By Sarah Sacks | Psychotherapist & Clinical Supervisor
There often comes a point in your work where something begins to shift.
You might still care deeply about your clients. You might still feel committed to the work. But there’s a quiet question underneath it all:
Where do I actually sit in this field?
And alongside that:
If I were to build something of my own… what would it be shaped by?
Moving into private practice is not only a logistical or business decision. It is a developmental one. It asks you to become more defined, more honest, and more intentional about who you are as a therapist.
Not who you were trained to be.
Not who your workplace needed you to be.
But who you are when you bring your full self into the room.
What follows is a series of reflections to support that process.
Who Am I as a Therapist?
Professional Identity
Before thinking about niche or market, it’s worth returning to your foundations.
What values, beliefs, and assumptions are core to how I practise?
What does my therapeutic approach actually look like in the room, beyond theory?
Who does the way I work naturally serve best?
How do I want clients to feel when they work with me?
What modalities am I trained in, and what populations do those modalities suit best?
Often, by mid-career, your way of working has already taken shape. You can feel it. There’s a rhythm, a tone, a way you respond that is yours.
Private practice asks you to name it.
Lived Experience and Authenticity
Your training matters. But so does your life.
What lived experiences do I bring that give me unique insight or connection?
What drew me to this work in the first place, and does that still feel true?
What kind of therapeutic relationship energises me? What leaves me depleted?
There is a particular kind of sustainability that comes when your work aligns with your own story, rather than sitting alongside it.
Who Do I Love Working With?
Client Preferences
This is where things often start to become clearer.
Is there a particular life stage, identity, or experience I’m naturally drawn to?
Do I prefer working with individuals, couples, families, or groups?
Are there communities or identities I feel especially equipped, or called, to serve?
What does my ideal session feel like? Who is in the room?
Pay attention to where you feel most present. Most engaged. Most yourself.
Clinical Passion
What presenting issues genuinely interest and energise me?
Where do I feel most effective in my work?
Where do I notice myself going above and beyond, reading more, thinking more, wanting to understand more deeply?
Your niche is often already visible in what you can’t help but lean toward.
What Do I Not Want?
This part matters just as much, if not more.
What types of presentations leave me feeling drained or out of my depth?
Are there populations I’ve worked with and know are not a good fit?
What would a session I dread actually look like?
Being clear here is not a failure of skill or care. It is a way of protecting both you and your clients.
It is also one of the most important safeguards against burnout in private practice.
What Are My Strengths and Training?
What training, certifications, or supervision have I invested in?
Where do I already have depth of experience?
What do others consistently reflect back that I do well?
Are there adjacent areas that would complement and deepen my current strengths?
Private practice doesn’t require you to start again. It asks you to build from what is already there.
What Does My Market Need?
Local and Community Context
There is a practical layer to this work as well.
What gaps exist in my local area or online space for the population I’m drawn to?
Who is already serving this space, and what would differentiate me?
Are there communities, workplaces, or organisations with unmet mental health needs I could support?
This is not about bending yourself to the market. It’s about noticing where your natural way of working meets a genuine need.
Practical Sustainability
Is there sufficient demand to sustain a practice in this area?
Will clients be able to access and afford my services?
Am I building toward private-pay, mixed billing, or another model — and does this align with the clients I want to serve?
A sustainable practice is not only built on passion. It is built on viability.
Bringing It Together
At some point, it can be helpful to begin putting language around what you’re seeing.
A simple starting point:
“I help [who] who are struggling with [what] to move toward [outcome].”
For example:
“I work with high-functioning adults who feel stuck in long-standing patterns to develop a deeper sense of clarity and internal steadiness.”
Let it be imperfect. Let it evolve.
What matters is that it feels like you.
Test This For Yourself
Does this direction feel authentic, not just marketable?
Am I choosing this from a place of strength, rather than fear?
Can I imagine doing this work with a sense of energy and care over time?
Does this leave room for me to deepen and evolve?
Private practice tends to ask something quite simple, but not always easy:
Can you stand in your work in a more defined way?
Not rigidly. Not permanently. But clearly enough that the right people can find you, and that you can sustain yourself in the process.
If you’re at this point, it’s often not about becoming someone new.
It’s about becoming more honest about who you already are.
A Final Reflection
Finding your place in private practice isn't something you necessarily work out before you begin. It's an ongoing process of learning about yourself, the people you most enjoy working with, and the kind of professional life you want to create.
And you don't need to work it all out on your own.
Clinical supervision can offer a valuable space to explore these questions, not simply through discussion of client work, but by turning our attention to ourselves as practitioners. I've written more about this in Clinical Supervision Beyond Case Discussion: Supporting the Practitioner Behind the Work, where I explore the importance of making space for the person behind the professional role.
I offer online clinical supervision for ACA and PACFA registered counsellors and psychotherapists, and allied health practitioners across Australia. My approach is reflective, relational and informed by my experience in community health, not-for-profit settings and private practice. If you're interested in exploring whether we might work well together, you're welcome to arrange a free 20-minute discovery call.
