists in your area. You want to look at comparable therapists. What do I mean? Look at therapists who: 1) are in the same general area as your practice, 2) do similar work to you (if you have speciality training in EMDR, look at other therapists who are doing that), 3) Find the highest charging provider that is a close fit to your work, and then find the lowest. Get an idea for what others are charging.

• Look at your bills. How much money do you need to make in order to metaphorically keep the lights on and the IRS off your tail?

• Ask yourself realistically, what is your capacity? How many clients feels good to you? Maybe you create your schedule so that certain days are push /hustle days and other days are a little calmer and easier on your nervous system. What number of sessions feels sustainable for you?

• Remember, most therapists raise their rates every 1-2 years by $10-$15. Factor in for this when you set your fees!

• Take a breath and decide where you start. Write out your proposed fee and imagine talking with prospective clients about it. How do you feel? Your fee should reflect your value and also feel in alignment with you as a person.