What a therapist website needs: a practical checklist

People looking for a therapist are often having a hard time, and they read carefully. They want to understand quickly whether you're the right fit, what it costs and what happens in the first session, without having to call a stranger to find out. A good website answers all of that, calmly and concretely. Here's what it includes, and what it must leave out.

What people look for on a therapist's website

In order of importance:

1. Who you work with: adults, couples, children and teens, families.
2. What with: anxiety, depression, grief, relationships, burnout, trauma.
3. How you work: your approach (CBT, EMDR, psychodynamic, family systems and so on), explained in plain words.
4. What it costs: fee per session, session length, insurance accepted.
5. Where: your office, with address and map, or telehealth, with the states you serve.
6. How to book and how long the wait is.
7. Who you are: licence, training, experience, a real photo.

The first screen answers the first three and has the booking button. The rest follows below or on separate pages.

One page per service or specialty

A "Services" page listing ten things helps neither people nor Google. Better: a page for each main service or specialty, such as individual therapy, couples counselling, therapy for teens, or trauma therapy. Each says:

• who it's for and when it fits;
• how it works, briefly;
• how many sessions it usually takes, without promises;
• the fee and session length;
• the booking button.

That lets you appear for specific searches like "couples therapist Denver" or "telehealth therapist for anxiety Texas", where there's less competition than for "therapist near me".

Fees, insurance and the Good Faith Estimate

Many therapists leave fees off their website so it doesn't feel commercial. For clients it's the reverse: no price is a reason not to call. State:

• the fee per session and its length, and whether the first session differs;
• which insurance plans you're in network with, if any;
• whether you provide superbills for out-of-network reimbursement;
• sliding-scale spots, if you offer them.

Under the No Surprises Act, providers must give uninsured and self-pay clients a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges and tell them it's available. The rule requires that notice to be displayed prominently on your website, in the office and wherever scheduling happens. It applies to therapists as much as to medical practices; how other practices handle it is in our medical practice website guide.

A short "What to expect in the first session" section does a lot for someone who's never been to therapy: how long it lasts, what you'll talk about, what stays confidential and when it doesn't, and that they aren't committing to anything beyond it.

Credentials and licensure

Your about page should state:

• your licence type and the state that issued it (psychologist, LPC, LCSW, LMFT);
• your training in the approaches you use;
• whether you're practising under supervision, and with whom, if your licence requires it;
• professional memberships and years of experience.

Many state boards require your licence type, and some your licence number, in any advertising, and a website counts. Check your board's rules.

For telehealth, you can generally only see clients located in states where you're licensed. Psychologists can use PSYPACT to practise telepsychology across participating states. Say clearly on the site which states you can serve, so people outside them don't book in vain.

Advertising rules: what to leave out

Professional codes limit what therapists can claim. In short, your website shouldn't include:

You're responsible for what's published in your name, even if an agency or marketer writes it. Read every word before it goes live, including search titles and social posts.

Privacy starts on the website

Anything about a person's mental health is sensitive health information. On the website, that means:

1. A minimal form. Name, phone or email, preferred times, office or telehealth. No "Tell us about your problem" field; say under the form that details are for the session.
2. Secure delivery. The form submits over an encrypted connection to an inbox only you can access.
3. No ad pixels on contact and booking pages. Advertising tools can tell platforms which pages someone visited. HHS guidance treats tracking on booking flows as handling health information.
4. HIPAA, if it applies. You're a covered entity if you send health information electronically in connection with standard transactions such as insurance claims. If you are, your form, scheduling and email vendors need to sign a business associate agreement. A private-pay therapist who never bills insurance electronically may not be covered, but state confidentiality laws and your ethics code still apply.

The other legal basics every site needs are in website legal requirements.

Reviews

Google reviews help a lot in local search, but for a therapist they're delicate. Never confirm in a reply that the reviewer was a client, for good reviews or bad. HHS has fined practices that revealed patient information in review replies. How to approach reviews in general is in how to get Google reviews.

Booking, in person and by telehealth

Online booking saves many calls, especially since many people would rather not phone. The calendar shows only open slots, the client picks a time, gets a confirmation and a reminder. For telehealth, the site says which platform you use and how payment works. The options, from booking platforms to your own system, are compared in online booking for salons and clinics.

Checklist

1. First screen: who you work with, where, a booking button.
2. A page for each main service, with fee and session length.
3. Insurance, superbills and the Good Faith Estimate notice.
4. "What to expect in the first session", with confidentiality explained.
5. About page: licence, state, training, a real photo.
6. No outcome promises, superiority claims or solicited client testimonials.
7. A form without a field for describing the problem, and no ad pixels on it.
8. The states you can serve by telehealth.

We build websites for therapy practices, with online booking, minimal forms and no tracking tools on contact pages. You read and approve every word before it goes live. Details are on our web design page.