If you've built a successful private practice largely through referrals, realizing that you suddenly need to market yourself can feel frustrating—especially when what worked for years doesn't seem to be working anymore. In this episode, Anna explains why a slowdown in referrals doesn't diminish the reputation or expertise you've built. Instead, it's a sign that the way clients choose therapists has changed.

Anna breaks down the shift from "credentials-first" to "connection-first" marketing and explains why referrals alone may no longer carry potential clients all the way to booking. You'll learn how to translate the trust you've already built into a website that connects with today's clients, communicates the quality of care you provide, and helps right-fit clients confidently choose you.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

1️⃣ Why a practice built on referrals is something to be proud of—even if those referrals have recently slowed down.

2️⃣ How the therapist-selection process has changed and why referrals don't carry the same weight they once did.

3️⃣ The difference between credentials-first and connection-first marketing—and why connection needs to lead today.

4️⃣ How to turn the skills you already have as an experienced therapist into marketing that attracts right-fit clients.

Resources & links mentioned

• Confident Copy: https://walkerstrategyco.com/confident-copy
• Done-for-you copywriting, branding, and design services: https://walkerstrategyco.com/services
• The Walker Strategy Co website: https://walkerstrategyco.com

Connect + subscribe

Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe so you never miss an episode—and feel free to share it with a fellow therapist who's building their private practice. Explore more marketing support for therapists:

The Walker Strategy Co website: https://walkerstrategyco.com

About Marketing Therapy

Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by Anna Walker, a marketing coach, strategist, and founder of Walker Strategy Co—each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.

" Anna, I've never had to

market myself before."

2

That's what we're talking about today.

3

I cannot even tell you how many times I've

heard a therapist say this to me, "Anna,

4

I've never had to market myself before.

5

I just got the referrals.

6

All of a sudden, the

referrals have slowed down.

7

People used to just send my name to

people, and the clients would book.

8

I'm realizing I have to market

myself for the very first time."

9

If that's you, this episode is for you.

10

It is written and built and organized

and researched with you in mind, and

11

I hope that you find it very, very

helpful as you decide what to do next.

12

Now, this is actually a really,

really common experience, and the

13

cool thing that I always like to

point out to the clinicians who I

14

talk to who find themselves in this

position is how much of a testament

15

it is to the great work that you do.

16

If you are sitting here in twenty

twenty-six and have been able

17

to book your practice out based

on referrals and without really

18

marketing yourself, congratulations.

19

Truly.

20

It's a sign of your reputation.

21

It's a sign of the great work that

you do, of people's trust in you,

22

whether that is your referral contacts

or your clients themselves who

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might share your name with others.

24

That's incredible, and it points

to a bunch of really, really

25

positive things about your practice.

26

Now, you might also sit here

and think, "Crap, I don't

27

know how to do that," right?

28

Which is why I hope this

episode is helpful for you.

29

But first and foremost,

be proud of yourself.

30

Be proud of what you've

been able to create so far.

31

And now just imagine

what's available to you.

32

If you've been able to build a

practice without marketing, imagine

33

what happens when you start, right?

34

Now, we know that in this market, your

website is the home of your marketing.

35

We know that if you are someone who

finds themselves in this position, never

36

having had to market yourself, that your

website probably wasn't your top priority.

37

And now, as you see things shifting

around you, you're realizing,

38

"I gotta step this up," right?

39

I sit down with clinicians

in our done-for-you discovery

40

sessions every single week.

41

So these are calls that people can

book with me to discuss us writing,

42

designing branding their practice.

43

And as part of that, I like to gather

some information about where they're

44

at in their practice, what they're

needing, and also why they're considering

45

up-leveling their site, right?

46

And a lot of times they're telling

me that their website needs to

47

look like the quality of care

that they actually deliver, right?

48

One of our current clients who we are

working on her website in the month of

49

October told us that, "The clients I work

with expect a level of professionalism

50

that a quality website conveys."

51

right?

52

Or another one told me, we just launched

her site last month, "The feel of

53

our site needs to match the quality

of therapy services we provide."

54

So this is where I see a lot of therapists

sitting, is that, "Holy cow, I'm an

55

incredible therapist, and holy cow, my

website isn't doing that any justice."

56

And because things are changing, you can

either sit there and stay stuck and wonder

57

why the therapists around you are getting

clients, or you can do something about it.

58

You can up-level that website

to communicate and to match the

59

level of care that you offer.

60

That's really what this comes down to.

61

Now, a lot of times paired with this

experience of, "I've never had to market

62

myself before," is often a frustration

of some kind, looking around at other

63

therapists, maybe less experienced

therapists, those that are newer to the

64

field, getting clients when they can't.

65

And I refer to the way that a lot

of therapists have marketed in the

66

past as credentials first marketing.

