The Clients Who Never Book
A free online CPD course for counsellors, psychotherapists, hypnotherapists and other therapists who want to understand the people who look for therapy and then decide it isn’t for them, and what it could mean for their practice. The course is self-paced, provides 1 CPD hour and is written by Karen Ferguson, a therapist of 26 years and founder of MindMotive AI.
Course at a Glance
Who it’s for: counsellors, psychotherapists, hypnotherapists and other therapists and wellbeing practitioners
CPD hours: 1
Format: online, self-paced, text-based, with no videos or live sessions
Structure: an introduction, five short sections and a final “What Next”
Access: [access period] from sign-up
Certificate: MindMotive AI certificate of completion, downloadable when you finish
Price: free
Why This Course Matters Now
Around three quarters of UK adults have never had an experience of therapy they’d describe as helpful, and most have never had therapy at all. Many of them look for a therapist, read a profile or even make an enquiry, and then decide therapy isn’t for them. For most therapists, that’s where the conversation ends.
This course looks at who those people are, why many of them have made a considered choice rather than hit a barrier, and what they do instead, including the growing number turning to AI. It makes the case for offering something other than therapy, and sets out how to do that honestly.
What the Course Covers
Introduction: what the course covers, how to use it and who it’s for.
Section 1: The People Who Don’t Book. Who looks for a therapist and doesn’t book, and the difference between barriers and preferences.
Section 2: What People Do Instead. Friends and family, managing alone, self-help and AI, with the latest UK figures.
Section 3: The Case for Offering Something Else. Why it can make sense to offer an alternative, and an honest look at therapists’ reservations about AI.
Section 4: Ethics and Boundaries. Describing an alternative accurately, privacy, and leaving the choice with the person.
Section 5: How It Can Work in Practice. The MindMotive AI partner programme as one example, and what it could mean for your practice.
What Next: further options and how to get in touch.
What You’ll Be Able to Do
By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:
- recognise the difference between barriers to therapy and genuine preferences
- describe what people commonly do instead of booking therapy, including using AI
- weigh up whether offering an alternative to therapy fits your practice
- describe an alternative honestly, without overstating what it is
- consider practical ways to keep supporting people who don’t book
How It Works
Each section includes a short reading and a reflective activity, and you work through them in order at your own pace. There’s no assignment to submit: when you’ve completed the course, you can download your certificate confirming 1 CPD hour straight away.
About the Course Tutor
Karen Ferguson has been a therapist for 26 years and has trained more than 1,000 therapists. She is the founder of MindMotive AI, where she designs conversational AI partners, including Otto, and she has spent more than three years designing, using and testing AI for emotional support. She is a Fellow of the ACCPH.
Join the Course
Find out more about the people who never book, and what you could offer them instead.