How to maximize the low season in your private practice

Experiencing a slow season is a normal part of every private practice. Seasonal slowdowns—cancellations, an empty calendar, and fewer referrals—can feel stressful. Remember, these quieter months are inevitable, and understanding how to navigate them can help you maintain momentum and keep your practice thriving.

Summary

• Seasonal slowdowns in therapy practices are normal and predictable, most often occurring during early summer and the winter holidays.

• Quiet periods provide valuable opportunities to strengthen business systems, update marketing, pursue professional development, and recharge personally.

• Strategic planning such as budgeting, optimizing workflows, and building referral relationships helps therapists stay stable and confident during slower months.

• Technology tools like telehealth, online scheduling, and automated reminders can help minimize dips and keep client engagement more consistent.

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Instead of looking at the slow season as a setback, think of it as an opportunity to respond productively and recharge your business.

Here we’ll look at when slowdowns most commonly occur, what to expect, and how to turn them into strategic times to grow and restore your practice.

When does business typically slow down in therapy?

The first step in approaching slowdowns is to understand when they typically happen, so you can be prepared.

Two main slow periods

Therapists often notice dips in client volume during two predictable times of the year: `.

• Early summer (June-August): Vacations, school breaks, and shifting routines cause families to miss therapy appointments.

• Winter holidays (mid December-early January): Driven by the logistical and emotional load of major holidays, end of year financial considerations, and travel.

Contributing factors

Seasonal slowdowns can often be attributed to logistical factors such as:

• Travel: Vacations naturally compete with appointments.

• Holidays: Family gatherings and disruptions in normal scheduling happen.

• Childcare issues: This limits parents’ availability.

• Mental load: Tasks like shopping, entertaining, and planning can lead to therapy cancellations until life slows down a little.

Practice-specific variability

Remember, a slow season looks different for every practice.

• Telehealth vs in-person: There may be less fluctuation for those who offer telehealth since clients can attend from anywhere.

• Pediatric vs adult clients: Practices working with children often see drops that align with the school calendar.

• Rural vs urban practices: Families from rural areas may be more likely to leave town for vacations. Tourism seasons, weather, and local events influence scheduling.

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Don’t panic: Slow seasons in private practice are normal

Even the most experienced clinicians can feel the weight of a slow season. It’s normal for therapists to feel anxious about finances, have a fear of losing momentum, and guilt for taking time off work.

Reminders to stay grounded during a slow season:

• Your worth isn’t tied to your appointment book.

• Business typically rebounds quickly.

• Slower months don’t mean permanent loss.

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How to make the most of your time in your practice during a slow season

Professional development

Use the downtime to reinvest in yourself and sharpen your clinical skills:

• Complete continuing education units (CEUs) and specialty certifications.

• Read new therapy-related books or research.

• Create client worksheets or tools to use in therapy.

• Explore new clinical approaches (e.g., EMDR, ACT)

Practice optimization and admin

This is the perfect time to improve systems that are ignored when you’re busier with client care:

• Test and implement new EHR features like those offered by TheraPlatform (an all in one system for scheduling, billing, and documentation).

• Streamline intake or documentation processes by auditing the time it takes to complete an intake, then finding ways to cut that time down.

• Audit billing workflows or forms to ensure processes are optimized to maximize future reimbursement and prevent revenue loss.

• Refresh templates or treatment plans: Update your practice’s welcome packets, consent forms, or treatment plan templates.

Marketing and business growth

• Revamp your website or SEO plan by updating descriptions of services, photos, and writing content with high-ranking key words.

• Start a blog or podcast, developing new content to showcase your expertise.

• Batch-create social media content so it’s ready to go during the next few months.

• Run ads or seasonal promotions to take advantage of upcoming availability.

• Consider other referral sources, such as health insurance, and learn how to get credentialed with insurance. Check out this free insurance billing course for therapists

Strategic outreach ideas

Host seasonal events

Incorporate your clinical knowledge into creative, low-cost outreach events to fill your schedule and generate interest:

• Holiday self-care workshops: Provide tips for clients and caregivers on how to manage stress.

• Back-to-school parenting webinars: Offer information on easing the transition back to routine.

• Beat the summer slump: Focus on anxiety management and boosting motivation.

Engage your network

Network with referral sources and other professionals so they keep you in mind and support a steady flow of new clients:

• Schedule 1:1 coffee chats with peers or referral sources
• Host virtual provider mixers or community roundtables
• Join or revive local therapist Facebook groups or forums

Outreach email template example for your private practice

Here’s an outreach email template example for networking or referrals:

Subject: Checking in and local resource connection

Hi [Name], I hope your summer/winter is off to a great start so far! I wanted to take advantage of this slower time to reconnect and explore how we might support each others’ clients.

