Setting Your Therapy Fee: A Practical Guide for CBT Therapists

If you're starting private practice, determining your fee can feel overwhelming. Here's a practical approach to setting a rate that works for both you and your clients.

Setting Your Therapy Fee: Why It Really Matters

Picture two therapists: one charges £60 per session and needs 25 clients weekly to meet their income goals. The other charges £150 and requires just 10 clients. The second therapist isn't working less - they're investing more time in each client through preparation, reflection, and professional development. They have energy for complex cases, capacity for proper notes, and time for their own wellbeing. This isn't just about money - it's about sustainable, quality therapeutic care.

However, there's a trade-off.

The higher your fee, the more you'll need to invest in marketing and positioning. Clients paying premium rates expect premium service - not just in the therapy room, but in every interaction. You'll need a professional website, clear communication systems, and either lots of experience justifying the price or a clear specialism. You're not just selling therapy sessions; you're creating an experience that justifies the investment. This requires time, effort, and often financial investment in your professional presence.

Setting Your Therapy Fee: Where To Start

Before you look at market rates or calculate costs, ask yourself an honest question: What service can you realistically deliver right now?

If you're working full-time in the NHS, have young children, or other significant commitments, a premium service with extensive between-session support and preparation might not be feasible. Starting with a lower fee while you build your practice could be more sustainable.

However, if you have capacity to provide what is needed to justify a higher fee - you might be ready to position yourself at a higher fee point. Remember: premium fees mean premium service at every touchpoint.

Hold in mind you can always lower your fees — if you set a fee and aren’t seeing much interest you can always go down. It’s harder to bring your fees up once set.

Research Your Market

Look at:

• Local therapy rates

• Your experience level

• Specialist skills

• Local economic factors

• Online vs in-person offerings

Higher vs. Lower

• Higher price points need marketing, experience or a specialism, professional website and management systems. The cost should justify the whole experience.

• Lower price points need less marketing, less experience and do not necessarily need a specialism. A basic website and management system is fine.

The Reality Check

Many therapists undercharge initially due to:

• Imposter syndrome

• Fear of being too expensive

• Worry about filling spaces

• Comparison with NHS free accessibility

Remember: Your fee needs to sustain your practice and professional development. Hold in mind there are many unqualified people charging for therapy, less qualified and experienced than you.

Setting Your Initial Rate

A common approach:

• Calculate minimum needed for sustainability

• Research costs of therapists who provide a similar service to you

• Choose a fee that feels right

Our best tip: Use AI to help you calculate your costs and how many clients you need to see — use our helpful prompts!

AI can be fantastic at helping you calculate your costs and how many clients you need to see to make the salary you want. Use our prompts below to help.

ChatGPT / Claude.ai prompts:

PROMPT FOR IF YOU PLAN TO ONLY DO PRIVATE PRACTICE AND NOTHING ELSE:

I’m a therapist starting my private practice. Help me calculate how much I need to charge and how much I need to work. I aim to go fully in private practice and I would like to make somewhere between [amount you want to make] per year before tax. I’d like to generally take [X] weeks holiday per year. I also want to account for [X] weeks sickness. Taking into account UK tax amounts, how many clients per week would I need to see and at what cost? I don’t want to see more than [X] clients per week. Help me evaluate moving forward if this works for me. I [do/do not] have a specialism and I [do/do not] have time for marketing. General rates for CBT therapists range between £50 - £150, although £50 would be considered very low and 150 very high. Hold this into account when analysing a fee for me.

PROMPT FOR IF YOU PLAN TO PRIVATE PRACTICE ALONGSIDE NHS:

I’m a therapist starting my private practice and work also in the NHS. Help me calculate how much I need to charge and how much I need to work. I want to work in the NHS [x] days a week on Band [X][with/without HCAS] and I am at step [X] of the band. In my private practice I would like to make [X] per year before tax. I’d like to generally take [X] weeks holiday per year. I also want to account for [X] weeks sickness. Taking into account UK tax amounts and NHS pay bands, how many clients per week would I need to see and at what cost? I don’t want to see more than [X] clients per week. Help me evaluate moving forward if this works for me. I [do/do not] have a specialism and I [do/do not] have time for marketing. General rates for CBT therapists range between £50 - £150, although £50 would be considered very low and 150 very high. Hold this into account when analysing a fee for me.

Example:

I’m a therapist starting my private practice and work also in the NHS. Help me calculate how much I need to charge and how much I need to work. I want to work in the NHS 3 days a week on Band 7 with HCAS and I am at step 2 of the band. In my private practice I would like to make 15000 per year before tax. I’d like to generally take 4 weeks holiday per year. I also want to account for 3 weeks sickness. Taking into account UK tax amounts and NHS pay bands, how many clients per week would I need to see and at what cost? I don’t want to see more than 3 clients per week. Help me evaluate moving forward if this works for me.