We’re living in a “trust recession.” Skepticism is at an all-time high—not just when it comes to buying shoes online or clicking on an Instagram ad, but also when choosing a therapist. And that deeply affects how potential clients approach finding support.

In this episode, I unpack why trust is so low across the board and what that means for your private practice. I’ll show you how to bridge the gap between being visible and actually being trusted, so you can attract the right-fit clients—even in a more cautious, discerning market.

We’ll talk about what’s not working anymore (like vague elevator pitches or hoping a listing on Psychology Today is enough), and explore how to strategically cultivate trust through something called "trust transfer." Spoiler: you're probably already doing this—you just need to do it with more intention.

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

1️⃣ Why being visible isn’t enough anymore—and how to become the therapist who actually earns trust

2️⃣ How “trust transfer” works (and why it’s the most powerful tool you’re not fully using yet)

3️⃣ Concrete, doable steps to build your referral network without feeling salesy or awkward

Resources & Links Mentioned:

The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com 

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Explore more marketing support for therapists: The Walker Strategy Co website

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 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.

Hey there.

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Welcome back to Marketing Therapy.

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Today I want to talk about something.

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I've been noticing everywhere, and I see a

lot of people talking about, particularly

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in the online space, but I think is

truly expanding to just about every

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place we make decisions about our money.

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So not just online business, not

just online therapy, but all of

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the in-person things we do too.

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And it's called the trust recession.

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Here's what this term means.

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It means that as consumers.

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Every single one of us are more skeptical

than we have ever been when it comes

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to making decisions about our money.

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Now, there are a couple reasons

for this trust recession.

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Sometimes it's because

we've actually been burned.

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We bought a program that

didn't live up to its promises.

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Are we paid for a service that

didn't actually solve the problem?

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It said it would.

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We invested in something.

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And the goal we were hoping for

just wasn't fulfilled for whatever

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reason, but other times it's

not about one bad experience.

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And this is why this is truly a

universal experience right now,

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because it's just the world we live in.

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We are all skeptical

about everything, right?

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We double check every review.

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We hesitate before we pull out our

credit cards for that online purchase.

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We question if what we're seeing

online is real or ai, and that level of

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skepticism doesn't just show up when we

are shopping for shoes or being served an

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Instagram ad for this thing that they know

you'll like or signing up for a course.

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It really flows into how we make all of

our money decisions, including whether

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or not to reach out to a therapist.

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So this trust recession, it

matters very, very much to you,

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the private practice owner.

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Now, therapy is different

than most purchases, right?

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That's safe to say because therapy

doesn't work without trust.

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So it makes sense then that

in a trust recession, we need

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to be particularly mindful.

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Therapy isn't effective unless the

relationship itself actually feels real.

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And your clients, they can't

experience change unless they believe

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the process is going to help them.

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If they believe the person sitting

across from them either on a couch or a

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screen, is worth actually opening up to.

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And that's why I think this

conversation matters so much for

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therapists in particular, because

for a long time, the mindset around

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marketing for therapists was, if I

just hang a shingle, I get the PLLC.

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I check the marketing box, the

clients will come, and that may have

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worked in the past, but for lots

of reasons, and we've tackled some

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of those here on marketing therapy.

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But in this episode, particularly as

it relates to the trust recession,

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that's not how it works anymore.

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Trust is at an all time low.

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Your client's trust is at an all

time low, not just in therapy, but

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across the board just universally.

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That means that therapists are being

forced to prioritize, cultivating trust

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in ways maybe they didn't have to before.

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Now.

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The good news, of course, is that

success is still very much possible.

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I see therapists filling their

caseloads every single day.

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It's just that the path there

looks different than it did

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even just a few years ago.

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Here's the thing that's really

important to understand here before

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we get into the trust recession and

what you can do to fill it, I need

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you to understand that being visible.

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Is not the same as being trusted.

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You may have heard before of the concept

called the know, like, and trust factor.

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This is a universal term used across

all industries, meaning that we don't

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make decisions about our money unless

we first know someone, and then we like

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them and then we ultimately trust them.

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It's only when we've checked

all three boxes know, like, and

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trust that we decide to proceed.

