How a new therapy practice finds clients: 9 steps and a weekly occupancy threshold
How a new therapy practice finds clients comes down to a 9-step sequence, each step with its own threshold. Before opening: a rules check, the Google profile and a call-back line. In the first 30 days: a colleague network, question-led content and a short fit call. After day 30: the weekly occupancy threshold, the second-session rate and a source log. Hitting them brings first clients without breaking Türkiye’s advertising rules.
Be clear from the start: in a psychologist’s office, clients come through trust, not ads. They check your title, the location and your voice on the phone; each step feeds one of those moments. Figures are hypothetical; use your own.
Where does a new therapy practice start?
BU BÖLÜMÜN ÖZETİ
- Period 1: day −21 to 0
- Period 2: day 0 to 30
- Period 3: day 30 to 90
Split the steps into three periods: preparation, the first month and measurement. Preparation lays the ground, the first month opens routes, measurement shows which route works. Treat opening day as zero; minus days are preparation, plus days are tracking. The wider plan is in the first 90 days of a new therapy practice.
Period 1: day −21 to 0
Rules check, Google profile and call-back line.
Period 2: day 0 to 30
Colleague network, question-led content and the fit call.
Period 3: day 30 to 90
Occupancy threshold, second-session rate and source log.
Which 3 steps are finished before opening?
BU BÖLÜMÜN ÖZETİ
- 1. Rules check (threshold: 0 non-compliant sentences)
- 2. Google profile (threshold: 6 fields, 2 weeks before opening)
- 3. Call-back line (threshold: 2 hours in working hours)
The three weeks before opening are for groundwork, not promotion: rules check, Google profile, a written call-back routine. Do not post “opening soon” before the shutters go up; ground first, then the door.
1. Rules check (threshold: 0 non-compliant sentences)
The health promotion regulation of 12 November 2025 covers health professionals. Read every sentence on your profile, site and social media: fees, discounts, outcome promises and client thanks must be zero. The one-month sponsored promotion exception after opening is aimed at health facilities; ask the provincial health directorate whether your office falls within it.
2. Google profile (threshold: 6 fields, 2 weeks before opening)
Fill all six fields at least two weeks before opening: name, category, address, hours, description, photos. How each one works for a psychologist is in therapy practice Google Business Profile.
3. Call-back line (threshold: 2 hours in working hours)
Deciding on therapy is hard; a client often gathers courage and calls once. You cannot answer mid-session, but return missed calls and messages within two working hours. If no one can, state your call-back time in the voicemail.
Which 3 steps are taken in the first 30 days?
BU BÖLÜMÜN ÖZETİ
- 4. Colleague network (threshold: 9 meetings in 30 days)
- 5. Question-led content (threshold: 2 a week, 9 a month)
- 6. Fit call (threshold: 15 minutes)
The first month opens three routes: colleague referrals, answers to the questions clients really ask, and a short fit call. None is advertising, all stay within the rules. The goal is not reach but letting the right person find you with confidence.
4. Colleague network (threshold: 9 meetings in 30 days)
List nine people from professions that meet clients first: a psychiatrist, a family doctor, a school counsellor, a company HR lead, a family lawyer. Have coffee with each and explain what you work on. No commission or benefit is discussed in return for referrals; that is both an ethical and a legal line.
5. Question-led content (threshold: 2 a week, 9 a month)
Write the questions clients actually ask: “What happens in the first session?”, “Psychologist or psychiatrist?”, “Do online sessions work as well as in person?”. Each answer informs and steers no one to you. How AI assistants mention local businesses is covered in how AI recommends local businesses.
6. Fit call (threshold: 15 minutes)
A 15-minute phone call lets the client hear your voice and decide. No therapy happens; need and fit are discussed, and if you are not the fit, refer on. Do not promote this call as “free”; fee information is within the ban.
How is the weekly occupancy threshold calculated?
The formula has two lines. First: monthly fixed costs ÷ net contribution per session = sessions needed per month. Second: sessions needed per week ÷ weekly capacity = break-even occupancy. Fixed costs include rent, building fees, accounting, supervision and insurance. The table is a hypothetical example; say you rent a small room in Beşiktaş.
| Item | Example value | Your value |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fixed costs | TRY 90,000 | …… |
| Net contribution per session | TRY 3,000 | …… |
| Sessions needed per month (90,000 ÷ 3,000) | 30 | …… |
| Sessions needed per week (30 ÷ 4.3) | about 7 | …… |
| Weekly session capacity | 20 | …… |
| Break-even occupancy (7 ÷ 20) | about 35% | …… |
8. Second-session rate (threshold: 6 out of 10)
Set yourself a working threshold: if six of ten first sessions lead to a second, the flow works. This is not an industry average; it is your tracking point. If lower, check the first-session flow, office access and reminders.
