Have you ever wondered how the power of words can transform someone’s life? 

In therapy, it’s not just about talking through emotions and issues. It’s also about using language to bring about change. Copywriting for therapy does just that – it captures the struggles of potential clients and paints a picture of what their life could be.

Whether someone is battling with anxiety, depression, or any other mental health issue, the decision to seek help is a personal one. That’s why it’s essential to communicate the value of therapy so that when someone visits your website or informational materials, they can immediately see the unique ways in which you can help them, the transformational process, and the emotional benefits of seeking the help they need.

As a therapist, you truly have the ability to change someone’s trajectory and story for the better. 

However the wrong words on your website, newsletters and other brand touchpoints, can also have the potential to make your reader feel misunderstood or left unheard.

Best Practices when Copywriting for Therapists

1. Focus on the benefits: Rather than focusing on your therapists and the clinic itself (although this should still be present), shift your attention to benefits through storytelling. How can you tell an *authentic* story that shows potential clients (who are genuinely in need of help) what the future could hold for them. 

How they don’t have to wake up feeling like there’s nothing to live for
How they can find the motivation to learn piano or start cooking again
How they can turn their trauma into a life-defining moment that forced them to appreciate the small joys in life…

2. Use empathy and understanding:  When it comes to therapy copywriting, your words have never mattered more. It’s serious. But be sure to capture a warm and conversational tone that’s personal and empathetic, with language that shows you truly understand what they’re going through right now. And steer clear of the jargon or technical language.
   
   
3. Show your expertise: Therapy demands professional discourse. It’s not just your neighbour giving advice on whether to break up with them or not, and the issues uncovered have the potential to trigger patients. They need to know they are in good hands, and how you’ve helped others move through their struggles.
   
   
4. Address common questions and concerns: Anticipate potential clients’ questions and concerns, and address them in your copy. This can help alleviate any fears or uncertainties they may have and make them more likely to reach out for help.
   
   
5. Always provide a clear call-to-action: Make it easy for potential clients to take the next step by providing a clear call-to-action such as “Schedule a consultation”, or  a call-to-value like “Improve your life today”.
   

Here’s a quick example of therapy copywriting I (Melissa) crafted for Panorama Wellness Counselling Clinic, alongside an explanation for some of the choices I made during the website edit:

➞ Immediately, I addressed how the reader feels and let them know it’s ok for feeling the way they do. This is then followed by the solution: working together closely with a professional to get the help they need.

➞ To focus on SEO, you can see the keyword ‘counselling services in Langley’ has been added into a H1 heading.

➞ The service pages were also redrafted to focus on storytelling. Here, the reader is prompted to imagine what their life could be like. I wanted to focus on the positive changes they could experience, rather than only focus on the negative. 

➞ This section was added to every service page with their own bullet points for tools someone is able to develop during therapy. I did this to focus on the benefits of therapy, rather than the features, and for skim readers.

And with that – let’s dive into my personal suggestions and specifics for your counselling website, blog, newsletters, and more.

Copywriting for a Therapy Homepage // 7 must-haves

Your homepage is the first point of contact for many potential clients, so it’s important to build a narrative that instills confidence and trust. 

Here’s our non-generic checklist to make sure you’re showing customers the value of your services – going beyond just giving it a rewrite every few years or throwing some keywords on it.

• Strategize a clear user journey. What we mean by this is a flow of information that takes your customers from A to B. For example, do you want the first call to action to take them straight to your service page? Do you want to show the services you offer before you introduce yourself? Don’t just put content on a page and hope for the best. Explore the reasons for your choices to make strategic decisions.
  
• Create a strong opening headline which sums up what you do/ who you serve /what your clients get with your services / your USP.
  
• Make sure your key messages/goals are all present on your homepage. For example, can people clearly see what you offer, the vibe you want to portray, the values of your business, the way you can help?
  
• Make sure it is easy to contact and schedule a consult with you or the right person for larger clinics.
  
• Question your use of social proof. Confidentiality is a number one priority for patients. Which means it might not be beneficial to ask clients for feedback and slap a bunch of testimonials all over your website. It all depends on what type of therapy you offer. Think carefully about how you would like to show your expertise. Again, our preferences sway towards storytelling and credentials.
  
• Include a blog/newsletter where people can go if they’re not quite ready to take the full step yet.
  
• Include these four essentials for every therapy homepage: intro to who you are, a story to make your audience feel seen, your areas of expertise, and CTAs that take people to read more about your services or clinic.

