How to prepare for the new year surge in clients

January brings a lot of things: Post-holiday calmness, new goals, dark nights (depending on where you live). And one thing you might see in January as a therapist is a surge in new clients.

According to Google Trends, in the U.S., searches for the term “therapist near me” peaked in January in 2024.

While often welcome, this rush of inquiries and potential new clients can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re coming off the back of a slow November and December. 

To help, we’ve rounded up tips on how you can prepare for and handle a surge in new year clients. But first, let’s cover why January can be a busy month for therapists in the first place.

5 reasons you might see a surge in the first place 

There are quite a few reasons people tend to seek mental health support in January. 

Here are just a few of them: 

• Holiday stress: It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but the holiday season isn’t easy on everyone. The holidays can cause a lot of stress and bring up difficult emotions. People may be dealing with reminders of loss, financial stress, family conflict, domestic violence, or post-holiday blues or burnout. On the other hand, they may have simply hit pause on therapy during a busy December and are ready to get back into it in the new year with a new provider.
  
• Goal setting: January 1 offers that “blank slate” feeling, so New Year’s resolutions and goals are in the air. Going to therapy or improving mental health could be a goal in itself, or clients could be seeking professional help with goals like improving their marriage or overcoming a phobia in the upcoming year.
  
• Processing the previous year: Healing doesn’t happen as soon as the clock strikes midnight. People may be dealing with emotional challenges they faced in the last year and have the time or emotional bandwidth to work through them come January.
• Holiday or winter health issues: The holidays can trigger substance use concerns and winter can cause seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Come January, people may have health and well-being concerns they’re ready to tackle with help from a mental health professional.
  
• Health insurance resets: In the new calendar year, people may see changes in their insurance plans with more mental health coverage, or resets to their annual limit on therapy sessions, making therapy more accessible. 

How to prepare for new client interest 

Now let’s get onto how you can prepare for and deal with a rush of new clients. While we’re talking about the new year, these tips are useful for any time of year you might anticipate a busy period. 

1. Set boundaries on how much you’ll work 

Therapist burnout is real. And as tempting as it is to take on every new client that comes your way, it’s not sustainable and it’s not safe — for you or the people you’re caring for. It’s not just long hours. The compassion fatigue that can come with a high caseload can take a toll on your well-being.

Before the rush, set yourself some boundaries. Maybe that means never working past 6 p.m., avoiding work talk at home, or only taking on a set caseload, if you have control over it. 

If you’re getting inquiries beyond the amount of work you want to take on, consider starting a waitlist if you’re running a private practice or referring clients to trusted colleagues. 

Aim to stick to your boundaries as best you can. When work-life balance gets thrown off, step back, speak up, and see what you can do about controlling your workload.

2. Use AI tools to streamline your workload

Speaking of controlling your workload, consider harnessing AI to streamline your tasks. 

Tools like Upheal can save you hours a week on documentation, freeing up your time to take on more clients or take care of yourself.  

Using Upheal’s AI progress notes feature, you can securely record sessions and create a first draft of your progress notes. You can also use Upheal to speed up the creation of intake notes, treatment plans, and post-session summaries to send to clients. 

As well as saving time, AI tools reduce cognitive load during sessions. You can spend more time staying present with your clients and less time jotting down notes. Better care for them. More energy and brain space for you.

Finally, scheduling software can help you manage an increase in appointments, send automatic session reminders, and avoid double bookings.

3. Adjust your services to match demand 

When times get busy, consider how you can adjust your services to match. 

If you haven’t before, consider offering: 

• Teletherapy via phone or video calls to cut down on commuting time 
• Asynchronous support, like one-on-one messaging or worksheets  
• Group therapy or workshops to serve more clients at once
• Shorter sessions like 30-minute check-ins, which may suit busy returning clients 

These changes aren’t always possible, but they may open up new avenues for your work that you continue throughout the year.

4. Get support from colleagues and peers 

Before things get busy, take time to connect with other therapists and build out your referral network. You’ll then have a go-to list of trusted providers you can refer any clients to who you can’t take on, helping them access care sooner. 

If things are already busy, assess your caseload to see which clients you’re best suited to help, which are most at risk, and which you could refer. If possible, discharge and refer a few clients to colleagues to make your caseload more manageable. 

We’ve got advice on how to ethically discontinue therapy with a client to help.

5. Work on your skills or business ahead of time

If you run your own practice, you can work on business tasks ahead of time before the increased client work rolls in. That could mean:

• Updating your website and social media 
• Preparing tax documents or updating intake forms 
• Updating billing or scheduling software 
• Planning financially for the year ahead, including how you can budget for AI software, training, or new employees 

If you’re not running your own practice, this tip still applies. Look at tasks you could complete before things get busy to free up time later. 

Plus, for any mental health professional, quiet months are the ideal time to refresh your skills. If you’ve got some time now, consider: 

• Taking a course or getting a new certification – PESI is a great resource for that 
• Attending some webinars
• Going to professional networking events or conferences 
• Reading up on the latest research in your field 

You can learn new skills or refresh your knowledge on common themes that may come up in January, like goal-setting or couples counseling.

6. Rest and recharge 

If work is on the quieter side at the moment, enjoy it. 

Use your slow season to enjoy a little more time off or savor slower work days than you’d usually have. Invest in your own mental health now so you’re recharged and in the best place to help clients when things get busier. Or, you can simply practice one new tip from this article to take off your therapist hat each day.

New year, new clients 

The new year might bring an influx of new clients looking for mental health support and guidance. If you know it’s coming, use slower weeks to prepare. And when your workload increases, remember to protect your boundaries and reach out to colleagues for support. 

Finally, don’t forget about AI. Upheal can streamline your tasks, giving you hours back each week to serve more clients or spend on yourself.