67

So you led with your training, you led

with your expertise, with your years

68

of experience, and that was enough.

69

Whereas today, we know that

we're connection first, right?

70

It's a lot about what we talk about

because of how people are making

71

decisions about their therapist and

what they're needing, their increased

72

level of skepticism, the way that

they're making those decisions, that

73

they're looking for something different.

74

They're not just looking for a CV, right?

75

They're not looking for a LinkedIn bio

list of everything that you've done.

76

They're looking for connection, and a

therapist of any level of experience

77

can offer that connection, and it is

usually those who are doing that best

78

who are actually getting the clients.

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This is not to say that your experience

doesn't matter or that people don't

80

care or that it doesn't weigh into their

decision-making, but it shows us that

81

it's not the most important thing, right?

82

So if you're finding yourself looking

around and seeing therapists with a

83

fraction of your experience getting

chosen and it doesn't make sense,

84

that's what I want this episode

to give you some direction on.

85

The fact of the matter is that the way

clients find a therapist has changed,

86

and so the rules have changed with it.

87

And so your opportunity now

is to shift the way that

88

you're playing the game, okay?

89

Now, for years, if you think back to

what has been working currently in

90

your practice, for years, a referral

carried most of the weight, right?

91

They told a new client, "Hey, this

therapist specializes in this thing.

92

You can trust her.

93

Go book with her."

94

Maybe they visited your website,

maybe they didn't, but they

95

reached out, they booked with you.

96

Everything was gravy.

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This is what we've referred to in the

past as a trust transfer, and it's the

98

beauty of word-of-mouth networking.

99

Because when I tell you, "Hey, go see Liz.

100

Liz is really, really excellent

in postpartum," you automatically

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trust Liz more than if you just

met Liz on Google or on the street.

102

Okay?

103

I'm transferring some trust in Liz to you

as you decide who you're gonna work with.

104

That is the beauty of word of mouth.

105

And in the past, that word of mouth, that

trust transfer, carried enough weight to

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usually get people over the finish line.

107

These days, it's a wonderful initiation,

it's a wonderful introduction to you, but

108

it does not typically pull enough weight

for them to actually make a decision.

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What happens then, so they've learned

about you from a networking contact,

110

for instance, then they go research you.

111

Then they determine, "Does this

person match what I heard about her?"

112

Before, that matching, that evaluating,

wasn't happening at the level that it

113

is today, and that's just due to the

increased skepticism and the number

114

of choices available to your clients

115

That means that if you had a website

in the past, it was just confirming

116

what that client had already been told.

117

But it wasn't pulling any

specific weight on its own.

118

These days, your website's job

is to do more than just confirm.

119

It's to differentiate, and to

allow you to actually be chosen

120

among the other therapists that

those folks are looking at.

121

So I mentioned I sort of refer to the way

that clinicians often marketed themselves

122

in the past as credentials first.

123

So that's something like, you know,

licensed psychologist, fifteen years

124

of experience, trained in EMDR and CBT.

125

And then maybe you'll say like,

"Hey, I create a safe space

126

for healing," or whatever.

127

So can you see how we're

leading with credentials?

128

That's how I see a lot of these

types of websites and therapists

129

talking about themselves.

130

I actually landed on one.

131

Again, this was someone who was inquiring

about our done-for-you services.

132

I landed on her current website,

and it welcomed me to the site,

133

and then it gave me a bulleted

list of what she was trained in.

134

That's what she was starting with.

135

And like I said, that credentials

first used to be really, really

136

effective because the trust

transfer was pulling enough weight

137

that the website didn't have to.

138

These days, we're looking for that

connection first marketing, right?

139

Connection-first would be something

like If you're a mom who keeps

140

saying, "I'm fine," but knows she

isn't, this practice is for you.

141

Specializing in EMDR and perinatal

mental health in order to X, Y, Z.

142

Leading with who that person is, leading

with connection, leading with empathy.

143

You could have the same exact

credentials between that credentials

144

first example and the connection

first, but one's gonna get scrolled

145

by and one's gonna get picked, okay?

146

So it's about changing the way that

you think about positioning yourself,

147

what you lead with, letting the

credentials back it up, but first

148

focusing on connection in your marketing.

149

That's what's going to allow you

to create that website and create

150

that experience that matches the

quality of care that you provide.

151

Now, what's actually happening when a

therapist who is two years into practice

152

gets chosen over one with 15 years, right?

153

This is not actually a matter

of who's a better therapist.

154

We don't know.

155

We don't know who's a better

therapist, and neither, quite

156

frankly, does the client.

157

It's probably not because she's cheaper.

158

We'll assume that their fees

are similar or exactly the same.

159

What's interesting is that the

two-year therapist might not even

160

have the same referral network

that the 15-year one did, okay?