Copywriting for Therapy Service Pages

Personally, I place a huge amount of importance on therapy service pages. Not just because I’ve had counselling myself and can relate to the apprehension and vulnerability someone may feel at first, but because this is the part that really matters. 

It’s the part where you let someone know they’re not alone, and there is hope that it won’t always be this way. And the only way to do this is to get into the mind of your audience, dig deep to express all the ways they are feeling, and demonstrate your expertise / approach to help them move forward.

To inspire confidence, the reader needs to feel understood, acknowledged and in good hands. Which may sound easy, but is no small task. For each separate service page, make sure you include: a narrative they can see themselves in, the tools they can learn to improve their wellbeing, and a clear call-to-action to help them make the next step.

Copywriting for Your Therapy About Page

Your About page should tell your brand story while keeping your customer at the forefront of the narrative. In other words, your about page isn’t really about you. It should still address the pains and needs of your customers in this space. That’s because it’s another important page when it comes to potential clients making a decision to work with you.

When writing your about page, make sure you include your mission, values, and the reasons WHY you exist. Which should be, in order to help your customers *or neighbourhood or something greater than the service itself*.

Copywriting for Therapists – Bios

What’s one of the first things a person does before they book you as their therapist?

They read your bio.

Which means it’s crucial to share the right information from areas of focus to hourly pricing and fun facts. Make sure you include: your method or ideology, what someone can expect when working with you, core values, and also some personal information like hobbies and interests outside of work. This is a great opportunity to write in first person too if you haven’t already on your site so that you are talking directly to your potential client EG “I can help you….”.

Copywriting for Therapy Newsletters

What would you want to read about in your inbox? It’s always a great question to start with to make sure the content you are sharing is worthy of someone’s time and space. If it’s something you wouldn’t want to read, chances are someone else won’t either.

Your therapy newsletter also needs to be relative. What would someone struggling right now need or want to hear? What information could you share, or what anecdote might brighten someone’s day and give them a feeling of hope or a simple laugh?

Your newsletter doesn’t always have to be stuffed full of information on anxiety and neurofeedback, although those are great too. They can also be FUN.  Think best book recommendations, unknown wellness magazines, a story about your new dog with a picture attached…

Whatever it is, make someone smile. Make someone feel seen/heard. Make someone want to work with you / your clinic because of everything you value and represent.

Copywriting for Therapist Blogs

Blogs are a great place to extend upon all the information of your services. For example, if you offer marriage counselling, you could write a blog article on 3 immediate ways to improve communication with your partner. Or if you offer play therapy for children, you could write a blog post on easy activities at home to help your child reduce their anxiety.

Believe it or not, blogs are not dead. In fact, companies with blogs produce an average of 67% more monthly leads than companies that don’t, according to Demand Metric. And people, especially people interested in what you have to offer,  are likely to read your blog for more information. 

Writing blogs with up to 2000 words (long-form articles, just like this one) are also a great way to rank on Google using the right keywords for SEO. Just make sure you don’t just publish one great big wall of text – break it up with heading, bullets, and correct formatting for readability.

Why storytelling matters when writing for your clinic or independent therapist website:

1. People see themselves in stories. When you make them the hero of yours (rather than yourself), they’ll feel emotions that bring them closer to working with you. And just because we use the term story, doesn’t mean it’s a make-believe narrative. It’s real people, real problems. And authentic stories are just a proven way to highlight them and make them memorable.
   
   
2. Stories demonstrate the power of therapy, because they allow you to show the result of someone overcoming their challenges. It’s a way for you to present a beginning, middle, and end. The beginning being the problem, leading to the end which is the solution.
   
   
3. Stories help you feel less alone. Have you ever picked up a book and been transported into the pages? Brand stories are the same thing. If you resonate with the story being told, you instantly feel understood and like someone else really gets what you’ve been through/ what you’re going through.

Read our past blog on storytelling in business here.

What matters isn’t storytelling. What matters is telling a true story well.

The short of it all?

You need website copy that accurately reflects the mission and values of your clinic – or you as a personal therapist – as well as service pages that highlight the benefits of each type of therapy offered. 

From there, blogs and newsletters are a great addition to your brand’s informational collateral to provide valuable insight, while also encouraging your readers to find the courage to take the next step and schedule a consult. 

But remember, the key to all of this is to use language that’s warm, personable, and empathetic. This will help potential clients feel more comfortable and confident in reaching out for help, ultimately increasing the success of your clinic or personal offering.

Want help copywriting for therapists? Get in touch today. We can’t wait to help.