13 Best Side Hustles for Therapists and Psychologists

Working as a therapist or psychologist can be a rewarding career, but it’s also very demanding and stressful. Sometimes a side hustle can serve as an effective change of pace in addition to being a source of extra income.

Whether you run your own private practice or work as an employee, you’ll likely appreciate the opportunity to do something different in your spare time.

If you’re looking for a way to make some extra money without increasing your number of client sessions each week, here are some of the best side hustles for therapists, psychologists, and counselors.

To see even more possibilities, check my list of 150+ side hustle ideas.

Best Side Hustles for Therapists and Psychologists

If you’re wondering how to make more money as a therapist and looking for possible additional income streams, here are the best side hustle options:

1. Start a Blog or Niche Website

If you enjoy writing, starting a blog or niche website can be a great way to make extra money online. You can write about topics related to your work as a therapist or psychologist or about any other interests you have.

There are a few different approaches you could take to use your experience and training on your website. You could create content for other therapists or cover similar topics that you deal with daily in your counseling services and client sessions.

A niche website is very similar to a blog, except that it has a more focused approach. Many blogs cover various topics, but a niche website will stick to a specific topic. For example, you could create a website focusing on coping with mental health issues or overcoming addiction.

You can use display ads, focus on affiliate marketing, create products to sell, or promote your professional services to make money from your website.

Content-based websites offer unlimited income potential, so your site could eventually become a significant source of income. It could even potentially replace your full-time private practice if that interests you.

The downside of starting a website is that it will require time and patience. Most new blogs and niche websites earn very little revenue for the first 6–12 months. To make this work, you’ll need to be willing to do the work before you see the payoff.

To learn more, please see my article, Guide to Building a Profitable Niche Website.

2. Write a Book or E-Book

Another excellent option for those with writing skills is to write a book or e-book. This could be a non-fiction book providing mental health advice and guidance or other topics related to your private practice as a therapist or psychologist.

Writing a book or e-book requires a lot of time, but it’s a more realistic side hustle option now than ever. Thanks to self-publishing and print-on-demand, anyone can become an author.

Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing is the most popular platform, but there are plenty of other options. With e-books and print-on-demand paperbacks, there’s no need to invest in inventory or buy hundreds of books you may or may not be able to sell. Amazon will print and ship paperbacks as they’re ordered.

Additionally, you can sell your book or e-book on your own website or blog. SendOwl and Podia are excellent options for easily selling digital downloads like e-books.

Like starting a blog or website, writing a book will require a lot of effort before you start making money. But once the book is written, it could be an additional income stream for years.

Writing a book or e-book could also have a big impact on your career. If you can write a popular and well-received book, it will improve your authority and credibility in your field and may open up new opportunities in the future.

3. Sell Printables

Printables like planners, organizers, and checklists are extremely popular and relatively simple to create. If you have some basic graphic design skills, you can use Canva to create printables to sell. And if you don’t want to attempt the design work on your own, you can hire a designer on Fiverr to create the printables for you.

As a therapist or psychologist, you could create printables relevant to the issues you’re used to dealing with. For example, you could create journaling sheets, goal-setting worksheets, or relaxation exercise printables.

You could sell your printables on your own website or through a platform like Etsy. Selling on Etsy is the quickest way to get started, but the income potential is higher if you build your own website. Podia is an excellent platform for selling any type of digital product, including printables.

This is one of the best side hustles for therapists who want passive income. The printables you create now may continue to sell for years to come.

4. Create an Online Course

Creating an online course is an ideal way to use your expertise to help people and make money at the same time.

While it takes some time to develop an online course, it can be a relatively passive income stream once it’s created. Just like a book or e-book, your course may continue to generate revenue for years. However, online courses have an edge over books and e-books in terms of pricing and perceived value. It’s not unusual for courses to sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars, so the income potential is excellent.

Teachable and Podia make it easy to set up and sell courses. You’ll have your own website for the course to accept payments and provide your students access to course materials.

It’s possible to make extra money by creating a single course, but you could also scale up and grow your own business by creating several online courses. Having multiple courses allows you to bundle them together and increase the dollar amount of the average sale. You can also use upsells and create courses that complement each other to students into repeat customers.

5. Start a YouTube Channel

YouTube is an excellent platform for reaching a wide audience with your message, and it can also be a great source of additional income stream.

You could create a YouTube channel on topics related to your private practice to share your expertise and earn extra income. Just like a blog, you could create a YouTube channel that provides content for other therapists or people who need help or advice from someone like yourself.

While YouTube doesn’t pay you directly for your videos, you can generate revenue through ads, sponsorships, or by selling products or courses.

To generate ad revenue from YouTube, you must reach 4,000 watch hours and 1,000 subscribers within the past 12 months. Once you reach this threshold, you can apply to join the YouTube Partner Program, which will give you access to run ads on your videos. You’ll get paid based on the number of views your video receives.

The long-term potential of a YouTube channel is excellent, so this is another opportunity that could lead to a significant income in the future.

6. Start a Podcast

Starting a podcast is similar to starting a blog or YouTube channel, except that you’ll create audio content instead of written or video content.