Do not stretch capacity
Capacity is what you can truly carry each week, breaks, notes and supervision included. Inflating it to hit the threshold costs you and your clients later.
Which client-finding routes are closed in this profession?
Many routes shopkeepers rely on are closed to a psychologist’s office. The regulation bans fee and discount information, calls and messages without consent, raffles and gifts, and turning client satisfaction into promotion. Google treats reviews bought with discounts as fake engagement. Outside the opening month, paid ads are not part of this roadmap.
- Any fee or discount notice, such as “reduced first session”.
- Calls, SMS or emails to people who have not given consent.
- Discounts, gifts or extra sessions in return for reviews.
- Turning client thanks or reviews into posts.
- Outcome and time promises such as “anxiety gone in 8 weeks”.
- Paying colleagues a commission for referrals.
Most common mistake: Messaging friends’ groups with a “special first-month fee” to fill empty slots at opening. That one message breaks both the fee ban and the no-consent rule. Empty slots fill with patience; a breach stays attached to your title.
How do you keep a client source log?
Ask “how did you reach us?” in the first session and log the answer in one word. Fill in the template every Monday. By week twelve you see which source turns into second sessions. Budget decisions follow this table; details are in therapy practice marketing budget.
| Source | First sessions | Came back | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google profile | …… | …… | …… |
| Website and question content | …… | …… | …… |
| Colleague referral | …… | …… | …… |
| Word of mouth | …… | …… | …… |
| AI assistant | …… | …… | …… |
| Other | …… | …… | …… |
9. Source log (threshold: 1 answer per first session)
Ask a single question at the end of the first session, no survey. The log shows where they came from, not who they are; it is also the lightest data in privacy terms.
Getting it built in one go
If your positioning, name, website and question content are not ready, the Build Your Digital Brand campaign sets them up together: positioning, identity, domain and a 6-page site, 108 AI SEO-ready articles. Fixed TRY 36,000 + VAT, paid upfront; 12 brand slots, deadline 1 November 2026. Details are on the campaign page.
Quick Summary
- Before opening: zero non-compliant sentences, six profile fields, a two-hour call-back line.
- First month: 9 colleague meetings, 9 question pieces, a 15-minute fit call.
- Break-even sessions: monthly fixed costs ÷ net contribution per session.
- Break-even occupancy: weekly sessions needed ÷ weekly capacity.
- Working threshold: six second sessions from ten first sessions.
- Fees, discounts, unsolicited messages and review campaigns are closed routes.
Short Glossary
Break-even occupancy: Break-even occupancy is the ratio used to find how much of weekly capacity must be filled to cover fixed costs.
Fit call: A fit call is the short pre-conversation used to see whether the client’s need matches the specialist’s area of work.
Net contribution per session: Net contribution per session is the amount used to cover fixed costs after tax and variable costs are deducted from the session fee.
Next Step
To set up positioning, website and question content in one go, apply for the Build Your Digital Brand campaign. There is a 10% coupon; just mention the code when you apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Source: Google Business Profile Help — Tips for getting more reviews
Sık Sorulan Sorular
Say you have 4 sessions this week against a threshold of 7: a 3-session gap, and the till is not turning. Find the cause in the next two numbers: first sessions, and how many came back.
Use reliable information instead: title, areas of work, address, hours, protective mental health information. The full rules and promotion setup are in our new therapy practice promotion guide.
The regulation allows health facilities sponsored promotion and information for the first month after opening; fees and discounts stay banned. Ask the provincial health directorate first whether your office falls within that scope.
Meeting colleagues and explaining your work is a normal professional relationship. Commission or any benefit for referrals is outside the ethical and legal line.
The domain is registered in the client’s name; the package includes the domain, one year of hosting, a 6-page site and 108 articles. Second-year hosting renewal is on the client. TRY 36,000 + VAT upfront; TRY 43,200 with 20 percent VAT (check the current rate on your invoice).
Updated: October 2026