A client of mine recently raised her fees.
She’d done the work.
Not just a quick tweak to her website, but a real shift in her marketing.
Instead of talking about therapy in the same safe, surface-level way, she began speaking to the real fears and quiet worries her clients carry.
Within weeks, she had new enquiries. Clients weren’t just reaching out, they were booking straight in. Her practice felt secure again.
And then came the judgement. Not from clients or the public, but from other therapists.
The very people who pride themselves on empathy and support were the ones criticising her for valuing her work.
It stung. And it’s something I see far too often.
The Weight of Staying Stuck
If you’ve been holding back from raising your fees, you’ll know the quiet unease that follows you around.
- You notice other therapists charging more and still fully booked.
- You compare yourself and wonder if you’ll ever feel confident enough to raise yours.
- Enquiries slow down, and instead of raising, you tell yourself lowering fees will “make you more attractive.”
But the reality is that lowering your fees doesn’t bring security. It chips away at your confidence, leaves you working harder for less, and attracts clients who don’t fully invest in the process.
The cost of staying stuck isn’t just financial.
It’s the constant second-guessing.
It’s the energy drained by comparison.
It’s the opportunity lost because you’re waiting for “the right time” to believe in your own value.
What Happens When You Shift
The therapists I work with make a different choice.
They begin to speak clearly about what their clients are actually living through, not just the label on a directory. They stop hiding behind modality, CV-style websites, and generic “safe space” language, and instead show who they are and why that matters.
They raise their prices. Sometimes with trepidation, often with shaky hands at first. But the results speak for themselves:
- Clients who enquire because they feel seen, not because fees were lower.
- Clients who book straight in, ready to invest in themselves.
- Practices that not only fill, but sustain, giving therapists the stability and freedom they always wanted.
Some of my clients have raised their rates multiple times in the last year, and still grown waitlists. Others have finally been able to take long-awaited family holidays, knowing their marketing continues to work for them in the background.
And here’s the most important part: their clients see their value long before a single session begins.
Why the Judgement Doesn’t Matter
When you raise your fees, you may get comments from peers. You may feel the sting of judgement from other therapists who aren’t walking your path.
But your clients?
They’re not the ones judging.
They’re relieved to find you.
They want to invest in their future.
They value the safety and understanding you bring, and that has nothing to do with your hourly rate.
The only voices criticising are the ones who haven’t yet found the courage to step forward themselves, and you don’t need to carry their fears as your own.
Raising your fees isn’t about greed. It’s about truth.
It’s about the reality of sustaining yourself as a business owner, so you can continue doing the work that changes…. and saves….. lives.
And when you learn to market in a way that communicates your uniqueness and connects deeply with your clients, the value you bring is so clear that raising your prices becomes not just possible, but necessary.
Why My Membership Is the Bridge
This is exactly what we do inside my membership.
I teach therapists to:
- Speak to psychographics, not just demographics.
- Build websites and directory profiles that connect deeply with clients (and are found by AI as well as humans).
- Confidently communicate their value and uniqueness, so raising fees feels natural, not terrifying.
- Create marketing that isn’t about shouting louder, but being unforgettable.
It’s not theory. It’s not gimmicks. It’s a method that works.
And it’s why my clients are filling practices, raising prices, and building businesses that feel stable, secure, and proud.
When you raise your fees, some people will judge.
But not your ideal clients.
They’re relieved to find you, and they’re ready to invest in themselves.
They see your value long before you ever talk about money.
The only people who will judge?…..the ones who haven’t done the work themselves.
My membership reopens 1st September, with just 25 new spaces.
Priority list members will get early access on Friday 30th August! When the spaces are gone, they’re gone until 2026!
If you’re tired of feeling stuck, judged, or invisible, this is the space where everything changes.
👉 Join the priority list: info@melanielaysolutions.com
Private Practice Marketing Coach for Counsellors and Therapists l Mel Lay 
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