New SimplePractice and Heard Study: Independent Behavioral Health Clinicians Find Deep Meaning in Their Work, but 42% Report Burnout

The 2026 Clinician Well-Being Study of 862 independent behavioral health practitioners finds 95% find deep meaning in their work, while 67% say running a practice feels isolating when it comes to making business and financial decisions

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SimplePractice, the leading platform powering independent mental health practitioners, and Heard, the financial management platform built for therapists in private practice, today released the 2026 Clinician Well-Being Study. Ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10, this timely study sheds light on the resilience, challenges, and evolving support systems of independent practitioners.

The study, a survey of 862 independent behavioral health practitioners fielded in September 2026, finds a clear tension at the heart of independent practice. Clinicians overwhelmingly believe in their work: 96% said they can meet their clients' needs and 95% found deep personal meaning in it. At the same time, 42% said they feel burned out, up from 29% in a 2023 SimplePractice study, and 37% have reduced their caseload as a result.

Much of that strain sits outside the therapy room. Independent practitioners are also small business owners, responsible for the finances, marketing, technology, and time off an employer would otherwise provide. The study found that the heaviest pressures and the biggest gaps in support fall on that business side, and that clinicians who have dedicated practice tools and trusted peer networks rated their practices as markedly more sustainable.

“As a clinician, I know that administrative tasks are what contributed to my own experiences of overwhelm in private practice,” said Hannah Weisman, PhD, VP of Community at SimplePractice and practicing clinician. “With 42% of independent practitioners reporting burnout, we need to be thinking about how to make administrative tasks easier with tools and technology, while still supporting clinicians in using their own clinical judgment and training. We’re very focused on both of those goals at SimplePractice.”

Among the study's findings:

• The business is the burden: Among clinicians experiencing burnout, 68% cited the inability to take time off without financial penalty as one of their top challenges, followed by 55% who cited administrative burden. Marketing and finding new clients was the single most stressful task clinicians report (48%), followed by taxes (42%) and clinical documentation (38%).
• Cost pressure runs both ways: 88% said the rising cost of living is squeezing their own finances. 69% said clients have reduced sessions or paused therapy because of cost, and 59% have lowered fees, offered a sliding scale, or personally absorbed the difference to keep clients in care.
• Independence can feel isolating: 67% said running an independent practice feels isolating, particularly around business or financial decisions, and 68% wished they had a larger network of peers who understand private practice. When asked where their professional network falls short, clinicians named business and financial support first (31%), ahead of clinical support (17%).
• Support changes the experience: 78% said trusted peers make their practice feel more sustainable. Clinicians also reported that practice tools and administrative support reduced stress. When asked to rate their level of practice stress before adopting their current tools and platforms, 47% indicated it had been high or extreme, versus 11% indicating the same level of stress today. 88% said their tools have reduced administrative burden and 62% said they have eased financial stress.
• Clinicians are practicing self-care and seeking support: 72% use the flexibility of private practice to fit self-care into their routine, 55% have modified their schedules to protect well-being, 53% were in their own therapy, and 44% have hired professional financial help.
• AI is in use, with reservations: 65% shared that they use AI in some capacity, most often for clinical documentation; yet, 73% of AI users reported worrying about the accuracy of AI-generated documentation and 71% worried it could devalue the human element of therapy.

"Most of the therapists we work with are a business of one. They went into this work to help people, and then found themselves running payroll, estimating quarterly taxes, and wondering if they were doing any of it right, alone, at the end of a full day of sessions," said Andrew Riesen, Co-Founder and CEO of Heard. "Two thirds of clinicians in this study say the biggest decisions in their practice feel isolating, and the gap they name first is business and financial support. Independence should mean you choose how you practice, and it should never mean you figure out the money by yourself."

The complete 2026 Clinician Well-Being Study is available here. For more information on SimplePractice, visit www.simplepractice.com. For more information on Heard, visit www.joinheard.com.

Methodology: The 2026 Clinician Well-Being Study is based on a 10 to 12 minute survey of 862 independent behavioral health practitioners, fielded by SimplePractice in partnership with Heard between September 8 and 14, 2026, and distributed through SimplePractice's customer email list and Heard's newsletter. 80% of respondents run solo practices and 20% work in group practices. Respondents were most commonly licensed as counselors (42%), social workers (31%), or marriage and family therapists (17%), along with psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, psychiatrists, substance abuse counselors, and applied behavior analysts. For survey statements rated on an agreement scale, figures reflect the share of respondents who selected "completely agree" or "somewhat agree," unless otherwise noted.

About SimplePractice

SimplePractice is the industry-leading platform that empowers more than 250,000 solo and group practitioners to thrive and retain their independence. By simplifying the business of running a private practice, our premium practice management and EHR platform provides tools and technology that enable mental health professionals to focus on delivering quality care, while patients can seamlessly manage their care journey. In 2025, SimplePractice helped independent practitioners deliver over 125 million sessions of care to more than 10 million individuals.

To learn more, visit SimplePractice.com, or join the conversation on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.

About Heard

Heard is the financial management platform built for therapists in private practice. Heard pairs software with a dedicated team that handles bookkeeping, prepares and files taxes, runs payroll, and shows practice owners what they earn each month, so they can spend their time with clients instead of spreadsheets. Thousands of therapists across the United States trust Heard with their finances. Learn more at joinheard.com.