Ask Tiffany: Can I Charge $250/Session?!

As part of our ongoing money series, I am answering YOUR questions about money and private practice.

This week I’m diving into a question from Therapist Hannah who wrote in and said, 

“Someday I want to charge 250 an hour….the fear part of me says “that’s too much” and “you’d better prove you’re the BEST THERAPIST EVER if you’re going to charge that much!”.  The abundance part of me says “hell yes, girl! charge away! You have the education/experience/training! People will pay!”.  Right now my fee is 100 an hour, and I’m comfortable with it (for now).  Is 250 an hour reasonable?!​”

Well, well, well. I think you have some suspicions about how I might answer, but put on your hazmat suits and let’s dive in to find OUT.

I’d love to hear from you!

If you’re struggling to charge a fee that is commensurate with your standard of living, leave a comment below and let us know what holds you back!

Have you successfully raised your fees?! Jump down to the comments section and give us a sneak peak into YOUR money mindset!

Join the conversation below.

11 Comments

  1. Brianna Mann

    Guess who just signed up her first $250/session client? This lady did! I almost got diarrhea mouth and wavered on price but I got my mouth in check and held firm. Woohoo! We can do this!

    Reply
    • TiffanyL

      WHAT THE FUCK?! BRIANNA!!!! CONGRATULATIOOOOONS!!!!

      Reply
  2. Brianna Mann

    The last time I was grappling with a major change in my practice (going from insurance to private pay) and all the money baggage that went with that, your post, “Top 10 Myths Therapists Believe About Setting Fees” helped me make the switch. For the past month, I’ve been struggling with whether I can raise my fee to $250/session, and now I see this post. Well timed!

    Reply
    • TiffanyL

      I LOOOOVE this, Brianna! Way to make the move. You’re rockin’ it! Now… what are your next steps, pray tell?

      Reply
      • Brianna Mann

        Awww, thank you (and thank YOU)! Well, there are some beliefs that are getting in the way of this change (e.g., “I’m not THAT good.”; “I will never get any clients to pay that and I’ll go broke.”), so I’m working on those. I’m drafting an argument of the advantages for clients of private pay versus insurance (e.g., privacy, care based upon “best practices” versus “lowest cost to insurance”, more time spent on client care versus insurance BS, etc.) to use as a script on calls and as bullet points on my website; it’s turned into more of a manifesto on the evils of insurance, so I may make it into a blog post after consulting with my attorney, haha. And, I’m working on forming a support network of other therapists in the Twin Cities metro area who are moving to private pay. Of course, it never seems like I’m not moving fast enough, but I think I might be making decent progress. 🙂

        Reply
        • TiffanyL

          I love that you’re thinking of taking all that you’ve learned and sharing this as a resource for other therapists! YES. I definitely feel ya on that “I’m not moving fast enough” anxiety. Heh. I think it’s the way of the upwardly. 🙂

          Thank you so much for sharing your insights and if you get that article written, let me know! I’d love to share it with the HeyTiffany community!

          Reply
          • Brianna Mann

            Hey there! Thank you! Yeah, it never feels fast enough-I want change NOW! That is such a great offer/compliment! I’m getting feedback on it right now and will share when it’s polished 🙂

  3. Jenna Pagano

    I love this! My husband is a dentist and dentists talk about money. It’s a part of their conversation in education. As a therapist this was so different for me. It was taboo to talk about and something we didn’t have any idea about (at least the therapist I know). We weren’t suppose to expect pay I guess… My husband pointed out that this is the opposite of feminism, because our field is dominated by females and we are not advocating to make what we are worth. When he brought up with “F” word I couldn’t argue his point. We are doing ourselves a disservice as a field by not talking about money or knowing our worth. I don’t need the BMW’s in the showrooms at the AAMFT conferences like they have at their American Dental Association conferences, but I do need to know I’m making more than the massage therapist 3 doors down. I just do.

    Reply
    • TiffanyL

      First of all, your husband is my FAVORITE! He is SO right on. This is one area where we therapists have *such* an opportunity to change the game in terms of the gender pay gap because WE set the fee. I’m on a mission to help therapists – women particularly and upwardly mobile women even MORE particularly stand in defiance of fucked up systems by CHARGING fees that are commensurate with our standard of living. Deeeyamn! Talk about making a political statement. Thank you so much for weighing in and yes, Yes, YES to all of this!

      Reply
  4. Jessica

    Love this! Gold as always. It’s amazing how much of our money stuff is about confidence and belief in ourselves. I know I used to feel like I would need to be the best therapist in order to charge $150.

    Reply
    • TiffanyL

      Jessica! Thank you for your lovely words! Now, I’d love to know – what, specifically changed thus that you went from being nervous to charge $150 to being able to do so with confidence?!

      Reply

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About the Author

Hey, I’m Tiffany McLain, LMFT, and I teach you how to charge good money for the good work you do.  I’m the founder of Lean In. MAKE BANK. Academy, a group program that empowers therapists and social workers like you to reimagine your relationship with money, offering the tools and community support to not just earn more but to fundamentally change your life and the lives of those you serve.

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