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Now therapists are very,

very good at trust building.

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You do that for a living, my friend.

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That's the work you do every

single day in the therapy room.

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You sit with people, you build

rapport, you create safety.

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You help people feel understood.

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Now, on this podcast, we talk

a lot about visibility, and the

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reason is because so often it's

something that therapists forget.

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They forget that piece.

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Because you can't be trusted

if you're not first known.

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And sometimes therapists forget that their

ongoing marketing lifestyle and marketing

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routine has to include that visibility

piece because of course, if nobody knows

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you exist, nobody can reach out to you.

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But here's what's different in

this trust recession today, it

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is not enough to just be known.

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Trust has to begin before the

therapeutic relationship ever does.

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Your marketing itself has to begin

the work of cultivating trust, and

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that's a really big shift because

in the past it may have been enough

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to just check the marketing box,

list yourself on site today, throw

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together a website, tell a few friends.

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You're taking clients.

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But today, your potential clients are

weighing their options differently.

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In fact, in our state of the industry

survey at the end of 2024, we heard

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for the second year in a row that many

clinicians are noticing their clients

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doing more, quote unquote, shopping

around engaging in more consults, taking

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longer to make decisions that reinforces

this idea that they are weighing their

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options in ways they didn't used to.

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Your clients are more

cautious and more skeptical.

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They're not just asking, is

there a therapist out there?

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I can see who has availability?

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They're asking, do I believe

this person can actually help me?

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You might be familiar.

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In Nashville, we have a lot

of those injury lawyer ads.

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Commercials, billboards.

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They even sponsor like NASCAR

cars and things like that.

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Imagine a therapist who's

everywhere in their community,

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their face is on a billboard.

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Maybe they're on, you know,

serving up Instagram ads.

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Maybe they have a commercial.

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That'd be funny to think about.

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They go to every networking

event they can find.

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They're very visible.

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But if all they say is, I'm a

therapist, call me for a free consult.

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Like people might see them

over and over again and still

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not feel any real connection.

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Now, that's kind of a goofy example,

but that's what I mean by being visible

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is not the same as being trusted.

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Or this might hit a little closer to home.

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Think about a therapist who's

really great at building

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relationships, who enjoys that piece.

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They're showing up, they meet

people, they put in the work, but

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when someone asks what they do,

their answer is kind of vague.

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I work with individuals and

couples on a variety of issues.

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That's not enough for trust either

because people don't trust, quote

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unquote therapist, they trust this

is the person who helps new moms

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through postpartum depression, or this

is the therapist who brings couples

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back from the brink of divorce.

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I know you can see the

difference there, right?

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So visibility by itself is not

going to cut it in this climate.

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Because your clients are too skeptical

to reach out simply because you exist.

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Imagine that visibility is the door, but

trust is what's getting people to actually

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walk through it and engage with you.

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So in a trust recession, you really

have to be thinking about both.

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Now, when we think about bridging

that gap, if visibility isn't

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enough, what do we do here?

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One of the most powerful ways is through

something I call a trust transfer.

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Here's what that means.

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Person A, trusts person B.

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When person B recommends person C, some

of that trust automatically carries

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over and suddenly person A feels more

comfortable trusting person C, not

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because of anything person C did, yet.

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But simply because of the relationship

they already have with person B.

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Okay, so A trust B and B recommends C.

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And all of a sudden, even though

A doesn't know C, A trusts C.

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Isn't that wild?

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That is trust transfer.

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Now, let me be really clear.

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This is not manipulative.

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This is not exploitative.

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It is incredibly natural.

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It's how we have always

made decisions as humans.

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If you think about your own

life, you probably rely on

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trust transfers all the time.

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You try a new restaurant because your

friend swears by it, or you hire a

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contractor for your bathroom project

because your neighbor says he was amazing.

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You're gonna love him.

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You watch a show because your

sister said it was her favorite.

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All of those are trust transfers

and therapy is no different.

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Imagine this scenario.

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You are in the thick of postpartum.

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You are in that foggy first 12

weeks struggling with postpartum

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depression, and your best friend

tells you you need to call Bethany.

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She was incredible and exactly what

I needed at that time in my life.

