--- title: Why Potential Clients Need You to Niche description: Casting a wide net often isn't the best way to reach client. Instead, clients want to feel like their unique needs can be specially met, and that involves establishing a therapy niche. 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I also know that for many of you it sounds ludicrous. Why the heck *wouldn’t* you cast a wide net? You’re trained to work with a number of presenting concerns and ages—why not capitalize on that? I get it. It’s counter-intuitive. Let’s examine it from two important angles. First from the Potential Client Perspective, and in the next blog, why it’s good for you as a clinician to niche. The Potential Client Perspective: Here’s my own true story about trying to find a therapist. Let’s pretend I’m not a therapist for the moment. Trust me, I didn’t feel like I could access my therapist-ness at the time. When my oldest daughter was born, I had Postpartum Depression. It was dark and bad, and I worried that I’d never find my way out of it and feel the way I was “supposed” to feel as a new mom: tired but grateful, exhausted but in love. Instead, I felt like I’d been run over by a train and many of my thoughts rested in the idea of driving my car from my driveway in Seattle until the scene faded out. I’d spend an hour just visualizing driving down imaginary roads while trying to get this tiny baby to latch. Every single thing I did felt so hard. I knew it was beyond the “baby blues.” I knew I needed help. I asked my midwife for a referral and she gave me 3 business cards. I looked each of those therapists up. Two had perinatal mood disorders among a long list of other “specialties” (side note: you can’t actually specialize in 10 things at once.) One had a website that described everything I was feeling. All the fear, all the sadness, all the hope I desperately needed. I landed on her website and KNEW she knew what she was doing. It was a touch of “therapy” before I even called her. True [Marketing as Service](https://blog.therapynotes.com/marketing-is-service). This holds true no matter your niche or specialty. Your clients seeing their pain reflected in your marketing helps them feel seen, it shows that you get it, and it even offers hope. I’m not knocking generalists. But our clients do not feel general. They feel their pain is very special. We ALL feel our pain is special even while acknowledging that many others may experience it too. When potential clients are looking for therapy, they’re usually feeling fairly desperate and often motivated. If you can help them see that you have the expertise and confidence to work with them, they are far more likely to work with you. And that takes specificity. Next time, we’ll explore the ways in which niching is good for you. I’ll address the rebuttals I hear all the time, and we’ll play with the idea of having a practice that feels fun and easy…or at the very least challenging in the good ways. \* The content of this post is intended to serve as general advice and information. It is not to be taken as legal advice and may not account for all rules and regulations in every jurisdiction. For legal advice, please contact an attorney. ![Allison Puryear, LCSW, CEDS](https://blog.therapynotes.com/hubfs/images/blog/avatars/190113-allisonpuryear-280x280.jpg) ##### About Allison Puryear, LCSW, CEDS Allison Puryear is an LCSW, CEDS with a nearly diagnosable obsession with business development. She has started practices in three different states and wants you to know that building a private practice is shockingly doable when you have a plan and support. She teaches everything you need to know about building a private practice in the [Abundance Party](https://abundanceparty.com/), where you can get practice-building help for the cost of a copay. You can download a [free private practice checklist](https://abundancepracticebuilding.com/checklist/) to make sure you have your ducks in a row, listen in on consultations and interviews on the [Abundant Practice Podcast](https://abundancepracticebuilding.com/podcast/), and hop into the free [Facebook Group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/440660232762561/) full of over 14,000 other clinicians in private practice. Allison is all about helping you gain the confidence and tools you need to succeed. Share: Previous Post: [Marketing Is Service](https://blog.therapynotes.com/marketing-is-service) Next Post: [Do You Struggle to Collect Your Fees? 5 Strategies to Help You Overcome Your Fear](https://blog.therapynotes.com/5-strategies-to-help-you-overcome-your-fear) ##### Get more content like this, delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our newsletter. ## More Content You'll Enjoy ![](https://blog.therapynotes.com/hubfs/TherapyNotes4_Choosing%20Your%20Niche.png) ##### [Choosing Your Niche](https://blog.therapynotes.com/choosing-your-niche) A lot of people I’ve worked with feel some anxiety around choosing their niche, and I... ![Illustrated piggy bank holding 'Cash Only' sign](https://blog.therapynotes.com/hubfs/images/blog/posts/211101-solelyacceptcash-540x500.png) ##### [Want to Solely Accept Cash Payments? 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