Understanding your Data in Private Practice

Have you ever wondered why you keep attracting a certain type of client, even though that's not who you're trying to market to?

We all carry a story about who we are. We hold certain values, interests, and intentions that shape how we present ourselves to the world. But what if the clients you want to work with aren't the ones you're making the biggest impact with?

Meet Mick, Mick has been a psychotherapist for over 15 years. He's invested heavily in learning about neurodiversity and has developed a genuine passion for supporting young adults with ADHD.

He's completed additional training, talks about ADHD in his marketing, and hopes to attract more of these clients into his practice.But when we look at the data from Mick’s actual practice, something interesting appears.

The clients who consistently enquire, become long-term clients, achieve great outcomes, and recommend him to others aren't adults with ADHD. They’re mainly men experiencing symptoms of burnout and emotional eating disorders (or course they can all be interlinked but we are being specific here).

At first glance this might feel confusing.

Has Mick been marketing himself to promote this? Should he abandon his passion for working with more ADHD clients or focus soley on burnout instead?

The answer isn’t necessarily either-or. What the data offers here is awareness. Burnout and emotional eating disorders may be the space where his approach resonates most right now.

At the same time, his passion for ADHD might still be an important part of his professional identity and future direction.

Rather than abandoning one for the other, the real opportunity lies in understanding both. Mick can lean into what’s already working, acknowledging his effectiveness with burnout and emotional eating disorders - while also refining how he communicates and attracts the ADHD clients he wants to work with.

The point isn't to choose one path over the other. The point is to stop relying on assumptions and start paying attention to the evidence.

How can you understand your data more effectively? Start by looking for patterns in your own practice:

• Previous client results and outcome

• Feedback from past clients or training sessions

• The types of services that produced the best results

• Common challenges clients experienced

• Any patterns in successful client outcomes

  
  

Your perceived identity shapes your intention. The data reveals your impact.

The most powerful position sits somewhere in the middle: where awareness meets choice, and where you intentionally build on what’s already working while staying aligned with who you want to become.

Learn how our mentoring services can provide the support, insights, and encouragement you need to succeed!