California Therapist Shortage Beats Market Saturation

When things slow down, do you assume it’s because “the market is oversaturated“ or “people just want to talk to a chat-bot“?

Or did you actually look at the data?

Because California just updated our workforce numbers and... oversaturation has not been in the room with us for a while now.

We nowhere near "enough therapists" at any level, associate, licensed, or prescriber.

We don’t even have a plan to fix the extreme therapist shortage by 2033

Yes, there are real challenges when running a practice, including positioning, pricing, finding the right fit clients, and serving our clients well when the world is throwing curveballs at them every day.

I certainly didn’t expect to start my in person therapy business 6 months before a global pandemic, but that’s life!

So let’s think in terms of our resilience and preparation, in terms of how to get ourselves in the path of someone who’s been needing us not for days, not for months, but maybe YEARS.

For therapists, that means building up your authority and sharing your knowledge with others, so that they can find you and remember you at the right moment.

For organizations/leaders, that means creating a work environment that makes people feel energized to see clients (and not scramble for the exits as soon as the first "side-hustle guru" calls).