Insights from nearly 2,000 mental health and wellness professionals on what they earn, what they keep, and what it really costs to run a practice.
Therapists are earning, growing, and building something real. But the money side is where they feel the most alone.
"The caseload building process took so much more time than I expected it to. It became like every client was attached to like a dollar amount for myself. So having to do a lot of math around how many clients do I need to see to make sure that I can, like, pay rent this month"
"My expenses for operating my business are going up and I did raise my fees for new clients but I haven't raised them for existing clients — at what point is this sustainable for me? Because I don't want to work more and I don't think it is feasible to work more and have it be sustainable and healthy"
"Looking at the numbers can be scary when you're a business owner. We finally looked at the numbers. The numbers didn't make sense. Looking at the numbers justified what the next move needed to be"
Quotes represent themes from therapist interviews.
Most therapists and wellness practitioners are not taught the money part. Not in graduate school, not in supervision, and not in any of the clinical hours required to get licensed. And because no one teaches it, no one really talks about it either. So they end up figuring out the financial side of private practice alone.
This report exists to change that. For the fourth consecutive year, Heard surveyed therapists and wellness practitioners about the financial realities of private practice, and this year nearly 2,000 individuals across all 50 states and D.C. responded. They shared what they're earning, spending, charging, worrying about, and how they're running their practices day to day.
The findings reflect their experiences, not of everyone in private practice, but with a sample this broad, the trends tell a meaningful story. Two-thirds of respondents earned more this year than last. But earning more doesn't always mean the financial side feels easier. This report is about what's really going on behind the numbers.
All findings are based on 2025 survey responses and reflect historical, self-reported data. This report is shared for educational purposes to help you understand broad industry trends. It is not guidance for setting your own rates, which should always be based on your individual practice, market, and costs.
California, Texas, New York, Colorado, Florida
Insights from nearly 2,000 mental health and wellness professionals on what they earn, what they keep, and what it really costs to run a practice.
Therapists are earning, growing, and building something real. But the money side is where they feel the most alone.
"The caseload building process took so much more time than I expected it to. It became like every client was attached to like a dollar amount for myself. So having to do a lot of math around how many clients do I need to see to make sure that I can, like, pay rent this month"
"My expenses for operating my business are going up and I did raise my fees for new clients but I haven't raised them for existing clients — at what point is this sustainable for me? Because I don't want to work more and I don't think it is feasible to work more and have it be sustainable and healthy"
"Looking at the numbers can be scary when you're a business owner. We finally looked at the numbers. The numbers didn't make sense. Looking at the numbers justified what the next move needed to be"
Quotes represent themes from therapist interviews.
Most therapists and wellness practitioners are not taught the money part. Not in graduate school, not in supervision, and not in any of the clinical hours required to get licensed. And because no one teaches it, no one really talks about it either. So they end up figuring out the financial side of private practice alone.
This report exists to change that. For the fourth consecutive year, Heard surveyed therapists and wellness practitioners about the financial realities of private practice, and this year nearly 2,000 individuals across all 50 states and D.C. responded. They shared what they're earning, spending, charging, worrying about, and how they're running their practices day to day.
The findings reflect their experiences, not of everyone in private practice, but with a sample this broad, the trends tell a meaningful story. Two-thirds of respondents earned more this year than last. But earning more doesn't always mean the financial side feels easier. This report is about what's really going on behind the numbers.
All findings are based on 2025 survey responses and reflect historical, self-reported data. This report is shared for educational purposes to help you understand broad industry trends. It is not guidance for setting your own rates, which should always be based on your individual practice, market, and costs.
California, Texas, New York, Colorado, Florida
Understanding the financial terms used throughout this report will help you interpret the data and apply insights to your own practice.
Nearly 2,000 therapists across all 50 states and Washington D.C. responded, making this the most geographically representative report to date.