I spent 17 years running a full-time practice in the UK, alongside mentoring therapists, teaching practitioner development workshops, and serving on the board of my professional association.
I’m Sara Hammond — therapist, mentor, and the creator of Pathway to a Full Practice.
I loved helping people, but I was out of my depth when it came to 'the business side of things'. Marketing seemed to be all about sales tactics and self-promotion. I couldn't find the right kind of support, and I wasn't even sure what I was looking for.
But I didn't start out with the self-belief or the skills to get a practice off the ground.
Welcome.
The hilltop town of totnes in south devon, england
It was both deeply affirming and slightly alarming. Everyone told me the same thing: “You’ve moved to a saturated market.”
I was also told to expect years of side jobs and struggle — that it was just part of the deal. There was a quiet assumption that this work, however meaningful, wouldn't be quite enough to support you.
My first practice was in a town described by The Guardian as having the most therapists per square inch in the country.
I got there without a huge social media following, without paid advertising, and without going to a single networking event (fellow introverts, take heart).
In my second year, I had a full practice with a waitlist.
It’s steadier, more relational, more rooted. It’s about how you communicate, how you set up your client processes and offerings, and how you show up in the world (with or without social media).
Everything changed for me when I realised this: that practice-building is different from marketing.
The core skills of practice building have nothing to do with being a tech expert or an online influencer. It's about learning to talk about your work in ways that are honest, specific, and true. Building systems that help you onboard clients with care and professionalism. Building-real life referral relationships. Learning how to make your practice financially sustainable.
These days, I teach online and in-person, supporting practitioners across the world who are ready to build the kind of practice that honours who they are and how they work. If that sounds like you, I’d love to walk alongside you.
THE TRUTH IS, Most practitioner trainings don’t teach what it actually takes to grow a practice.
- Sara
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I write about the inner work and the outer work of building a practice — the doubts, the questions, the self-trust it takes to show up, and the practical systems that help your work to thrive.
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My online programme for self-employed therapists gives you the step-by-step framework and behind-the-scenes systems I used to get to fully booked with a waitlist, so you can do the same.
Learn how to grow your practice naturally through word-of-mouth, build authentic referral relationships, and attract clients in a way that feels steady and grounded.