Do you know that feeling when someone you meet for the first time talks at length about themselves? When that happens, doesn’t everything within you beg to get out of that conversation? Many of us are making that same mistake with the therapy about page, and it’s driving our clients away just as strongly. We have an entire page about our list of accomplishments, rather than our counseling relationship!
Let’s turn that around, shall we?
When someone is thinking about contacting you, what they really want to know is four things: Are you’re the kind of therapist who “gets it”? Will you listen and respect them? Have you ever successfully helped someone dealing with the same things before? And lastly, how do they get started? And just like how in your first meeting, the majority of the focus will be on your client, your about page is the same.
Here are some pointers (and a worksheet) for an amazing therapy about page:
1. Make it more about your client than you
Yes, of course, you do want to talk about yourself, but you’ll only want to do that in the context of their experiences. This all starts with having a laser focus on the needs and hopes of the clients you most want to work with.
2. Write in the first person
You’ll come across as more honest if you write in the first-person (“I” “Me”). In the early days of the web, when most people didn’t have personal websites, writing about someone else was more common. But this is your website, and we all know it! So write it as though you’re writing it.
3. Make it conversational
Even though only you are writing, you’ll want to write as though you are answering their questions. My suggestion: Voice-record your answers to this list of potential client questions. Speak as though you’re talking to a client in your office, that you’re excited about taking on. Then transcribe what you’ve written:
- Do you get what it’s like to have ____ [your niche focus issue]?
- How is therapy with you different than any other therapist I can find?
- What kinds of things do you see when things get better for your clients?
- What about your personal or professional story makes you passionate about this niche?
- What should I do next, or to get started?
4. Remove all counseling jargon
Talk about what you do, without ever using counselor-speak. Leave the formal talk for your progress notes! For example, use “focus on your needs” instead of “client-centered”. Say “I’m flexible in how we work together” instead of “eclectic”. Use “feeling disconnected” instead of dissociation.
5. List your qualifications later
If you want to add a list of your qualifications, put it near the end of the page. Position it in a way that makes it clear your clients are free to skip over it if it’s not as important to them. Your clients, more often than not, don’t know what CBT is, and can’t tell the difference between an LCSW and a LMFT. Talking about it first won’t be as helpful.
6. Invite your client to know you more
An about page is a great place to invite a client to learn more about you if they are still hesitant to contact you. Add a newsletter contact, or perhaps, social media links, here.
With these suggestions, my hope is that you’ll create a therapy about page that makes clients eager to contact you, because you “get” them, respect them, and are rooting for their success. And I’m rooting for yours! Ready to put your About Page together? Get the worksheet.