161

She might actually not be as

well-connected as you are, but

162

she did learn how to connect with

her marketing, get in front of the

163

right people, and differentiate

herself beyond just her training.

164

You know what's interesting?

165

Because she couldn't

lean on as much training.

166

You, maybe you're a licensed

psychologist with 20 years of experience,

167

you could lean on your training.

168

Well, a clinician who's newer into

practice can't yet, not in the same way.

169

So what did she lean on instead?

170

Well, she leaned on connection,

and connection is actually what's

171

leading people to be chosen right now.

172

I want to reiterate that this is

not about being a better therapist.

173

Some of you might be better

therapists than the other.

174

The fact is that your

clients don't know that yet.

175

They don't know that yet.

176

So what do they know?

177

Well, they know what they need help with.

178

They know what they wanna feel.

179

They know how they wanna get better.

180

Those are the things that

your client knows when they

181

are looking for a therapist.

182

Is your marketing meeting them there?

183

I want you to picture getting

on a consult with someone.

184

Maybe you've had this experience,

and if you have, wonderful, and if

185

you haven't, let's get you there.

186

But I want you to imagine being

on a consult, and the client

187

obviously already read your website.

188

In fact, they're actually reading

back to you the words that you

189

wrote on the site as proof that

you are who they are looking for.

190

Okay?

191

So before she even filled out the

form, she had that thought, "Oh my

192

goodness, this is exactly my situation.

193

Oh my goodness, this therapist obviously

understands what I'm going through"

194

So your consult is confirming fit.

195

It's chatting logistics.

196

It's deciding on whether

Tuesday afternoons work.

197

It is not you spending time sussing

out whether this client might be a

198

good fit and what they're struggling

with and describing your approach and

199

hoping that this person is actually

gonna be a good fit and you for them.

200

That's what happens when connection-first

marketing is leading the way.

201

This is also exactly what I often

hear from Confident Copy students.

202

I can actually think of Erin.

203

She told me that she had actually

just booked that week a new full

204

fee client who had said that the

bullets on her homepage resonated so

205

deeply that it led her to reach out.

206

I hear this experience from so many of

our Confident Copy students because they

207

are doing that connection first marketing.

208

Now, lots of things go into connection

first marketing, but it begins

209

first and foremost by meeting your

clients at their point of need.

210

So again, what does your

client know right now?

211

What does she need right now?

212

What language is she

putting to her experience?

213

She might not know she

has relational trauma yet.

214

She might not know that

she needs ACT or even EMDR.

215

She just knows what's up.

216

She knows what's wrong.

217

She knows that she doesn't

wanna keep doing life this way.

218

She knows that she needs

someone she can trust.

219

She absolutely knows that she needs

someone who is skilled in what they do.

220

So please don't hear this as

your experience doesn't matter

221

or your credentials don't count.

222

Your credentials back up the

connection that you offer first.

223

This is about shifting your

marketing to being connection

224

first, not credentials first.

225

Because that is very likely to be what

you've been able to rely on thus far.

226

You've been able to rely on really

great connections, really great clinical

227

work, and really great credentials.

228

And again, good on you.

229

It's such a great sign of the

wonderful work that you do.

230

Today, we've gotta shift that.

231

Today, those things continue to matter,

but those things are backing up the

232

very fundamental thing your client is

looking for, and that is connection,

233

that is understanding, that is being seen

on a very, very, very specific level.

234

So that looks like naming what

it is that brings her here.

235

That looks like setting expectations about

what it's like to be in the room together.

236

That means offering a bit of

your personality and what sets

237

you apart so that you feel like

a different therapist than the

238

other ten tabs she's been opening.

239

But it starts with connection,

which, spoiler alert, you're

240

really, really, really good at.

241

Often, when I sit down with a therapist

who say, "Anna, I've never had to

242

market before," they have made that

mean that they don't know how to market

243

or that they're not good at this.

244

Marketing is connection, especially today.

245

You are a professional connector.

246

It's what you've spent

decades of your life doing.

247

So let's reframe that a little bit, okay?

248

That you actually are really, really

good at this, and it's so important to

249

me that you hear that this is a skill.

250

This is a skill you can build It's

actually why I created Confident Copy.

251

When people ask about, "Hey,

should I, you know, work with

252

someone to do my website for me?"

253

Like the way that we

do for many therapists.

254

"Or should I do something

like Confident Copy?"

255

Which is, you know, our proven

framework for learning this.

256

I tell them, "You know what?

257

Both are wonderful, and both

can create excellent outcomes."

258

But one of the reasons Confident

Copy is special is because

259

you're learning a skill.

260

You are building a toolkit of how to

market yourself, how to think about your

261

marketing, so that as your practice grows

and evolves, as your niche shifts, as you

262

decide as you get closer to retirement

to get really, really specific about

263

one particular population, whatever

that might be, you get to come back to

264

a set of skills, a framework that you

know can work, and pivot accordingly.

