This article outlines 10 easy and practical ideas to help you kick-start your therapy practice.

Some common questions therapists ask when they start out are:

"I have finished my studies, how do I get started?"

"I have opened my business, but where are my clients?"

Finding the answers to these questions can be quite daunting and can lead each individual therapist down very different paths based on their:

• Type of modality and qualification/s

• Amount of start-up money or financial situation

• Breadth and depth of non-therapy related skill sets

• Level of external support

• Availability for seeing clients

• Additional employment or income streams (which could result in limited time to see clients but secure income)

• Access to treatment space to see clients

• Family responsibilities (family and children to support)

• Expectations (for example, number of clients, income, types of clients)

• And many, many more...

All these factors need to be considered when you start out. Therefore different strategies will work for different people - there is no one-size fits all approach because everyone has a different set of circumstances from which they begin to practise. They also have different goals, different lifestyles and different ways they wish to work.

A therapist can meander their way through in a scattered approach (like we originally did) and try different things over time and see what works for them. But, from our experience, this method can be stressful, resource draining and take up much of your time. This is where following the 10 Actions to Use Self-Enquiry outlined in our free eBook, The Therapist's Portable Paradise (2011) can support you. Through a committed use of self-enquiry you become more focused, relaxed and have greater clarity and insight to make decisions about what avenues to follow externally.

There are many books for new therapists on how to set up and market a therapy business practice. However, it seems rare to find these resources written from the perspective of using self-enquiry as the internal foundation for establishing a successful therapy practice.

With this in mind, here's 10 practical ideas based on our research and what experienced therapists have done to get their therapy business started. Please apply these to your own situation to see if they are relevant for you.

1. Be available for clients as much as possible, anytime, anywhere

If you are not seeing clients, your business cannot grow through word-of-mouth. However, if you have another job or other commitments, ensure you maintain a balanced life. To prevent burnout and ill-health you may need to eventually reduce or completely let go of some other commitments to open up space to attract new opportunities in your therapy work.

2. Be willing to charge flexible prices

It is not easy to work out what to charge and it involves many factors and beliefs (for example, self-valuing, lifestyle, family). Take time to contemplate what feels right for you. But remember, people can be frugal with their money when it comes to health and wellbeing. They are also looking for value for money. Ask yourself: Would you pay $90 for someone with less than one years experience when you could pay $90 for someone with 10 years experience? A potential client may be keen to try a less experienced therapist if they can save money. However, their decision may depend on a range of factors such as the modality, what the client is looking for and their financial situation. Over time and as your experience increases you may decide to increase your prices.

3. Be patient - it can take up to 5 years to build a client base

Three important factors that affect your ability to build a client base are:

a. Your level of skill in what you do

b. Your level of passion and love for what you do and helping other people

c. Your ability to consistently practise your therapy with people (even if it is for free).

This last point is vital because if you are not seeing people for sessions:

• You are not deepening your skills and becoming a better therapist

• People are not experiencing what you do and therefore can't come back or tell other people about you

• Your confidence in what you do may decrease

• You aren't spending time doing what you love!!

4. Start small - you don't need to spend a lot of money to get started (nor do you need a fancy, fitted-out clinic space)

Spending a lot of money upfront can cause you a great deal of stress and pressure which flows on into your therapy work. Spending nothing can also be an obstacle. Find your own level of balance, but start small.

5. Build your therapy practice around your strengths and your personal experience

For example, if you have experienced depression, drug addiction, cancer, or anything

that you have overcome in your life, then use this as your foundation. Contemplate your life and discover what personal strengths and experiences you have which may help others. Tell your story and let your own experiences, downfalls and triumphs inspire others on their own healing journey.

6. When you don't have clients, use it as an opportunity to do what you love (a radically different approach!!)

When you don't have clients, stay in the mindset of love, joy and abundance rather than trying to control things from a mindset of worry and from fear of not having clients. For example, you could play more music, paint, surf or catch up with a close friend. A lack of clients can also be an opportunity for you to rest, study more deeply in your modality or even give away a free session to a friend or family member.

7. If things aren't working, don't be bound by how a therapist traditionally works

Be creative and open your mind to what being a therapist means to you. For example, seeing individual clients from a rented clinic space is not the only way. You could work from a local market, gym, corporation or hotel. You could run a mobile service or you could write books or a blog, or run seminars, workshops, classes or support groups.

8. If you can't afford to pay for a website, get a free blog

Blogs usually have the capability of creating extra pages so you can talk about yourself and what you do. It's also a great way for you to start writing and sharing information with others.

9. Love what you do, live your life and be amongst people

Almost everyone asks someone that they meet for the first time what they do for a living. So find your own authentic way of talking about what you do. This will enable your therapy work to grow naturally simply from living your life amongst other people.

10. Understand what your clients want from you

What are your clients seeking from your therapy? Is it relaxation, pain relief, lifestyle change etc? Tailor the therapy to suit them. Become aware of how open a client is to the healing process. Are they ready to do the work themselves or are they expecting you to do all the work for them? In any case refrain from pushing them too hard if they aren't ready. This can discourage them from returning to see you and block their healing path even further.