Most therapy practices go through quiet periods from time to time, and for me it’s often around Christmas or during the school summer holidays. While these lulls can feel frustrating, they can also be an opportunity to strengthen your business and get it ready for busier times. Knowing how to use that time productively can make a real difference.
It’s probably true that just about any self-employed person, in any type of business, finds peaks and troughs in their work patterns. Over the years, I have been through times when the waiting list for a first appointment is several weeks, and times when I wondered if someone had secretly changed my phone number and forgotten to let me know. (Except the people selling advertising, of course. They always seem to find me!)
Having said that, how you cope with these quiet periods in your therapy practice can help or hinder your long term prospects, so here are my tops tips to making the lull work for you.
Use Quiet Time Productively
It can be tempting to treat a quiet period as unexpected time off, but if you were employed, you would still be expected to work those hours. Treating this time as part of your therapy practice, rather than a gap, makes a big difference over time. If you normally spend three days a week on your therapy practice, keep spending three days a week on it. Where you don’t have clients booked in:
- Write some articles and blogs so you have them ready to use at busier times.
- Get your accounts and admin up to date.
- Tweak your website, social media profile, and online directory listings. If you’re not familiar with Search Engine Optimisation, AI can be a big help. If you’re not familiar with that either, check out my Using AI in Your Therapy Practice course!
- Write some handouts, leaflets or fact sheets giving useful tips to clients in those areas you deal with most.
- CPD: spend some of your down time on a course, watching some hypno-videos on you-tube, or reading. Research and plan your CPD for the future.
- Make some new audio tracks for clients.
- File stuff! Get all your emails and paperwork organised.
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Review Your Marketing and Plan Ahead
One of the challenges with marketing a therapy practice is that what works can vary hugely depending on your location, client group, and even the time of year. Remember Pareto’s Law. 20% of your marketing will bring in 80% of your clients. Quiet periods are a good time to review what actually brought clients through the door, and what you can let go.
You can also use the ‘practice building’ and ‘attracting clients’ tags on this blog to identify other articles on useful topics.
Create Extra Services or Products
Think about what you can offer that might tempt people to purchase from you right now, either for themselves or as a present for someone else. I have to say here, I don’t offer gift vouchers for therapy sessions. It’s a bit like buying a Christmas puppy: too much of a commitment to make for someone else! However, some ideas work, such as guided relaxation sessions, courses for clients who don’t have the time or money to see you personally, or a relaxation class, in person or online. My blog on upselling in your therapy business might give you some more ideas.
Build Your Professional Network
Quiet periods in your therapy practice can also be a good time to try a new supervision group or reconnect with peers via social media, especially if you’ve been too short of time to do that during busier months.
Consider Pro Bono Work to Build Experience and Visibility
Think about using your time and skills to help others without payment, perhaps a local support group for carers or lonely elderly folk would appreciate a free relaxation session for their members. Not only will this help them it will be something to put on your website, post about on social media, and get your name known locally.
And when you’ve done all that, take the advice you are so fond of giving to clients. Improve your self care by scheduling some relaxation and fun.
Quiet periods aren’t a sign that something is going wrong. They’re a normal part of most therapy practices. But used well, they can become some of the most productive and valuable parts of your working year.
About Debbie Waller
Blog Author Debbie Waller is a hypnotherapist, supervisor, and trainer with more than twenty years of experience. As well as having a busy client practice, she runs Yorkshire Hypnotherapy Training and writes books and articles for therapists who want to deepen their knowledge and develop effective practice.
Disclaimer
The information and ideas shared on this blog are based on the author’s professional experience, research, and training. They are intended for educational purposes and to support reflection and professional development. Therapists should always apply their own professional judgment and consider the needs of individual clients when using any techniques or suggestions discussed here.
While every effort is made to ensure the information is accurate and helpful, no responsibility can be accepted for any loss, damage, or difficulties arising from the use or misuse of material contained in these articles.