Like a YouTube channel, you could create a podcast that helps people who need advice and life coaching. You could also use your podcast to interview other experts in your field, so there are plenty of possibilities.

Podcasts can generate revenue through ads, sponsorships, affiliate marketing, or promoting products and services.

Starting a podcast is another way to increase your visibility and build name recognition within the industry. This could lead to new opportunities like speaking engagements or consulting work.

7. Telehealth

Telehealth is a rapidly growing area, and it’s an excellent way for private practice therapists to make extra income.

With telehealth, you can provide therapy services online or over the phone. This is an excellent option for a psychology side hustle, or it could even become full-time work.

If you’re interested in telehealth, you can use a few platforms like Talkspace to get started.

Of course, you could also offer these services through your existing private practice or find a part-time telehealth job through another practice.

8. Freelance Writing

If you enjoy writing, then working as a freelance writer could be a great option for creating an additional income stream. Unlike some of the side hustle opportunities already discussed, freelancing allows you to start making money right away.

There’s no need to spend months building a website or an audience. You can start applying for gigs right away, and you’ll have a profitable side hustle as soon as you have your first client.

You could write articles for magazines, journals, blogs, and websites as a freelance writer. You could also write e-books. There are many possibilities for what you could write about as a therapist.

To get started as a freelance writer, you can sign up for platforms like Fiverr or Upwork. These platforms will allow you to find writing gigs and get paid for your work. There are also other freelance writing jobs for beginners that you can explore.

Of course, you can also approach companies directly and pitch your services. This is often the best way to get high-paying writing gigs, but it does require more effort than using a platform like Fiverr or Upwork.

Freelance writing could be a side hustle you use to make a small amount of extra money each month, or you could grow it to become a full-time business. Overall, it’s one of the best ways to make money in your spare time.

9. Become an Adjunct Professor

Many therapists and psychologists desire to teach, and becoming an adjunct professor is a great way to make some extra money.

Adjunct professors typically teach one or two classes per semester at a local college or university. The workload is relatively light, which makes it easy to fit into your schedule.

Being an adjunct professor is also a great way to build your credentials and gain more field experience. It could serve as an excellent addition to your resume.

10. Public Speaking

As a therapist or psychologist, you likely have expertise in various mental health and well-being topics. This makes you an excellent candidate for public speaking engagements.

You could give talks at local schools, community organizations, conferences, seminars, etc. You could also give webinars or workshops. And if you’re feeling ambitious, you could even start touring the country as a professional speaker.

Of course, you don’t need to be a world-renowned expert to give mental health talks or workshops. Even sharing your personal experiences and stories can be helpful for other people.

If you’re interested in public speaking, there are many ways to get started. You can contact local organizations directly and pitch your services. Or you can sign up for platforms like SpeakerMatch, which connect speakers with event organizers.

11. Consulting

Consulting is another great option for therapists and psychologists to make additional income. As a therapist or psychologist, you could consult with businesses on employee wellness programs, stress management, developing company policies, and more.

If you have experience growing and running your own practice, you could also consult with other therapists and psychologists on how to run a business of their own.

Consulting is a great way to share your expertise and earn additional income, but it does require some effort to get started and start landing clients. You can do cold outreach to businesses needing your help, leverage your existing network to find opportunities or create a professional profile on Upwork. You can also sign up for platforms like Clarity that connect consultants with people who need their services.

This has the potential to be a very lucrative side hustle.

12. Group Therapy Sessions

In addition to working with clients one-on-one, you could offer group therapy sessions on a variety of topics, such as anxiety, depression, relationships, grief, and more.

Offering group therapy sessions is a great way to reach more people and make a difference in their lives. It’s also a more cost-effective option for many people, making filling your groups easier.

You can market your group therapy sessions through your existing private practice, on social media, or through local community organizations.

13. Become an Expert Witness

If you have experience working in your field, you could become an expert witness for legal cases.

As an expert witness, you would be responsible for providing testimony in your area of expertise. This could include giving your opinion on a diagnosis, the standard of care for a particular condition, and more.

This is a great way to use your skills and knowledge to make some extra money, but it’s important to note that being an expert witness can be stressful. It’s also important to ensure you’re comfortable with the legal process before you start.

To become an expert witness, you can contact local lawyers or law firms and offer your services. You can also sign up for platforms like SEAK that connect experts with those who need their services.

Bonus: Investing

Over the past few years, investing in the stock market has become a popular side hustle. Platforms like Public.com, Webull, and Moomoo offer commission-free trades and remove some of the barriers that have prevented a lot of people from investing in the past.

While there are different approaches to investing in stocks, those with a long-term focus are less risky than short-term approaches like day trading. Dividend stocks and growth ETFs are popular options for long-term investors.

Investing in real estate is another option. Platforms like Fundrise make investing in real estate a realistic option for just about anyone. With Fundrise, you can invest as little as $10 and own a share in a portfolio of income-generating properties.

Final Thoughts on Side Hustles for Therapists and Psychologists

There are many different side hustles for psychologists and therapists looking for additional income streams. While some side hustles for mental health therapists are somewhat passive, others will require more effort to get started. The key is to find an opportunity that matches your skills and interests.

If you’re looking for a way to earn additional income, consider pursuing one of the therapist side hustles listed above.