Three Reasons to List Your Therapy Fee On Your Private Practice Webpage
One of the questions therapists often ask is whether cash-based therapists should list their fees on their private practice web pages. Although many therapists have different opinions on this topic, I am a firm believer in listing your therapy fee on your webpage.
Many therapists fear that listing their fees on their webpage will cause them to lose potential clients. This belief is rooted in a scarcity mindset or the idea that there are not enough aligned clients out there to fill our private practices.
But here’s the thing; if you’ve spent time thinking about why you charge what you charge, you want to lose some clients that don’t want to pay your full fee. If you accept sliding scale clients, you should clearly state this on your webpage as well. I suggest developing a sliding scale policy and posting that on your web page. Consider checking out Open Path for a clear and easy way to book sliding scale appointments.
Here are three other reasons to list your fee on your private practice webpage:
Hunting for your fee annoys potential clients.
Do you enjoy hunting for someone’s fee? Do you enjoy calling someone to find out how much they cost? If it annoys you, it will annoy your potential clients. No one wants to spend time searching your website to determine if they can afford your services. State your fee clearly on your therapy practice webpage.
If clients must use their in-network benefits, listing your fee on your webpage saves them the headache of calling you.
Many clients want to use their in-network benefits. Don’t waste their time if you know that you don’t take their insurance. State your cash fee policy clearly on your website. If you are in-network with any insurance companies, make sure to list these clearly on your webpage as well.
Private practice business boundaries.
Stating your fee on your webpage helps you hold boundaries regarding your sliding scale spots. I suggest listing on your webpage that you accept sliding scales clients through a service like Open Path and encourage clients to apply through their nonprofit if they are interested in a sliding scale. I believe in having four sliding scale spots in my private practice. I keep these four spots for clients who earn at or below minimum wage. I bill anywhere between $10-20 for these four spots. In light of this very reduced fee, I must keep my full fee boundaries for the remainder of my therapy clients. Having my fee listed clearly on my private practice webpage helps clients to determine if I am a good fit for them before they call me.
This article was written by Kelley Stevens, LMFT. Kelley is a private practice business coach for therapists. Kelley specializes in helping therapists launch a cash-pay private practice from the ground up.
