Psychologists opening their own practice: 6 starting points and first-year lessons

Who opens their own therapy practice? Six starting points in one table

The six starting points differ by the capital in your hands. Some bring experience but an unknown name, some followers but no address, some two languages or two partners. The districts are examples; put in your own.

How to read the table

Find the row closest to you first. Then look at the first-year gap column; that is your first job. Most practices are a mix of two rows.

Why the district matters

In higher-income districts, clients are selective, compare and read reviews. The district name is not decoration; it is part of the client’s search phrase.

Leaving an institution or moving offline: experience without an address

These two profiles come from opposite ends but fall into the same gap. The specialist leaving an institution has experience, yet the name is known only in the old corridors. The online therapist has followers, yet no point on the map. Both must tie what they have built to an address.

A specialist clinical psychologist in Bakırköy

Say a specialist who spends more than ten years in a hospital rents a two-room practice in Bakırköy. When a prospective client searches the name, the old hospital’s page comes up. The lesson: your name now has to live at your own address.

A therapist in Kadıköy moving from online to a room

Say a therapist with three years of online sessions rents a room in Kadıköy. The Instagram following is large, but the name is missing from “psychologist in Kadıköy” searches because there is no map listing. The shutters are up, yet nobody knocks; the shop window and the address sit in different places.

The shared way out

Both first write name, title and address the same way everywhere. You will find the pieces of why clients do not come in why clients don’t come to a new therapy practice.

Returning from abroad or sharing a practice: two languages, two names

The problem in these two starting points is excess. The psychologist returning from abroad works in two languages, and the information is scattered in both. A shared practice has a practice name plus each partner’s own name. The job is to tie two names into one consistent story.

A psychologist back from abroad in Beşiktaş

Say a psychologist who completes training abroad opens a practice in Beşiktaş that also offers sessions in English. The Turkish page shows one title, the English profile another. The lesson: two languages, one identity.

Three colleagues sharing a practice in Çankaya

Say three colleagues share a flat in Çankaya, Ankara. Rent day is easier split three ways. But clients get lost between “the practice name” and “the therapist’s name”. The lesson: the practice name is the roof, and each specialist’s own page and title sit under it.

When the parent decides or the title differs: reading the decision-maker

In the last two starting points, the real question is “who decides”. With a specialist for children and teenagers, the parent usually decides. With a psychological counsellor, the client first tries to understand the title. In both cases the first-year job is to write a plain, honest answer to the decision-maker’s question.

A specialist for children and teenagers in Mavişehir

Say a specialist working with children and teenagers opens a practice in Mavişehir, İzmir. The caller is always a mother or father. They ask how the process works and how confidentiality is explained to the child. The lesson: write the page for the parent and protect the child’s privacy.

A psychological counsellor opening in Sarıyer

Say someone trained in guidance and psychological counselling opens a counselling practice in Sarıyer. Prospective clients ask, “Are you a psychologist?” The lesson: write the title exactly as it is and explain the difference calmly. A wrong title is the most expensive mistake of year one.

Why is the title the most sensitive topic of year one?

Because the title is where trust and the rule meet. Turkey’s health promotion regulation bans writing any specialist title based on certificates or similar training documents. Training certificates registered by the Ministry of Health may be mentioned within the registered field of expertise. A therapy course does not become a “specialist” title.

Three titles, three training paths

A psychologist holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology. A specialist clinical psychologist adds postgraduate training in clinical psychology. A psychological counsellor comes from guidance and psychological counselling. All three are respected; they are not interchangeable.

No treatment promises, privacy first

No profile says “cures” or promises a result. Client stories, thank-you messages and case accounts never become promotional material.

Check the rule first

Ask your provincial health directorate or professional association which rules your title falls under. We gathered the full set of rules in the new therapy practice promotion guide.

What first-year lessons do all six share?

The profiles differ, but the lessons are surprisingly shared. In all six, the client checks the name first, then the title, then the address. In all six, the first months are quiet. Every practice standing on its own feet meets at least two of these lessons.

• Name, title and address are written letter for letter the same everywhere.
• The title is written as it is; a certificate is never turned into a title.
• Pages are written for the person who decides: the client or the parent.
• Confidentiality gets its own page in plain words.
• The opening-month window is used deliberately; after that, the rule leads.
• The first 90 days are tracked weekly with the same three numbers.

Where does the first year’s digital foundation start?

For all six profiles, the foundation has the same three parts: a consistent identity, a rule-compliant website and content that answers clients’ questions. The “Build Your Digital Brand” campaign builds all three in one package. It treats the practice as a service brand. Read who the package suits in who should build a digital brand.

Price and places

The price is TRY 36,000 + VAT, fixed and paid upfront; at 20 percent VAT that is TRY 43,200, but check the current rate on the invoice. There are 12 brand places, and the deadline is 1 November 2026. A 10 percent coupon applies; just mention the code when you apply. Details are on the campaign page.

Whichever starting point you come from, the first place a client finds you is where your name is written correctly.

Quick Summary

• Psychologists opening their own practice usually start from one of six points.
• Name, title and address must match letter for letter everywhere.
• Certificate-based training cannot be turned into a specialist title.

Short Glossary

Service brand: A service brand is the brand form used to make a practice or specialist recognisable by the service it provides rather than a product.

Availability check: An availability check is the preliminary search used to see in advance whether a name can be used as a brand.

Identity consistency: Identity consistency is the discipline used to write name, title and address the same way on every channel.

Next Step

To set up your practice with a consistent identity, a compliant website and 108 articles, apply for the Build Your Digital Brand campaign. Fill in the form, mention your coupon, and consulting begins.

Frequently Asked Questions

Source: Lexpera — Regulation on Promotion and Information Activities in Health Services (Official Gazette 12.11.2025, No. 33075)