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Your level of trust in Bethany.

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Is going to be totally different than

if you stumbled across her profile

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on site today because you already

trust your friend and now that

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trust has been extended to Bethany.

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That's why trust transfer is so

powerful in a skeptical marketplace

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like the one we're in right now.

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When you're marketing to a cold audience,

people who have never heard of you before.

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Your marketing has to do a ton of heavy

lifting, and it's capable of that.

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There are absolutely going to

be people that have never heard

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of you before that decide.

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You're the therapist they're

looking for, no doubt.

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But in that scenario, your

marketing has to warm them up.

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It has to convince them

that you're trustworthy.

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It has to move them all the way

from, I have no idea who you are to.

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I'm ready to pay your full fee.

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And that's a long journey,

especially right now.

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When you leverage trust transfer,

you're not starting at zero.

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You're effectively already halfway there.

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So part of that heavy lifting has

already been done by someone else simply

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through the nature of relationship.

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Now, as I mentioned, not all of your

marketing is gonna work this way.

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Of course, there are times people

are gonna find you cold Google

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directories, your website, whatever.

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But when you have opportunities

to borrow trust, it can

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accelerate the entire process.

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And in today's climate where clients are

more skeptical than ever, anything you can

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do to build trust earlier and faster is

going to serve you well in the long run.

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That's the power of trust transfer.

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It helps you cut through the

skepticism and really shorten the gap

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between stranger and my therapist.

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Really stepping into a relationship

that already feels warmer and safer.

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Now, once you start looking for

trust transfers, you're gonna

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start to see them everywhere.

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The first is professional

referrals, and this is probably

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the one therapists think of first.

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A pediatrician recommends you to a parent.

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A school counselor suggests

your name to a family.

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A pastor says, I know someone

who can help with that.

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And it doesn't even have to be

other professionals in the mental

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health space or what have you.

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It could be a yoga instructor who

says, if you're working through

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trauma, you should call Liz or a

chiropractor who notices anxiety showing

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up and saying, there's a therapist.

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I really trust with this.

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All of these are incredibly

powerful because the client already

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has trust in that professional.

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And when their name gets attached

to yours, trust transfers over.

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Here's another category.

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I call it borrowed authority, and

sometimes this one can get overlooked.

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Borrowed authority is when you're

featured in a space where the

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audience already has trust.

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For example, if you are

invited onto a podcast.

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The listeners already trust the host.

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So by trusting the host,

they automatically extend

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some of that trust to you.

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Or if you're quoted in a local

article or invited to speak on a panel

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listed as a resource, maybe for a

nonprofit that's borrowed authority

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because you are stepping into someone

else's circle of credibility and

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carrying some of that trust with you.

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None of this requires you to be famous.

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You don't need national media,

although that is an option.

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You don't need 10,000 Instagram followers

if you don't want them or need them.

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Sometimes it literally is as simple as

one trusted professional saying your name.

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A final area of trust transfer

is colleague endorsements.

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Now, of course, therapists are not

going to be using client testimonials

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the way that other service providers

are able to, but you can share

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endorsements from other professionals.

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You know, that could look like a

colleague writing a short testimonial

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on your website, really specific to a

niche or area of specialty you have.

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It could just be someone from

your consultation group who

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says she's the therapist.

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I always think of when I have

tough couples cases, maybe a

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recommendation on LinkedIn.

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All forms of trust transfer because if

another therapist says, I vouch for her,

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that carries a whole lot of weight, right?

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Here are a couple real life

examples of these things.

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A school counselor tells a parent,

if your daughter is struggling

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with body image, call Dr.

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Smith.

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That parent trusts the

counselor, so now they trust Dr.

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Smith or a family lawyer shares your

blog post on LinkedIn with the caption.

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This is who I send my clients to.

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Suddenly everyone in her network that

saw that post sees you as credible.

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Or a local news segment features you

talking about back to school stress and

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parents watching think, well, if the news

station trusts her, I probably can too.

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See how that works.

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Trust transfer doesn't

happen in a single one way.

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It doesn't take a single form.

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It happens across relationships

and communities and platforms.

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And when you start to recognize all

the different places it can show up.

