Most practitioners got into this work to help people. The business side, what to charge, how to build something stable, how to make sure the income doesn’t stop the moment you do, tends to get figured out along the way. This post covers how to think about setting your fees, and when packages and memberships might be right for your clinic.

Set sustainable fees to make your practice revenue work for you

If you’re wondering how to set private practice fees, you’re not alone. Most practitioners set their rates by looking at others. What are providers in the area charging? What feels like a number a patient or client could afford? But you’re an important part of the pricing equation as well.

That’s why Ashley Comegys, a licensed clinical social worker, recommends a different approach when asking how to price a service. Start with your capacity. She walked us through this advice in a recent Behind the Practice session, Intentional Practice: Designing a Business That Fits Your Life.

Ashley shared that, with everything else her life requires, she can see four clients a day. That means her per-session rate has to do real work. The question she recommends asking when setting your fees: what do I need to earn per session, given the number of clients I can realistically see, to actually support my life?

Everyone’s caseload has a ceiling. If you set your fee too low to begin with and soon find it isn’t sustainable for your business, you’ll inevitably need to reapproach your pricing. Setting a strong fee that works for you upfront means you won’t need to raise your fees too quickly. And you’ll have a solid strategic foundation for doing so when the time comes.

For a closer look at the mechanics of fee-setting, you can also check out our full guide on how to pay yourself in private practice.

Some practices might consider packages for predictable revenue

As your practice grows and you become confident that your per-session fee is doing the right work, it’s worth asking whether a single session is the only type of care you might offer. Packages can work well for practices if they find they’re managing a higher level of volume. They can also work well if they provide the right fit for your ideal market. If you’re considering offering packages, we recommend checking with your regulating body first. You’ll want to ensure any new offering follows local guidelines.

Ashley touched on packages from a behavioral health perspective in her session. As she put it, packages tend to attract a specific kind of client: someone who wants a defined commitment, a clear arc, and a contained investment rather than an open-ended relationship. When a client commits to a defined program upfront, you can get a clearer sense of your revenue for the weeks ahead. And that predictability can offer a form of financial stability.

The practical piece is making sure your package pricing holds the same logic as your per-session rate. A package shouldn’t undercut that just because a bundled offer feels more palatable to promote. The goal is an offer that works for the client and still works for your growing business.

Some practices might explore “one-to-many” services with memberships

Robin Valadares, a physiotherapist, made a really interesting case for using memberships to support revenue in his Behind the Practice session, Financial Foundations: Creating Your Financial Treatment Plan.

He noted that as a practice grows and matures, businesses can find themselves caught in a time-for-money trap. You can only make money when you’re actually in session with a patient or client. In this model, when your time is limited, your revenue is too.

Memberships are one way an established or growing practice might expand beyond pure one-to-one session time. And, as in the case of packages, the choice to offer a membership is always something you’ll want to check against your regulating body guidelines.

Here’s an example that Robin shared in the case of a physio clinic. A clinic offers a three-month membership for clients recovering from ACL surgery who need access to supervised strength work, but don’t want to commit to a year-long gym contract. The practitioner isn’t present for every session. The facility is. The relationship and the expertise are baked into the structure of the offering, and the revenue keeps coming in without requiring more clinical hours.

It’s a model that works because it matches a real client need: a defined recovery window, a specific goal, a preference for something more contained than a long-term gym membership, paired with a recurring revenue structure that benefits the practice.

This is what Robin described as the shift from “one-to-one” to “one-to-many”: taking your expertise and structuring it so that one hour of your time, or one facility, or one program, can serve multiple people rather than a single client in a single session. Group sessions, workshops, and membership-based access to clinic space are all great examples.

As Robin put it in his session, “Jane has some avenues where memberships and packages [can] help you in terms of offering services and then matching your inventory to meet them.” It’s less about building something new from scratch and more about structuring what you already offer in a way that works harder for your practice.

🩵 If you’re new to Jane and want to understand how practice management software can help you build recurring revenue, book a demo. Our team would love to show you around. Already using Jane? Find that you’re at that next stage of growth? Packages & Memberships are available on the Thrive plan. It includes features that support established or growing practices.

FAQ

How do I figure out what to charge for my services?

While market rates and affordability are good places to start, you’ll also want to look at your own capacity. Work out how many sessions you can realistically offer in a week, then calculate what you need to earn per session to support your life and keep your practice running. If the math doesn’t work at your current rate, something has to shift: your fee, your volume, or your model.

What’s the difference between a package and a membership?

A package is a defined number of sessions or services sold upfront. A membership is an ongoing plan, billed on a recurring schedule that you choose. Packages work well for clients who want a contained commitment. Memberships work well when you’re offering ongoing access to a facility, program, or care model.

Does Jane support packages and memberships?

You can set up packages and memberships directly in Jane on the Thrive plan, which includes features that support established and growing practices. Check out our plans and pricing to see which plan is right for you and the stage of growth you’re at. And remember to check with your regulating body to ensure these features allow you to follow your local guidelines.

Do packages and memberships work for my specific practice?

Certain practitioners find that packages and memberships can work for their business. For example, massage therapists could consider packages sold in bundles, and behavioral health professionals might host group sessions or workshops. The structure varies, but the thinking is the same: a defined offer that gives the client clarity, gives the practice predictability, and isn’t in conflict with your regulating body guidelines.