Stop Guessing, Start Growing: How To Increase Your Success As A Therapist

What Does Success Look Like in Your Therapy Practice?

This question “what does success look like” is at the core of my clinical practice - both with my clients and for myself. 

With our clients we sit down at the start of the therapeutic relationship and clearly define what “success” looks like through goal setting.  We ask what would be different when the client knows they no longer need the support of therapy?
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AND success shouldn’t be confused with perfection.  Developmentally for our clients there will be ups and downs, highs and lows, but there is a specific picture that you paint of your overall direction and destination that helps you as a clinician know whether or not interventions are effective and when it’s time to head towards termination.  Check out more about why goals are gold HERE.

Survey Results: Do You Know What Success Looks Like For You?

In a recent survey of clinicians that work with kids I asked the question “what does success look like in your practice?”.

And the results absolutely surprised me.  

Some clinicians had a rock solid definition of success, but many clinicians' response was “I'm not totally sure”.  And to be real - this makes sense.  We are often trained in grad school and through getting our licensure to do the work.  Follow the formula.  See our expected number of clients, attend trainings to get CEs for licensure, wash, rinse, and repeat. 

One of my graduate professors told my cohort that therapy can be a tough field for type A therapists (guilty) because success and progress can be a difficult thing to quantify. And if this is true for our clients this is definitely true for us as professionals. 

Step 1: Define Success for YOU

So the first step to being “successful” as a therapist is to define what success actually means - for YOU.  

For some clinicians it would be having a full caseload.  For others it would be a certain certification, training, or modality they would want to gain expertise in. For some therapists success means having their own practice or being up to date on their notes. Others it means actually leaving the office on time or having the space to return phone calls and coordinate care within their workday. For other play therapist it might mean that they are regulated during session and able to hold effective space or build rapport. 

Once you know what successful actually looks like, and I mean really specific (is full 15 clients per week or 30?) only then can you begin to evaluate how you are doing in your practice and where you need to go next. 

My Go-To Tool: The Yearly Practice Evaluator

My go-to tool? The Yearly Practice Evaluator. Since 2019, it’s helped me spot the areas where my practice shines—and the areas that need a little TLC. I’ve made it free for you because, just like clients, we need to revisit and refine our goals to keep growing.

And let me tell you - what was on my list in 2019 is waaaay different from my practice planning heading into 2026. Throughout the years I have added goals to my list like becoming a HIPAA ninja, color coding my files (see type A personality), and even adding more movement into my therapy day for regulation (hello walking desk). 

Evaluating Your Therapy Practice: Growth, Boundaries, and Goals

And for you? You might decide that you want to take more training in a certain modality to become more confident.  You might evaluate your practice and decide that you can’t keep working nights and weekends or you’re headed straight for burnout. 

You might decide that you want to focus on your niche for clients and marketing OR that 2026 is FINALLY your year to start your own practice. Maybe your waiting room needs a shake up or you need to completely rearrange your office to make your toys or space more accessible. Finally push checkout on those play therapy materials that have been lingering in your cart or press print so you can get those activities off of your desktop and into your playroom. 

Bottom line - success as a therapist begins with clearly defining what success means for you. Once you do that? The possibilities for your practice are truly limitless.

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