How to Attract Clients to Your Counselling or Psychotherapy Practice in Australia
Starting a private practice means more than finding a room and setting your fees. Clients often check your website and social pages before they book. Each one needs to show who you are and how you help.
Jobs and Skills Australia reports around 40,000 people employed as counsellors, and about half of them work part-time. With limited hours, your marketing has to fit around client sessions and focus on the channels that bring enquiries.
Here is how to build a digital marketing plan for your counselling or psychotherapy practice that earns trust and follows your profession’s rules.
The Problem: Earning Trust Online in a Self-Regulated Profession
People looking for a counsellor want to know you are qualified and easy to reach. A new practice with an unfinished website and an incomplete LinkedIn profile gives them little to go on.
Advertising adds another layer. Counselling is not an AHPRA-registered profession, but consumer law, state codes of conduct, association codes and ad platform policies still apply. Getting these wrong can mean rejected ads or a complaint.
Solution: A Simple, Trust-First Marketing Plan
Start With Compliance and Credibility
Counsellors and psychotherapists are not regulated by AHPRA, so other rules set the standard for your marketing:
- Display your qualifications, certifications and professional standing accurately, as PACFA’s Code of Ethics commits members to do.
- Avoid claims about the effectiveness of treatment that you cannot substantiate, which NSW’s code of conduct for unregistered health practitioners bans in advertising.
- Never suggest a “certain, guaranteed or sure cure”, which PACFA’s advertising guidelines rule out.
- Under consumer law, it makes no difference whether you intend to mislead. Creating fake reviews is against the law, and removing genuine negative reviews may mislead consumers.
- In NSW, most practitioners must display the code and a complaints notice at their premises or on their website. Tasmania also has a code of conduct that names counsellors.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current requirements with your regulator or professional association.
Website: Make Your Logo, Contact Details and Search Easy to Find
If your Wix, Squarespace or WordPress site already works, refine it rather than rebuilding. Put your logo in the header’s logo position and move your phone number or booking button so it does not crowd it. State who you help, whether you offer telehealth, your exact fees and how to book.
On Wix, add the Wix Site Search app so visitors can search your pages and blog posts. Our web development team refines and builds sites for service businesses.
Answer the Questions Clients Search For
Blog posts answer the questions clients search for, such as how to choose a counsellor. AI tools such as ChatGPT can help you draft, and our AI consulting team can set up a workflow that keeps your voice and clinical judgement in every post. Google advises that you manually fact-check and review all AI-generated content before publishing. Edit every draft so it sounds like you.
The OAIC recommends against entering personal and sensitive information into public AI tools, so never paste client details. Use tags rather than hashtags on blog posts, as Wix blog tags help readers find related content. For images, the Unsplash licence allows free commercial use. Our SEO services cover site audits, content and AI search visibility.
Disclaimers: Add Crisis Information to Mental Health Content
Mental health posts should state that the content is general information, not individual advice, and that your practice is not a crisis service. Mindframe notes that help-seeking information in communication about suicide encourages people to seek help.
A short footer can list Lifeline on 13 11 14 and Triple Zero (000) if life is in danger. On social posts, put hashtags before the disclaimer. PACFA’s guidelines say you are responsible for content on your social media accounts, so review comments regularly.
Social Media: Plan a Month Ahead
Make Facebook and LinkedIn your main channels, as they suit the informative posts counsellors share, and treat Instagram as a visual extra. Plan social content a month ahead. Ask ChatGPT for ideas based on your website and awareness dates, then check each date against an Australian source. Mental Health Month runs every October in NSW, and R U OK?Day is the second Thursday in September.
On Facebook, paste your blog URL into a Page post and add a short summary. On Instagram, use simple, consistent templates with your own colours and photos.
Publish around ten posts before promoting the account, and add Highlights such as About and Resources. Instagram allows up to five links on your profile, so include your website and booking page. Learn more about our social media marketing.
LinkedIn and Directories: Show You Are Qualified
People check LinkedIn to see whether a new practice is legitimate. Use your headline to say who you help, such as “Counsellor for couples and parents in [your suburb] and online”. Write your About section as an offer rather than a CV, covering who you see, your therapy approaches and how to book, and add your booking page to the Featured section.
Verify your identity in LinkedIn’s settings to add its verification badge, which LinkedIn reports brings up to 60% more profile views. Post once a week, such as a link to your latest blog post, and connect with local GPs, psychologists and EAP providers who refer clients. If you belong to ACA or PACFA, also list your practice in ACA’s Find a Counsellor or PACFA’s Find a Therapist directory. Our content marketing team turns your expertise into regular posts.
Google Business Profile: Set It Up Before Your Website Is Live
You can create a Google Business Profile before your website is live, and verification reviews take up to 5 business days. Google’s guidelines require a physical location clients can visit, or a business that travels to customers.
The guidelines also say not to use URLs that refer people to pages other than your business’s own, including social media pages. Leave the website field blank until launch and add your Facebook page under Social profiles, available in select regions. Our local marketing team sets up and manages Business Profiles.
Paid Ads: Reach People Who Are Searching Now
A new website takes time to rank, and paid ads reach people searching now. Google Ads Search campaigns can target terms such as “relationship counselling [your suburb]”. Google’s health in personalised advertising policy covers counselling for mental health issues. It blocks advertiser-curated audiences such as customer lists, so focus on keywords and location.
Meta’s personal attributes policy says ads must not assert or imply a person’s physical or mental health. Describe your service, such as “Counselling in [your suburb] and online”, rather than asking “Are you struggling with anxiety?” Run a one-month test with a set budget and track bookings by channel. Our paid search team builds campaigns within platform policies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do counsellors have to follow AHPRA advertising rules?
No. Counsellors and psychotherapists are not regulated by AHPRA. Consumer law, your association’s code and your state’s code of conduct, where one exists, still apply.
Can counsellors use client testimonials?
Check your association’s code first. PACFA’s code says members do not solicit testimonials in exchange for payment or where a client could be exploited or harmed. PACFA’s advertising guidelines add that testimonials must be truthful and factual and should include clear permission statements.
Can I create a Google Business Profile for an online counselling practice?
Google’s guidelines require a physical location clients can visit, or a business that travels to customers. A practice that only offers telehealth may not meet these requirements.
What disclaimer should a counselling blog include?
State that the content is general information and that your practice is not a crisis service. Include Lifeline on 13 11 14 and Triple Zero (000) for emergencies.
Conclusion: Growing Your Counselling Practice with Nimbull Digital Marketing
Clients choosing a counsellor or psychotherapist want proof that you are qualified and easy to contact. A clear website, edited blog posts, consistent social content, a verified LinkedIn profile and compliant ads give them that confidence.
Whether you are opening a new practice or growing one, Nimbull Digital Marketing can build a strategy around your services and target clients.
Contact Us today to discuss how we can help you attract more clients to your counselling practice.