I’d love to hear about your recent work and share a little about the specialty services I offer. Do you have 15 minutes to grab coffee or hop on a quick Zoom call next week?

Let me know if [Day/Time] works!

Thanks

Invest in self-care

Use this time to slow down and be human, not just a practitioner. Recharge your batteries so you can be ready when things pick up again.

Mental and physical restoration

Take advantage of this time for genuine rest: travel, enjoy some downtime, exercise daily, pick up old hobbies, and journal.

Family and relationships

Use the time to reconnect with loved ones that you have limited time with during the busier seasons. Organize activities with family and friends, or enjoy solitude.

Preventing burnout long-term

Burnout is common for practicing clinicians. Avoid this by proactively scheduling time off and using the low season for restoration. Think of it as an insurance policy against long-term fatigue that could impact the success of your practice.

Free Resources for Therapists

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• Ready-to-use worksheets, checklists, assessments & more!
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• Telehealth 101: On-demand videos
• Curious how TheraPlatform solves private practice pain points?

Financial planning for predictable slow periods

Slow periods don’t have to result in financial crises. Smart planning for these times allows you to think of them as a paid-for vacation.

Analyze trends from past years

Run reports to identify your practice’s specific patterns before the low season arrives:

• Client volume, cancellations, no-shows: Calculate how much these factors increased in the past few years during the summer and winter months.

• Google Analytics for web interest: Did traffic to your website or inquiries from new clients drop during predictable times?

Budgeting tips

• Set aside funds monthly to pad slow seasons: Transfer a percentage (e.g., 10%) of each full-fee payment into a dedicated “Low Season Buffer” account the moment you receive it.

• Pause or downgrade unnecessary subscriptions: Review your statements and identify any non-essential or unused software, memberships, or business services that could be temporarily or permanently ended.

• Adhere to a strict cancellation policy: Stick to charging for no-shows or late cancellations to help ensure financial stability during the low seasons.

Alternative income streams

Diversify your income to soften the dips in client volume:

• Supervision or consulting: Offer your clinical expertise to newer or provisional clinicians.
• Courses: Develop an online course or digital workshop.
• Writing: Create income through paid blog posts.
• PRN coverage: Provide temporary coverage at local clinics or hospitals.

Using tech to stay flexible

Technology can help you navigate seasonal shifts and work around limited client availability.

• Offer telehealth as an alternative to in-person sessions: Clients who don’t have time to make a long commute to physically go to a therapy appointment may be able to squeeze in a virtual session while traveling.
• Enable online scheduling and waitlists: Allow clients to book and reschedule appointments at a time when it’s most convenient for them.
• Send automated appointment reminders or re-engagement emails: A comprehensive EHR system such as TheraPlatform can send automated appointment reminders that significantly reduce no-shows.

Remember, seasonal dips don’t mean your business is failing – they’re a normal part of running a private practice. Reframe the low season as a time for rest, strategic planning, and growth.

Take action now and prepare – invest in yourself, strengthen your professional network, and optimize your practice’s processes. This helps ensure that when the busy season arrives, you’re more productive and less exhausted. And that’s just around the corner.

Streamline your practice with One EHR

• Scheduling
• Flexible notes
• Template library
• Billing & payments

• Insurance claims
• Client portal
• Telehealth
• E-fax

Learn More

Resources

TheraPlatform is an all-in-one EHR, practice management, and teletherapy software built for therapists to help them save time on admin tasks. It offers a 30-day risk-free trial with no credit card required and supports mental and behavioral health, SLPs, OTs, and PTs in group and solo practices.

More resources

• Therapy resources and worksheets
• Therapy private practice courses
• Ultimate teletherapy ebook
• The Ultimate Insurance Billing Guide for Therapists
• The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Private Therapy Practice
• Mental health credentialing
• Insurance billing 101
• Practice management tools
• Behavioral Health tools

Free video classes

• Free on-demand insurance billing for therapist course
• Free mini video lessons to enhance your private practice
• 9 Admin tasks to automate in your private practice

References

Beckel, J. L., & Fisher, G. G. (2022). Telework and worker health and well-being: A review and recommendations for research and practice. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(7), 3879. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/7/3879

Cohen, C., Pignata, S., Bezak, E., Tie, M., & Childs, J. (2023). Workplace interventions to improve well-being and reduce burnout for nurses, physicians and allied healthcare professionals: a systematic review. BMJ open, 13(6), e071203. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/6/e071203.abstract

Park, E. Y. (2021). Meta‐Analysis of Factors Associated with Occupational Therapist Burnout. Occupational therapy international, 2021(1), 1226841. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1155/2021/1226841