Gestalt therapy from a rented consulting room

Individual adults who pay for their own sessions, often after a referral from a GP, a friend or a directory listing.

A fee per session, usually 50 to 60 minutes, with most clients booking weekly or fortnightly. Income grows as your regular caseload builds.

• Completed gestalt or counselling training
• Deep listening and emotional steadiness
• Keeping clear professional boundaries
• Basic bookkeeping and client records

• Counselling and psychotherapy are largely self-regulated, so check which qualifications and association membership clients and insurers expect
• Do not call yourself a psychologist unless you are registered, as that title is protected
• Medicare rebates generally do not apply to counsellors and psychotherapists, so check how this affects your pricing
• Professional indemnity insurance and regular clinical supervision
• Privacy and confidential record keeping, check your state or territory requirements
• Client numbers can take months to build, so keep another income at first

Estimates suggest startup costs typically around $1,500 to $5,000, depending on the room you rent and your setup. Rooms can be rented by the hour, day or week in a shared therapy or wellness centre.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated around $1,000 to $5,000, depending on your caseload. Client numbers can take months to build, so it helps to keep another income at first. Treat these as estimates only.

Counselling is largely self-regulated, so check which qualifications and association membership clients and insurers expect. Do not call yourself a psychologist unless registered. Also check professional indemnity insurance, supervision, privacy rules for records, and how Medicare rebates generally not applying affects pricing.