How Therapists Can Create Ethical Courses That Complement (Not Replace) Therapy

As a therapist, you’ve likely thought about creating a course — especially if your client load is full (or you have a waitlist). But you’re stuck on one thing: a course doesn’t replace therapy, so what’s the purpose? 

And, as with any business, a course serves a specific space in your offer suite. It can stand alone and complement your services or even become a part of your 1:1 services to help you provide better care. 

So, how do you create a course that complements but doesn’t try to replace therapy? Here’s what you need to know:

The Difference Between Education and Therapy

Let’s get crystal clear on what a course can (and can’t) do.

A course provides education, tools, and frameworks. It teaches skills, offers perspectives, and gives actionable strategies. Think psychoeducation — the information you might share in therapy, but without the personalized processing that happens in a therapeutic relationship.

Therapy provides individualized treatment, processing, and healing. It’s where clients explore their unique experiences, work through trauma, and receive personalized support for their mental health needs.

Your course isn’t meant to replace therapy. It exists alongside your clinical work, serving different purposes for different people at different stages.

How to Maintain Your Ethical Values While Creating an Online Course as a Therapist

I’ll be the first to admit that creating a course comes with unique ethical considerations that many other industries don’t face. But there are plenty of ways to remain within your ethical comfort zone (as you should) while creating a course that truly helps your clients.

For example, you should:

Stay Within Your Scope of Practice

Your course should stay within your expertise. If you specialize in anxiety, creating a course on anxiety management makes sense. Something outside your clinical training? That’s where things get iffy.

Create Clear Boundaries and Disclaimers

Every course needs clear disclaimers that:

• This is educational, not therapeutic treatment
• It doesn’t establish a therapist-client relationship (!!!!!)
• Participants should seek professional help for mental health concerns
• It’s not a substitute for therapy

Include Crisis Management

What happens if a participant is in crisis? Include resources for crisis support, clear information about when to seek emergency help, and make it explicitly clear you’re not available for crisis intervention through the course.

What Makes a Course Complementary to Your Practice?

The best courses for a therapist serve a specific purpose that supports–rather than replaces–your clinical work. You shouldn’t feel like you need to add everything into your course. Pick something specific and stick with it!

Focus on offering psychoeducation and skill-building: teaching the “what” and “how” without the deep “why” that requires therapeutic processing. An anxiety course might teach what anxiety is, evidence-based coping strategies, or how to identify triggers — but it wouldn’t process trauma history. 

You can also position your course as a supplement, not a substitute. Many therapists create courses that their own clients use between sessions, that serve as preparation for therapy, or that support ongoing self-care after therapy completion. 

Focus on specific skills or micro-transformations. Rather than “Healing Your Trauma” (which requires intensive therapeutic work), consider “Introduction to Grounding Techniques” or “Understanding Your Nervous System.”

These targeted approaches make it clear that you’re offering education and tools, and NOT treatment.

What’s Next? How to Create a Course as a Therapist

The goal isn’t to water down your expertise, but it IS to channel your knowledge in a way that serves a different purpose than therapy.

Your one-on-one sessions will always be the heart of your practice, but a well-designed course can extend your impact and support more people in managing their mental health. 

Ready to explore how a course might fit into your practice? Book an Offer Intensive!