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Psychology · why otp

We will ask whether you have the hours to fill.

In a profession sitting at about 35 per cent of its national workforce target, that is not a rhetorical question. If the answer is no, we will tell you what would actually help, and it may not be us.

How we start

Capacity, funding mix, then volume. Usually in that order.

The first conversation is about your diary, not your keywords. Which clinicians have space, what presenting problems you want more of, which funding types are worth an hour of your time, and whether there is a service line you are trying to build. In a market this short those answers shape the entire account.

If a practice is genuinely full across the board, the honest advice is that advertising will make things worse rather than better, and that the useful work is pricing, mix and possibly hiring. We would rather say that and keep the relationship than take a retainer for six months of enquiries the practice cannot serve.

How we work

Four things specific to psychology.

We check the Medicare copy on every page
The entitlement is ten sessions per calendar year and a great many Australian practice sites still say twenty. That is a factual claim about a government entitlement that a client may act on, and it is a straightforward misleading advertising exposure.
We lengthen the window and split the brand
With a documented 17 to 22 day median between plan and first session, a default conversion window under-reports and last click hands credit to brand. Fixing both usually changes the picture of an account that looked like it was failing.
We negative out crisis terms where there is a waitlist
Google has no policy requiring this, which is exactly why it needs to be a deliberate decision. A practice that cannot see somebody for six weeks should not be buying the click from somebody who needs help tonight.
We put Lifeline above the fold
On every psychology landing page we build, without exception, and with no urgency or scarcity language anywhere on the page.
Two things we cannot help with
Drug and alcohol addiction services cannot be advertised on Google in Australia by anyone other than a government entity, so if that is a service line you want to grow, paid search is not the route and we will say so rather than trying. And remarketing is unavailable, because Google classifies mental health counselling as a sensitive category and blocks advertiser-curated audiences. Any agency proposing a remarketing funnel for a psychology practice has not checked the policy.
Straight answers

Questions clinic owners actually ask

How quickly will a psychology account produce clients?
Enquiries within the first fortnight, and attended first sessions considerably later, because the pathway usually includes a GP appointment and a documented 17 to 22 day median between the plan and the first session. That means a realistic read on the account takes about ten to twelve weeks rather than a month. It also means the first month's report will look worse than reality, which we would rather explain before it happens than after.
What if we do not want more clients, just better ones?
That is the engagement we would usually recommend, and it is a real one. It means bidding for the funding types and presenting problems where you have capacity, targeting people who already hold a mental health treatment plan and are therefore past the GP gate, publishing your wait honestly to improve fit, and reporting on attended first sessions by clinician rather than on enquiry volume. It typically produces fewer enquiries and better use of the hours you have, which in a market at 35 per cent of workforce target is the only version that makes sense.
Do you work with more than one psychology practice in the same area?
No, one per catchment. It matters less here than in some verticals, because the supply shortage means practices are often not really competing for the same clients, but it would still mean bidding two clients against each other. We take one.
What do you need from a psychology practice to get started?
Access to the Google Ads account and Business Profile, which practice management system you use, your current wait time by clinician, your fee schedule and the gap clients actually pay, which funding streams you accept, and an honest answer on where you have capacity. That last one determines everything. We will also read your existing website, because the Medicare session count and rebate figures on it need to be current and frequently are not.
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A campaign partnership built for clinics

Ads that earn their place in your P&L.

A senior team that lives inside your account. Conversion infrastructure wired in before any ad goes live. Reporting that ties spend to booked appointments, not impressions.

Dedicated account manager

A senior specialist who runs clinic accounts day to day.

Clinic-only specialists

Every keyword, headline and account structure built inside real Australian clinic accounts.

Award-winning team

Winner, Best Google Ads Campaign, Australia 2025. Google Partner. AFR Fast 100.

When you're ready
We will be too.
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