Four steps
There are three basic steps to naming your therapy practice. It’s ok to go through this process more than once — even the registration part!
- Create
- Check who you are
- Check who others are
- Register
Create
- Personal branding: Consider what you want your practice to represent and the message you want to convey to your clients. Your name should reflect your values and the services you offer.
- Think about what sets you apart. What is something that’s important to you, but maybe not to most people, or most other practitioners?
- Consider your ideal customer. Yes, we can help all sorts of people. If you had to pick one (or a few types) of people, who would they be and why? Write these down as a starting point.
Some ideas for therapy practice names might include:
- Mindful Path Therapy
- Healing Horizons Counseling
- Empowerment Therapy Services
- The Wellness Connection
- Growth and Healing Therapy
- Thrive Counseling and Coaching
- Balance and Bliss Therapy
- The Counseling Collective
- The Therapy Room
- Positive Change Counseling Services
Ultimately, the best name for your private therapy practice will be one that reflects your values, goals, and target audience, and that is professional and memorable.
There are some more name ideas, here, organized by focus area.
Check who you are
This is the hard part for most people. It will cause you to double back. Consider setting a time limit (one hour, or 5 days) and finishing these steps by then.
- Memorable: Choose a name that is easy to remember and spell. This will make it easier for clients to find you and refer you to others. My favorite tip: Say it out loud many times. Try using it in conversation, even in the mirror. Will you enjoy saying this 100 times? Is it particularly confusing?
- Unique: Try to come up with a name that sets you apart from other therapy practices in your area.
- If there’s a chance you want to have a group practice or sell the business down the road, it may be wise to use a brand name (Wise Path Counseling LLC) instead of a personal name (Liz Ryan Counseling).
- Professionalism: Choose a name that is professional and appropriate for your field. Slang or casual language isn’t off limits, it might just be hard to pull off effectively.
- Consider a dba, or “doing business as”. It’s common to have one legal business name, such as “Collective Outcomes PLLC” and a second doing business as name “South Houston Counseling Center” that is used for marketing. These are often registered formally with the state — one for legal and tax return purposes, and another for marketing purposes.
If you decide to adjust your name later, a dba is an excellent way to do this!
Check who others are
- Legal considerations: Make sure the name you choose is not already in use by another business, and ensure that it is not trademarked by someone else (see section below).
- State licensing boards often have rules on what you can name a practice. Once you have a name you like, check your board’s rules. A common rule is that you can only use the word psychological in your name if you’re a licensed psychologist.
- Some secretaries of state have rules on what you can name a practice, too. In our experience, New York is most stringent. They may require the word “counseling” in the name. This is often straightforward to satisfy — just add it to the end of the name you choose. New York’s rules are here.
Register
Note that if you’re just starting out and don’t plan to grow very large, some of these may not be necessary. For instance, in the eyes of the IRS a sole proprietor can simply choose a name and start using it with no other registration. For example, if you goal is to provide LMFT services yourself and you don’t want to grow a team, this might be you.
These groups will need your name when you’re ready:
- Your state’s Secretary of State.
- The IRS, although it just aligns with the Secretary of State.
- A domain name registry. This is often whomever is hosting your website.
- Your state licensing board.
How to check if your business name is already being used
Here are a few steps you can follow to check if your business name is already in use:
- Search the internet: Do a quick online search to see if there are any businesses using the same or a similar name. It’s as easy as Googling the name you’re considering.
- Check with your state’s business registration agency: Many states have a business registration agency or secretary of state office where you can search for business names. In Google search “(your state) entity search”, and typically the first or second non-sponsored search result is a link to your state’s Secretary of State or some other agency. In there you’ll have the opportunity to search for the name of your business. For example, Texas entity search will bring you here, where you can enter the business name idea to see if anyone is using the name in Texas.
- See if the website it taken or for sale. If you have a basic name like Better Men Therapy, see if anyone owns www.BetterMenTherapy.com. If it’s not taken, you might be able to buy it at a place like www.namecheap.com.
- Consult with an attorney: If you are still unsure about the availability of your business name, you may want to consult with an attorney who can help you conduct a more thorough search and advise you on any potential legal issues.
It’s important to note that even if you don’t find an exact match for your business name, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s available to use. It’s always a good idea to do your due diligence and make sure there aren’t any potential conflicts before you start using a business name.
Where to get help along the way
If you’d like help along the way, reach out to us for a 20-minute consult. We help new business owners get started all the time. We have other value-minded professionals outside of accounting we can refer you to.
Most people will need help with the legal, accounting, and marketing aspects of their startup. Doing this yourself is quite possible with the right elbow grease, Google skills, and ChatGPT skills, too!
