How to write an impactful therapist profile for online therapy

Jan 12, 2017
4 min read

How can you convey your unique skills and value proposition to potential clients in an online profile? Your profile is an opportunity for you to display your achievements, connect with potential clients, and share how you can help other people live happier, healthier, more satisfying lives. From a series of interviews with therapists, counselors, and patients, we’ve summarized what potential patients want to see in your online profile.

Standing out from an extensive online directory of colleagues and global experts can be difficult. The upside of this challenge is that every therapist (including you!) has a unique perspective and qualifications, and as a practitioner, your unique skills may be just what a potential client needs to heal their emotional wounds. Don’t be intimidated when preparing to write your profile, but take this as an opportunity to think through and display your unique skills and value proposition to clients.

**Why is an online profile important?**

Just as your aim is to help patients during therapy and online therapy sessions - to help them tap into their personal essence and help them attain peace-of-mind - your aim in creating an online profile should also be to help your potential client find help. Your profile is your tool for connecting with suitable clients that you could help, and your sole lever to motivate potential clients to contact you for more information or to book a session with you. Presuming that someone searching for a therapist is open to, or already in a dire situation needing help, the more clarity you can provide them on whether your background and therapy style would be a therapy match for the person, the better you can aid them. Help people get the help they need by displaying the right information on your profile.

**What’s the right balance of information for a profile?**

Your profile should be a comprehensive reflection of your credentials, values, experience and overview of who you are as a therapist. Make sure to include a balanced set of information about your background, including your biography, educational background, and credentials. View your page also as a marketing piece for your personal practice and approach to therapy - this is your place to explain how you are unique and can be of aid in someone's personal journey!

While your education and credentials are supremely important to be well versed in therapy, clients are also interested in the emotional connection they could have with you. Unlike a medical doctor or physician, as a therapist, you help clients heal emotional wounds, so your demeanor and values are very important to many clients; they want to get to know you and what you stand for.

Most importantly, you need to convey to the potential patient what you can do for **them**. Keep the Pareto 80/20 principle in mind, and keep most of the focus of your profile on how you can help!

While a waterfall of degrees, certifications, and publications is very impressive, what a potential patient wants to learn from your profile is whether you can help them feel better. The more clarity and insight that you can provide, succinctly, in your profile, the better the chances that someone could discover your unique abilities to get the help they need.

**What to include in your online therapist profile**

  • **Display your personal brand**– what makes you unique and “stand out from the crowd”?
  • **Highlight your credentials**– detail your specialties, educational background, publications and relevant experience.
  • **Show your personality**– feel free to include some quotes that inspire you or to tell a personal story.
  • Put up a professional photo- make sure to avoid these mistakes.
  • **Define what’s important to you**– describe your values and approach to therapy.
  • **Clearly describe your service offering**- “packages” make it easy for clients to buy sessions with you, so try to label, price and describe packages as accurately as possible.
  • **Focus on the intro**– an interesting way to start your profile is to ask the potential client a question or highlight the potential impact that you can offer them in their lives. For example, your profile could begin with a thought-provoking question, such as: “Do you think that you could be happier?” or “Are you ready to live better?”
  • **Explain how you can help **– are you focused on helping people achieve their career goals? Or do you specialize in resolving childhood trauma? Let your reader know.
  • **Leave out the technical jargon, and write with an **empathetic and non-judgmental tone ****- you want to connect with your potential client and help them understand your areas of expertise!