265

That's the beauty of Confident Copy, is

that you can actually learn a skill to

266

shift your marketing from credentials

first to connection first today, and

267

then continue to tweak it and modify

it as you, as a clinician, grows

268

throughout the rest of your career.

269

So rather than a one-time fix, you're

learning something you can come back to

270

and apply as your niche changes or your

focus shifts, whatever that might be.

271

The therapists around you who are

getting clients, no matter how many

272

years of experience they have under

their belt, are likely getting chosen

273

because they decided to proceed.

274

They decided to act on whatever

level of clarity they had right now.

275

So yeah, someone who's brand

new to private practice might

276

have decided, "You know what?

277

I'm gonna claim this niche for right now.

278

I'm gonna lean in, and I'm gonna

connect with people around it."

279

A-recognizing, wow, my niche might

change, but what I know right

280

now I'm gonna work with, okay?

281

You're allowed to do that too.

282

You don't have to have this

all perfectly figured out.

283

You don't have to know exactly

what your niche is, right?

284

A lot of times I'll talk to these

therapists who have been fully booked

285

and don't necessarily have a super clear

niche or a desired specific population.

286

That's okay.

287

You can work with whatever level

of clarity you have right now.

288

You've just gotta work with it, okay?

289

You can't sit on it.

290

You've gotta do something with it.

291

You've gotta connect from it.

292

And that's what Confident Copy

is designed to help you do.

293

Not only are you gonna figure out how

to write that website and create that

294

experience that matches the caliber

of work that you provide, but first

295

and foremost, we're gonna figure

out what the heck is your niche.

296

How do we put words to the

work that you love doing?

297

That reputation you have out there,

that people have been referring

298

people to you for, for years and

years and years, what is that?

299

What do you want it to be?

300

Is it shifting?

301

Let's look at that first and then

let's figure out, hey, how do

302

we put that into a website that

truly connects with people today?

303

And how do we do it in a way that supports

all the incredible experience you have,

304

that still leans into your level of

experience and highlights that, but leads

305

first and foremost with what we know

people are using to make decisions about

306

their therapist today and in this market?

307

Figure out who your client is.

308

Write with your client in mind.

309

Write to what she knows she needs right

now, and then let your credentials

310

and your experience back it up.

311

That's the shift we're talking

about here from credentials

312

first to connection first.

313

And remember that if you have

been in practice long enough that

314

you've never had to think about

this, that is not a knock on you.

315

It's actually a really, really cool

sign of the great work that you do.

316

It's proof of the reputation and

the referral network you've built.

317

But it does mean this is an invitation to

change how you've been doing it, right?

318

This is exactly what we teach

inside of Confident Copy.

319

If you are interested in learning the

skill set, in building that toolbox

320

that you can return to, jump in.

321

It is a self-study course.

322

You can engage in it over time, or

you can jump in and binge it the

323

way that some of our clinicians do.

324

Get a brand new or updated website

out there in a month or two

325

or three and see what happens.

326

I just recently heard from a therapist

who did a little bit of this.

327

She binged our podcast, and then she

jumped into Confident Copy, got to work.

328

That was in June, and today

she's full with a wait list.

329

That's wild.

330

In twenty twenty-six, over the course

of the summer, that's what can happen.

331

That's what can happen when

you apply a proven framework.

332

You start leading with connection,

and you meet your clients at

333

their point of need today in this

market, knowing what they need.

334

You can jump into Confident Copy at any

time, walkerstrategyco.com/confident-copy.

335

And if you're sitting here and

you're like, "Hey, Anna, a toolkit

336

sounds really nice, not with the

time I currently have," chat with

337

us about our done-for-you services.

338

We love getting to support clinicians in

bringing their website visions to life.

339

You can even go through Confident Copy

and then have us design your website.

340

There's lots of different

ways that we can support you.

341

So if that is more what you're looking

for, walkerstrategyco.com/services.

342

Let's hop on a call.

343

Let's talk about your

vision for your practice.

344

Let's talk about what people are saying

about you and the clients you've been

345

able to so successfully bring in for many,

many years, and then what we need to do

346

to help that continue to happen even now.

347

Okay?

348

All right.

349

Not credentials first,

but connection first.

350

Okay?

351

That's what I want your takeaway to be.

352

So if you're saying to yourself, "I've

never had to market myself before," and

353

that feels frustrating, let me reframe

that as an incredible testament to

354

the amazing work that you do and open

you up to the opportunity to look at

355

this differently, to lead with a skill

that you already have, and to bring

356

that to life in all of your marketing.

357

I'm cheering you on.

358

I'll see you in our next episode.