ShowGuard
Executive Summary
Vision Statement
To create a future where therapists are protected from the financial and emotional toll of no-shows, enabling them to focus on delivering quality care and maintaining professional boundaries.
Problem Summary
Therapists working in group practices are often financially penalized for client no-shows, even when a no-show fee is collected by the company. The therapist must use PTO or work extra hours to meet required client numbers, while the no-show fee does not benefit them directly. This creates stress, reduces morale, and leads to inefficiencies as therapists are left waiting for clients who do not arrive, impacting both their income and mental well-being. The Reddit post and top comments highlight widespread frustration with current policies and a lack of therapist protection against these operational gaps.
Proposed Solution
ShowGuard is a SaaS platform that enables therapy practices to implement customizable no-show policies, automate fee distribution (ensuring therapists receive a fair share), and provide real-time schedule adjustments. The platform tracks attendance, credits client hours appropriately, and offers analytics to help practices and therapists reduce the financial and emotional impact of no-shows.
Market Analysis
Target Audience
The ideal user is a licensed therapist or counselor working in a group practice, especially those who:
- Are W2 employees subject to strict client quotas and PTO policies
- Experience frequent client no-shows or last-minute cancellations
- Have limited control over current no-show fee policies
- Feel undervalued or penalized by current compensation structures
Practice managers and owners seeking to improve staff retention and operational efficiency are also secondary targets.
Niche Validation
The Reddit post and top comments provide strong validation for this pain point: therapists are frustrated by unfair no-show policies, lack of compensation, and the requirement to use PTO or work extra hours when clients miss appointments. Multiple commenters echo the unfairness and emotional toll, confirming this is a widespread, unresolved issue. External sources confirm that clear, enforceable, and fair no-show policies are a persistent challenge in mental health practices, and existing solutions rarely address direct therapist compensation[1][2][3].
Google Trends Keywords
Market Size Estimation
Focusing on US-based group practices (estimated at 20,000-30,000 organizations) that employ W2 therapists and accept insurance, the SAM is approximately $300-500 million USD per year.
Assuming initial penetration of 1% of group practices (~200-300 practices, averaging 10 therapists each), the SOM is $3-5 million USD in annual recurring revenue within 2 years.
There are over 700,000 licensed mental health professionals in the US alone, with tens of thousands of group practices. Including global markets, the TAM for therapy-focused practice management software is estimated at $2-3 billion USD annually (source).
Competitive Landscape
Major players in practice management (e.g., SimplePractice, TheraNest, Allia Health) offer scheduling, billing, and no-show policy templates, but do not provide direct no-show fee compensation to therapists or flexible automation for PTO/credit adjustments[3][4]. Existing solutions focus on practice-level revenue, not therapist-level fairness. Allia Health and Rula offer tools for managing no-shows, but lack features for direct fee distribution or therapist empowerment[4][5].
Product Requirements
User Stories
As a therapist, I want to receive a portion of no-show fees directly, so I am compensated for missed appointments.
As a practice manager, I want to customize no-show policies by therapist or client type to ensure fairness and compliance.
As a therapist, I want my schedule and credit hours to update automatically when a client no-shows.
As a therapist, I want to view analytics on my no-show rates and income impact.
MVP Feature Set
Customizable no-show policy templates
Automated no-show fee routing and therapist compensation
Schedule and credit hour adjustment engine
Automated appointment reminders (SMS/email)
Basic dashboard with no-show analytics
Non-Functional Requirements
HIPAA-compliant data storage and transmission
Role-based access control (therapist, manager, admin)
99.9% uptime SLA
Scalable to support practices from 5 to 500 therapists
Key Performance Indicators
Monthly active therapists
No-show fee payout volume
Reduction in therapist-reported stress (via in-app survey)
Churn rate of subscribing practices
Average reduction in uncredited therapist hours
Data Visualizations
Visual Analysis Summary
The following chart illustrates the distribution of no-show fee policies and therapist compensation models among major US therapy group practices, highlighting the market gap for direct therapist compensation.
Loading Chart...
Go-to-Market Strategy
Core Marketing Message
Stop losing time and income to no-shows. With ShowGuard, therapists get fair compensation, automated schedule management, and peace of mind—so you can focus on what matters most: client care.
Initial Launch Channels
- Targeted outreach in therapist-focused subreddits (e.g., r/therapists, r/psychotherapy)
- Partner with therapy business coaches and influencers for webinars or case studies
- Launch on Product Hunt and relevant mental health SaaS directories
Strategic Metrics
Problem Urgency
High
Solution Complexity
Medium
Defensibility Moat
Defensibility comes from deep integration with payroll systems, automated fee routing, and analytics tailored for therapist fairness. Early adoption can build network effects among group practices, and proprietary data on no-show patterns can inform future features.
Source Post Metrics
Business Strategy
Monetization Strategy
Subscription-based pricing for practices (tiered by number of therapists, e.g., $8-15 per therapist/month), plus a small transaction fee for automated no-show fee disbursements. Optional add-ons for analytics and advanced integrations.
Financial Projections
If 250 practices with an average of 10 therapists each subscribe at $10/therapist/month, potential MRR is $25,000. With upsells and transaction fees, early annual revenue could reach $400,000-600,000 within 18-24 months.
Tech Stack
Node.js with Express for scalable APIs, or Python with FastAPI for practices needing advanced analytics.
PostgreSQL for transactional reliability and relational data management.
Next.js for its SEO benefits, rapid development, and modern React features.
Stripe for payment processing and fee disbursement, Twilio or SendGrid for automated reminders, AWS S3 for document storage, and optional integrations with EHR/EMR systems.
Risk Assessment
Identified Risks
- Resistance from practice owners who benefit from current fee structures
- Integration challenges with existing practice management or payroll systems
Mitigation Strategy
- Demonstrate increased staff retention and reduced burnout to practice owners
- Prioritize open APIs and offer white-glove onboarding for integrations