Building a Counselling Practice
The Journey Beyond the Classroom
It's funny how endings begin.
Sometimes they begin in the strangest places.
For me, it happened on a family holiday in Turkey.
My counselling work with Dads Unlimited was coming to an end and, like many counsellors reaching a crossroads, I found myself asking a simple question: What comes next?
I knew I wanted to continue building my private practice. What I hadn't realised was that knowing how to work with clients and knowing how to build a counselling practice were two entirely different skills.
Almost overnight, I found myself surrounded by advice.
Build a website.
Learn SEO.
Master Google.
Create content.
Find your niche.
Build your brand..
Everyone seemed to know the secret.
Usually for a fee.
Some of the advice was excellent. Some of it was confusing. Much of it felt strangely disconnected from the reality of being a counsellor.
So instead of trying to become an overnight success, I started documenting the journey.
What followed became much bigger than websites.
It became a story about identity, confidence, referrals, writing, self-doubt, visibility, imposter syndrome, AI, Google, and slowly discovering what kind of therapist—and what kind of life—I actually wanted to build.
This series isn't a blueprint.
It isn't a promise that if you follow these steps you'll have a waiting list in six months.
It's simply an honest account of what happened whilst building Me In Time Counselling & Psychotherapy from the ground up.
If you're a trainee counsellor, newly qualified therapist, or quietly trying to build a practice of your own, I hope you'll recognise parts of your own journey here too.
Perhaps you'll avoid a few of my mistakes.
Perhaps you'll make entirely different ones.
Either way, I hope these reflections remind you that you're not the only person trying to work it all out.
Over the months that followed, I began writing down the lessons I was learning. Some came from mistakes. Some came from conversations. Others came from discovering that the advice I'd been given didn't always fit the reality of building a counselling practice.
The chapters below tell that story. They can be read in order or explored individually, depending on where you are in your own journey. Each chapter builds on the last, but I hope each also stands on its own.
The Journey
Chapter One
What Nobody Told Me About Getting Found Online as a Counsellor
How a holiday in Turkey, disappearing referrals and an unhealthy number of Google searches started the whole journey.
Chapter Two
The Website I Wish I'd Built First
Why people aren't really looking for websites. They're looking for reassurance.
Chapter Three
Who Am I? Finding My Niche as a Counsellor
The moment I realised I wasn't trying to choose a niche. I was trying to recognise myself.
Chapter Four
Finding Your Voice as a Counsellor
The difference between sounding like a therapist and sounding like yourself.
Chapter Five
What Happens When They Find Me Out?
Why success doesn't magically remove self-doubt—and why imposter syndrome often changes shape rather than disappearing.
Chapter Six
Websites, Google Search Console and learning when enough really is enough.
Chapter Seven
Pep Guardiola or Accrington Stanley?
A reflection on ambition, enoughness, and deciding what you're actually trying to build.
Perhaps One Day...
These chapters weren't originally written with a book in mind.
They began as reflections whilst building Me In Time Counselling & Psychotherapy.
As the series has grown, I've started wondering whether they're really chapters waiting to become one.
For now, they're simply a record of one therapist's journey.
Perhaps one day they'll become something more.
Get in Touch
If you're a trainee or newly qualified counsellor navigating training, private practice or simply trying to work out what comes next, I'd be delighted to hear from you.
Whether you have a question, a suggestion for the series, or you'd simply like an honest conversation about building your own practice, you're very welcome to get in touch.
Looking for a More Focused Conversation?
I also offer a small number of Sunday Morning Practice Development Sessions for trainee and newly qualified counsellors.
They're not a course, a membership or a coaching programme—just a one-off conversation about your website, your practice and where you're hoping to go next.
→ Learn More About Practice Development Sessions
Is this a step-by-step guide to building a counselling practice?
No. This series is a personal account of building Me In Time Counselling & Psychotherapy. Rather than offering a formula, it shares honest reflections, lessons learned and practical observations that may help other trainee and newly qualified counsellors.
Who is this series for?
The articles are written primarily for trainee counsellors, newly qualified therapists and anyone developing a private counselling practice.
Do I need to read the chapters in order?
No. You can start with whichever topic feels most relevant, although reading from the beginning gives the clearest picture of the overall journey.
Can I ask questions about building my own practice?
Yes. If something resonates, or you'd like to discuss your own journey, you're very welcome to get in touch or arrange a Practice Development Session.