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Hopefully you realize that you

already have more opportunities

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available to you than you think.

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Now I wanna pause here and talk

about something really important

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because trust transfer is powerful.

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It can also backfire.

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Here's what I mean.

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Imagine a friend says to you,

you've gotta call this therapist.

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She's amazing.

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She helps me so much.

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You're interested, you're curious,

you're starting to feel a little hopeful

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that maybe this could be a good fit.

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So what do you do next?

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You look her up.

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That's what we all do.

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You check out a website and

what you find there doesn't

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match what you were told at all.

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It's generic or maybe outdated, not

specialized, unprofessional, whatever.

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That is a rupture of trust, and

in some ways it's even worse.

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Than if she had found you and never

heard your name before, because the

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stakes are higher with trust transfer.

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When someone refers a client to

you, they are handing you a gift.

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They're saying, this person trusts me

and I'm extending that trust to you.

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If your marketing does not rise to the

occasion, if it doesn't back up what was

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said about you, that trust evaporates and

that's more than a missed opportunity.

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It can be a massive letdown the client

was leaning toward yes already, and

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then the gap between what they expected

and what they saw was simply too big.

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This is why your client conversion

engine that we talk about

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all the time matters so much.

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Yes, networking and

referrals are critical.

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Yes, trust transfer accelerates

the process, but if you don't have

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something strong on the backend.

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A clear and specific and compelling way to

capture that trust and carry it forward.

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You're wasting the energy it took

to get referred in the first place.

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What does that look like in practice?

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It looks like being specific, not just,

I help individuals and couples, but

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I help high achieving professionals

recover from burnout, whatever it is.

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We've talked a lot about

specificity in recent episodes.

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It looks like positioning

yourself as a specialist.

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Not the generalist who can

work with anyone but the go-to

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therapist for this kind of problem.

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It looks like empathy, using language

that helps someone feel seen and

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heard even before they've met you.

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Because at the end of the day, trust

transfer is really just the beginning.

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It's your job to confirm

it, to build on it.

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To show in your marketing that

you are exactly the therapist this

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client was hoping you would be.

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When you do that, you're not only

honoring the referral, but you're

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honoring the client, and that is when

trust moves from something borrowed to

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something real that they have in you.

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Now, what can you actually

do to strengthen your own

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trust transfer pipeline?

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The first thing I'm gonna say is stop

making excuses for not networking.

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I know that's blunt, but I mean it.

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Besides your website, in this market,

networking is the only true non-negotiable

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in marketing your practice today.

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Absolutely.

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Everything else is optional, and

yet it is the strategy I hear the

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most pushback on from clinicians.

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I hear I'm an introvert or it makes me

uncomfortable, or the therapists I know

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are also trying to build their practices.

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They're not gonna send me clients

or I tried and it didn't work.

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If you've been in my world for a while,

you've heard me say this, I have yet

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to meet a fully booked private pay

clinician who is not well connected.

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' cause here's the thing, not every client

is the right fit for every therapist.

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Maybe your colleague works with

kids, but gets inquiries from parents

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who really need help themselves.

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Maybe your peer loves working with

couples but doesn't wanna see individuals.

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Maybe they specialize in

trauma, they don't wanna take

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on high conflict divorce cases.

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You are not in competition with

every therapist around you.

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In fact, many of them can be some

of your strongest referral sources

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if you build those relationships.

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If you're looking for a

very first step, here it is.

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Start with people you

already know and trust.

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Building a trust transfer pipeline

does not mean having to cold call

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doctor's offices or drop in on

strangers you've never met before.

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Okay?

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It can be as simple as reaching out to

colleagues from grad school, reconnecting

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with someone from a consultation

group, letting your own providers know.

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Your kid's pediatrician, your ob,

your chiropractor, your massage

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therapist that you're taking

clients and who you work best with.

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Those conversations are low pressure

and they're natural because you

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already have trust with those people.

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If you want an even gentler entry

point, we'll say, here's my suggestion.

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Start connecting with

adjacent niche therapist.

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The examples I was just giving earlier

your colleague who works with kids but

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gets inquiries from parents or your

peer who loves working with couples

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but doesn't do individual work.

