Starting a practice

5 tips for marketing your practice on social media

If you want to optimize your social media profiles and boost your reach, here’s what you need to know to get started.

August 19, 2024 • Updated on May 28, 2026

14 min read

Whether you just recently ventured out on your own or you’ve owned your own practice for years, you may be looking for new ways to grow your caseload and expand your business.

One of the easiest methods for connecting with referral sources and potential clients is on social media. If you’ve never leveraged social media for your therapy practice, or if you just want to optimize your profiles and boost your reach, here’s what you need to know to get started.

Key insights

An active social media presence gets you in front of more potential clients, growing your practice and professional reputation.

Choosing the right platforms, posting consistently, developing a strong voice, and deploying ads strategically takes your social media marketing to the next level.

Keep professional ethics in mind when you post, avoiding identifying information about clients, content that could be mistaken for treatment, and details about your personal life.

Now more than ever, clients rely on the internet to find a mental health care provider. Creating profiles and posting content on social media offers more in-roads for potential clients to connect with you, so they ultimately reach out or schedule an appointment. To increase the chances of building your caseload quickly, you can market yourself across multiple platforms.

In addition, you can connect with potential referral sources by using social media to build relationships with and showcase your services and expertise to other therapists and medical providers who may refer patients to you.

As with any type of marketing, using social media as a tool to expand your business will work best with a bit of strategy.

1. Choose the right platforms

Understanding the basic ins and outs of the most popular social media platforms can help you connect with people and create content in more meaningful ways.

LinkedIn: A professional networking site, LinkedIn allows you to form relationships with fellow professionals who may refer clients to you. Try to follow and build connections with related clinicians in your area, from therapists to primary care providers and medical specialists.
Facebook: Along with creating a page for your business, you can use Facebook to join groups for therapists. These groups can be a source of personal and professional support, along with an opportunity to share referrals.
Instagram: On Instagram, you can post photos with captions — and short videos — that allow you to share general mental health information with followers. You can also use Instagram to expose potential clients to your experience and therapy style.
TikTok: Like Instagram, you can use TikTok — a video-centric platform — to showcase your knowledge and experience as a therapist.

2. Keep your profiles consistent

Do your best to make it easy for people to find and connect with you on all your social media pages. Keep your username consistent across your social media profiles, and use the same profile picture, business name, and biography, too. A bit of intentionality can go a long way in showing professionalism.

3. Plan content

Plan out your social media posts a week or month in advance when you can so you don’t drop the ball when life gets busy. Check out our engaging social media content ideas to get started. Some social media platforms also allow you to schedule posts in advance. Set aside times, too, to interact with other posts on social media, which will help you build relationships and a following. For example, you could spend 10 minutes every day “liking” or commenting on posts from other therapists you follow.

4. Be consistent

Building a following, and seeing a return in your time investment, can take time. Be consistent with social media posts and interactions in the process. To see results faster, make it easy for people to find your website, directly connect with you for a consultation, or schedule an appointment straight from your profile.

5. Buy ads

If you want to invest financially in social media, you can buy ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. These ads are strategically shown to a demographic of your choice — for example, young adults in your city — who may be seeking therapy. You can also review analytics to be sure your ads are reaching the right people and make adjustments accordingly.

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While social media is a great place to introduce yourself and your practice to new clients, it’s no replacement for therapy — and that’s something you should be clear about. As a best practice, consider adding boundaries or disclaimers to your social media platform, for example, “DMs closed” or “Instagram is not therapy.” You can also include resources, such as the suicide hotline (988), in your profile.

When you’re planning and posting content, try to keep it educational and broad. While it’s OK to share content that explains symptoms of a mental health condition, social media isn’t a place to diagnose or treat clients, or to share any client information unless you have the required client permission. Posting identifying information about clients on social media, or describing the content of sessions, can violate HIPAA regulations. It’s also important to remember that standard social media inboxes are not HIPAA-compliant, and thus should not be used to collect sensitive information from clients.

You should also avoid posting information that’s too personal — for example, photos of your kids or your political views — so you don’t blur boundaries between professional and personal relationships. (You may wish to keep a separate, private personal account that clients can’t see.) Some licensing boards even monitor social media activity, so there could be significant consequences for unprofessional behavior online. It’s worth checking whether your state board or relevant professional organizations publish guidelines for how clinicians should use social media. The American Psychological Association, for example, has detailed guidance on this topic.

What social media content should therapists avoid?

Therapists need to be careful about what they post online. In general, it’s best to stay away from:

Any anecdotes, session summaries, or personal details that could identify a client.
Content that could be construed as diagnosis or treatment.
Posts about your personal life, political affiliation, or views on current events, which could compromise your working relationship with clients.

Social media can feel like a full-time job, on top of the one you already have. Many providers struggle to create a thriving online presence without neglecting their practice. But these tips can help:

Streamline your practice management with Headway: Headway’s all-in-one platform saves you time on administrative tasks like documentation, billing, and credentialing, so you can put more effort toward practice growth strategies like social media marketing.
Repurpose content across platforms: Some content can be posted in multiple places, perhaps with slight tweaks to account for different formats and audiences.
Create posts in advance: Try to bank social media posts during quiet stretches so you have material to post even when you’re busy.
Repost content that aligns with your image and values. Consistency is key when building a social media presence — but every single thing you post doesn’t have to be original. Reposting accurate, appropriate content from other mental health creators can keep your profile looking lively, without demanding too much of your time.

Especially when you’re just getting started, posting on social media can feel like shouting into the void. Are your posts actually reaching the right people? And are they generating consultations and bookings?

You might not be able to answer “yes” to those questions overnight; it takes time to build a solid social media presence. These strategies can help you assess your success:

Use unique contact forms: This allows you to track how many clients are reaching you through social media, versus your website or provider directory profiles.
Monitor traffic from social platforms: Track your website analytics to see how many people get there via social media.
Ask clients: Ask new or prospective clients how they found you to better understand your reach.

Ready to put yourself out there on social media? Check out these templates to get started.

Facebook

Now accepting new clients seeking in-network care. Book now.

→ Download Facebook template

Instagram

→ Download Instagram grid template

→ Download Instagram story template

→ Download LinkedIn template

Headway can help you spend less time on practice management

Therapists face many competing demands on their time. Patient care comes first, of course. But there’s also administrative work, networking, and marketing to think about.

Headway takes care of the administrative piece, so you can focus on the rest. Our all-in-one platform includes a comprehensive EHR — complete with an integrated telehealth platform and documentation assistance—and billing support that makes it simpler than ever to accept insurance. Our provider directory also gives your social media marketing an assist, putting you in front of tons of prospective clients all across the country.

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This content is for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute clinical, legal, financial, or professional advice. All decisions should be made at the discretion of the individual or organization, in consultation with qualified clinical, legal, or other appropriate professionals.

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