These dilemmas raise questions of value – the therapist’s, the client’s and the service offered – and solving them starts with us.

As imperfect, human therapists, we remain on the lifelong path to self-actualisation. As imperfect, human therapists, we might experience imposter syndrome, or crises of confidence in comparison to our peers – and in comparison to seemingly all-knowing, open all hours, robots.

Hopefully though, our self-awareness and sense of self are robust enough that we know our worth as therapists. This awareness grows throughout our years of training and experience, as we develop from newly qualified to senior status.

At every step of our professional journey, we need to be realistic and transparent about what we know and what we don’t know so that we work within our competency, attract the type of clients we are proficient to support, and charge accordingly. It makes sense that trainee therapists undertake voluntary or low paid work experience, supporting clients with less complex needs, while senior therapists respond to more complex needs and attract a higher rate.

We observe this business model across many other sectors – senior and junior hairstylists, for example, certified personal trainers versus unqualified fitness coaches, online tutors versus qualified teachers – and we expect the price to reflect the level of service, often with no questions asked. I think therapy clients should also expect to pay a premium for access to more highly qualified and experienced professionals because they have more to offer in terms of skills and proficiencies. As well as quantity (of skills and years in practice), we might expect fees to vary depending on the quality of therapy, in terms of specialist expertise and capacity to manage complexity.

Therapists might choose to specialise or diversify depending on their areas of interest, developed through experience within and post-qualification. For comparison, a bookkeeper is likely to charge less than an accountant; we would expect basic logo design to cost less than web design; and having an essay proofread will be cheaper than having technical writing checked by a copy editor.

I’m not saying accountants, web designers and copy editors are superior to bookkeepers, logo designers and proofreaders in a condemnatory way; I’m saying they have different skills sets, built through investment in training and years of experience.

Many organisations have tiered pricing structures that correspond to skill level, while others might offer a sliding scale based on complexity of the work or a client’s ability to pay; some even offer pro bono sessions. Therapists might adopt similar pricing structures too.

There are plenty of us to go around, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that we can’t, and shouldn’t expect, to be all things to all people. Maybe we shouldn’t expect all clients with all levels of need to pay the same for therapy either. It’s far better to know what we know, leave what we don’t to someone else, and charge accordingly. That way, we have a chance of getting the balance right, between meeting the needs of clients, and meeting our own need to thrive and prosper in private practice.

Whether or not the advice offered by AI constitutes ‘mental health support’ remains debatable.

Upcoming Workshop with Jeanine Connor

Want to find out more? The BTP Workshop on private practice: *Thriving in Private Practice*, will take place on Friday 5th June, 10am-4pm, with catch-up recording available if you can’t make it on the day.

Jeanine Connor MBACP, MSc, MEd, BSc (Hons) is a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor and presenter with 25+ years’ experience in the therapy world. She is also the author of 270+ publications including five books: You’re Not My F*cking Mother and other things Gen Z say in therapy (PCCS books, 2024), Stop F*cking Nodding and other things 16-year-olds say in therapy (PCCS books, 2022), and Reflective Practice in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy: Listening to Young People (Routledge, 2020). Jeanine is the Editor of BACP Children, Young People & Families journal and Reviews Editor for BACP Therapy Today. www.jeanineconnor.com LinkedIn: Jeanine Connor.