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Those are adjacent niche therapists.

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They're therapists who work with the same

client population or run into the same

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client population, but in a different way.

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So if you work with men, an adjacent

niche would be a couple's therapist.

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Or if you work with moms, an

adjacent niche therapist would

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be a child or teen specialist.

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00:21:16,465 --> 00:21:20,365

If you work with trauma, an adjacent niche

would be someone focused specifically

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on substance use or eating disorders.

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When you connect with adjacent

niches, it really reduces that

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potential sense of competition.

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That can sometimes arise when you

feel like you're just talking to

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people who do similar work to you.

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You're not stepping on each other's toes.

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And instead, you can create a really

natural reciprocal two-way relationship

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where referrals can flow both directions.

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Here are a few concrete steps I

encourage you to take this week to

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start putting this concept into action.

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Make a list of five people in

your world who already trust you.

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Reach out to just one of them, not as

a pitch, but just as a reconnection.

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They came to mind and you

wanna know how they're doing.

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A quick update on what

it is that you're up to.

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Then consider joining one group

or community around you, either

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geographically or related to

your niche or area of specialty

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where trust already exists.

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Again, we're not going

into this to get referrals.

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We're simply going in to connect.

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This could be an alumni group.

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This could be a PTA, A professional

association, a local Facebook parenting

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group, whatever it might be, and just

start looking for opportunities to

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develop and cultivate relationship.

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Because trust obviously isn't gonna happen

if relationship isn't established first.

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Keep your eyes open for relationship.

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Start talking about the work that you do

more and your eyes will be opened to all

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of these opportunities for trust transfer

that you have probably been missing.

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You do not have to build

trust completely from scratch.

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This episode was about showing you

how you can step into places where

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trust already lives, and let some of

that transfer to you in an incredibly

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natural, ethical and authentic way.

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And you know, I talk about the

fact that our clients are more

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skeptical than they've ever been.

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And I wanna remind you

that skepticism isn't bad.

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It's healthy.

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We want clients to be thoughtful

about who they trust with their time

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and money, and deepest struggles.

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It doesn't mean that there aren't clients

out there who are gonna trust you.

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It just means you need

to help them get there.

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This is an opportunity, not a limitation.

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Because in today's market, you

know what the cool thing is?

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You don't have to be the first therapist

someone finds, because we know that

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they're gonna be doing some looking.

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It's about being the therapist who

stands out as the most trustworthy,

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00:23:58,465 --> 00:24:01,785

the most compelling, the most

specific, the most connected.

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00:24:02,385 --> 00:24:06,390

That's how you win right now,

and that is an opportunity.

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So here's what I want you to remember

as we close this episode out.

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You are already a

professional trust builder.

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You are incredibly gifted at that.

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It's what therapy is.

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It's what you do every

single day in the room.

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00:24:23,990 --> 00:24:27,800

This is simply an invitation

to take that same skill and

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extend it into your marketing.

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00:24:30,905 --> 00:24:34,445

To look at every part of your

marketing, your conversations, your

402

00:24:34,445 --> 00:24:39,755

networking, your website, your presence

as an opportunity to cultivate trust

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00:24:40,145 --> 00:24:42,725

before you've even spoken to someone.

404

00:24:44,425 --> 00:24:48,475

Because in a trust recession, you're

clients are cautious and careful,

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00:24:49,045 --> 00:24:52,915

and they're comparing and they're

skeptical, and that is not a bad thing.

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00:24:54,085 --> 00:24:56,605

Your clients are weighing

their options carefully.

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00:24:57,250 --> 00:25:00,250

And they're ultimately looking

for someone who feels real.

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And that's right where you can come in.

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00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:08,860

If you can be the therapist who

shows up with clarity and empathy

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00:25:08,860 --> 00:25:14,200

and specificity, if you can be the

therapist who makes people feel safe

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00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:20,290

enough to say, I, this therapist

might get me, then you will stand out.

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It used to be about being the first

therapist someone came across.

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And now it's just about being

the therapist who inspires the

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most trust, and that is something

you are already equipped to do.

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Thanks for being here today.

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I'll see you in the next episode.