What’s Your Niche, Really? Clearing Up Niche Confusion for Therapists

What’s Your Niche, Really? Clearing Up Niche Confusion for Therapists

If you’re a therapist with an Instagram account (or even just a pulse in the therapy world), chances are you’ve been bombarded with social media posts from practice-building coaches telling you your niche is not a niche. Some swear your niche isn’t who you help, but what you offer. Others argue it’s about how you help people heal. By the end of your scroll session, you might feel like you don’t even have a niche at all—or worse, that you’re doing it all wrong.

Here’s my take: You don’t need to get tangled up in whether your niche is technically “right.” There’s no secret niche police waiting to write you a citation. What matters is using common sense when talking about your work. Let’s ignore those shaming posts and get practical about how to define and share your niche so it actually helps you attract the clients you want—whether you’re writing a website bio, crafting social media posts, or introducing yourself at a networking event.

So, What Is a Niche for Therapists?

At its simplest, your niche is your practice’s specific focus. Think of it as the sweet spot where three things meet:

• Who you help (your ideal clients)

  Example: Men in early retirement, LGBTQ+ teens, artists, couples

• What problems you help them solve

  Example: Coping with trauma, navigating life transitions, managing anxiety, communicating better

• How you help them (your approach, modality, or philosophy)

  Example: ACT, EMDR, mindfulness practices, PACT

You don’t need to lead with all three every time you introduce yourself, write a blog post, or design your marketing materials. The key is being flexible enough to emphasize different parts depending on who you’re talking to.

What a Niche Isn’t (Even If It Sounds Fancy)

Let’s clear up a few common misconceptions:

• Your services aren’t your niche. Offering therapy sessions is just what you do.

• Your credentials aren’t your niche. LMFT, LCSW, or LPC? Those are qualifications, not differentiators.

• Broad labels like "life coaching" don’t count either. They’re too vague to help potential clients understand why you’re the right fit for them.

Adapt Your Niche for Different Contexts

Picture this: You’re at your favorite coffee shop, and the barista asks what you do. This is not the moment to dive into a dissertation about your trauma-informed somatic healing approach. Instead, a simple:

"I’m a therapist. I work with women living with chronic illness."

Clear, easy, and your barista won’t regret making small talk.

Now, let’s say you’re chatting with another therapist or a potential referral source. You can expand:

"I am a somatic therapist and I help women whose lives have been completely shook by chronic illness. I help them adapt to their new reality, find meaning in it all, and build a fulfilling life."

Different scenarios and platforms—whether it’s a face-to-face conversation, your website, or even a printed flyer—require different levels of depth. There’s no need to unload all the details unless the context calls for it.

When you're feeling unsure about whether your niche checks all the right boxes, remember that you have the freedom to decide what to share and when. Just because you don’t communicate every detail in every interaction doesn’t mean your niche is incomplete or ineffective. Use common sense, stay flexible, and focus on what feels clear and meaningful for the context.

How to Decide What Part of Your Niche to Emphasize

You don’t need to hit people over the head with every detail of your niche every time you introduce yourself, write a newsletter, or respond to a referral request. Instead, consider:

• Your current client load: If you’re feeling drained by a certain population or issue, dial down the emphasis on that niche. If you want more experience with a specific client group, lean into promoting it more.

• Where your passion lies: Maybe you work with first responders in general but feel a special connection to first responder moms who face unique challenges. Highlight that focus when it feels appropriate.

• What’s in demand in your area: Demand shouldn’t be the only deciding factor, but if a high-demand area overlaps with your skills and passion, there’s no harm in highlighting it.

Why One Element of Your Niche Isn’t Enough

Some therapists fall into the trap of defining their niche with just one piece of the puzzle—usually the population they serve (e.g., “I work with first responders”). But that leaves room for assumptions, whether it’s on your business cards, therapy directory profiles, or verbal introductions.

What if you specialize in trauma recovery after critical incidents? Or maybe your focus is on helping first responders manage the cumulative stress of their job? If you don’t clarify, people will fill in the blanks for you—and they might get it wrong.

How to Highlight the Results Clients Can Expect

I've noticed that therapists shy away from discussing results. Some hesitate because they don’t want to make promises they can’t control—therapy outcomes aren’t one-size-fits-all. Others think results are implied or don’t need to be explicitly stated. But here’s the thing: being clear about what clients can gain from therapy doesn’t mean you’re guaranteeing outcomes. Instead, it helps you position yourself as an expert in your niche.

When you clearly communicate specific, realistic outcomes:

• You sound like an authority. Referral sources and clients alike will see you as someone who truly understands their needs and knows how to help.

• You provide hope and connection. Potential clients will feel like you get them—like you’re speaking directly to their struggles and offering a path forward.

• You help clients put words to what they’re feeling. Sometimes, people don’t have the language for what they’re going through. When you describe their pain points and offer achievable outcomes, clients feel seen and understood before they even meet you.

So, even if you usually lead with who you help or how you help them, consider the impact of clearly discussing the results your clients might experience. It can be a game-changer for how connected and hopeful people feel when they find your practice.

Here's how: Focus on clear, relatable client goals and use language that resonates. 

Here's a poor example of how to talk about benefits:

"I help new dads achieve balance and become the best versions of themselves. Together, we’ll explore pathways to personal growth, improve your overall well-being, and help you discover your true potential."

This sounds nice on the surface, but it’s vague, cliché, and doesn’t resonate with the real struggles new dads face. It doesn’t offer anything concrete or relatable—just buzzwords and broad promises.

Here's a better example of how you talk about benefits:

"You’re doing everything you can to be the dad your child deserves—working hard to provide, supporting your partner, and somehow trying to take care of yourself too. But under all that pressure, it feels like you’re running on fumes. Maybe you were always the one who had to get things right growing up—the golden child who kept the peace and made everyone proud. Now, you’re trying to hold it all together without letting anyone down. In our work together, you’ll learn how to release some of that pressure, reconnect with what truly matters to you, and build a version of fatherhood that’s not about perfection, but about presence, joy, and being the dad you want to be."

This approach speaks directly to the specific struggles new dads face, acknowledges their pressures, and offers a clear, meaningful outcome. It’s not just relatable—it makes potential clients feel seen, heard, and hopeful. Bottom line? Being upfront about the possible benefits of therapy doesn’t just attract clients—it helps you build trust and establish yourself as the go-to therapist in your niche.

Other Niche Considerations

Multiple Niches

Spoiler alert: You’re allowed to have more than one niche. In fact, it can be beneficial. Here’s why:

• Having multiple niches allows you to diversify your practice and attract a wider range of clients. This can help maintain a steady client load, especially if demand fluctuates in one area of your focus.

• It gives you the flexibility to pursue different passions within your work. Maybe you love working with both trauma survivors and people navigating major life transitions—you don’t have to choose just one.

• It can prevent burnout by offering variety in your caseload. Switching between different client populations or problem areas can keep your work dynamic and engaging.

That said, there is a point where having too many niches can dilute your focus. Here are some signs you might need to narrow down:

• You struggle to clearly communicate what you do because there are too many moving parts.

• Your marketing feels scattered, and potential clients aren’t clear on whether you’re the right fit for them.

• You feel overwhelmed trying to stay up-to-date with best practices in too many distinct areas.

If that happens, it might be time to reflect on which niches bring you the most satisfaction, align with your long-term goals, and sustain your energy. It doesn’t mean abandoning every focus area—just finding the right balance to keep your practice thriving without stretching yourself too thin.

Broad Niches

Having a broad niche means your focus is wide enough to include a range of client issues, life experiences, or therapeutic goals. Examples include working with clients through life transitions, relationship struggles, or personal growth. These niches cover many potential client concerns, which can be helpful for attracting a variety of clients but might also make it harder to stand out.

So, how do you know if your niche is too broad?

• You struggle to clearly articulate what makes your practice unique. If your explanation feels generic or vague, potential clients and referral sources might not immediately understand why they should choose you.

• Your marketing feels scattered or unfocused. You’re trying to speak to everyone—whether through your website copy, social media posts, or printed brochures—and as a result, your messaging resonates with no one in particular.

• You attract clients who aren’t quite the right fit. This could mean you’re casting too wide a net, leading to a mismatch in expectations or therapeutic needs.

If this sounds familiar, it might be time to narrow your focus. Here’s how:

• Get specific within your broad niche. Instead of just focusing on life transitions, specialize in a particular stage like becoming a new parent or navigating retirement.

• Emphasize your unique therapeutic approach. For example, offer mindfulness-based support specifically for managing relationship struggles.

• Infuse personal passion or experience. If you’ve personally navigated a transition that resonates with your clients, share that story to help differentiate your practice.

Exercise: Clarify Your Niche Without Overthinking It

Before diving into this exercise, let’s connect it to everything we've discussed so far. You’ve learned how your niche should clearly communicate who you help, what problems you help solve, and how you help clients. You’ve also seen how important it is to tailor your message depending on the context, whether you're talking to a referral source, a potential client, or even your barista.

Now it’s time to put that into practice.

This exercise is designed to help you gain clarity on your niche so you can confidently share it in any situation. It’ll guide you through defining the essential elements of your niche and help you articulate it clearly and effectively. By breaking it down into manageable steps, you’ll be able to pinpoint where your focus might be too broad—or too narrow—and refine it until it feels just right for your practice.

Let’s get started:

Step 1: Define your niche in three parts.

1. Who do you help?

2. What problems do you help them solve?

3. How do you help them?

Step 2: Add any relevant extras.

• Certifications, specialized training, or unique skills

• Personal experiences that influence your approach (if it feels appropriate to share)

• Any specific demographics you focus on (age, cultural background, etc.)

Step 3: Create flexible niche statements.

1. One short version for casual conversations

2. One more detailed for referral sources

3. One polished version for your website

Final Thoughts: Don’t Sweat It—Be Clear and Contextual

Here’s the big takeaway: You don’t need to stress about whether your niche is technically "valid." Just be clear and flexible. And don’t assume others know what you do—chances are, they don’t.

Use common sense and adjust your language based on the context, whether you’re creating a website homepage, designing a business card, writing a social media caption, or engaging in a casual conversation. Whether you’re networking at a therapist meet-up, sending postcards to referral sources, or making small talk over coffee, clarity wins every time.

And hey, no need for a 10-minute deep dive on your therapeutic approach while grabbing your latte. Unless, of course, your barista seems genuinely curious. Then, by all means, get into it.

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