Psychology Today profiles are deceptively difficult to write. You are limited to a certain number of characters per paragraph. And you only get three short paragraphs to hook someone to want to work with you.

I’ve written my fair share of Psychology Today profiles. It can be difficult to make yourself stand out from the crowd. Trust me, once you’ve written at least 20 it’s hard to make them all sound different. But there are a few ways to write a therapist profile that highlights the wonderful work you do.

Hopefully, you’ll walk away from this piece with an understanding of how to get more referrals from Psychology Today. It’s a platform that, although it can be problematic, is a useful marketing tool for therapists. I want to help you learn how to write a Psychology Today profile that attracts potential clients and turns them into actual clients.

Creating a Click-Worthy Therapist Profile

The key to writing a good therapist profile is to make sure it’s not all about you. Try to avoid using words like “I,” “my,” “mine,” and “me.” You also don’t want to use third-person language. Speak directly to your audience. Use “you” as often as possible. You should also throw a few “we”s in there as well so that your potential clients feel as if you’re already in it together.

First up, you want to choose a good-quality profile picture. Many people make short videos introducing themselves, which gives potential clients a sneak peek into who you are. When it comes to checking off the areas you treat, please don’t check them all. Take stock of who you want to work with, who your ideal client is, and what your areas of specialty are.

Next, you want to make sure you connect your website to the profile. You’ll drive more traffic to your site, which will help make you more visible online. It will also show potential clients that you’re legit. If you have a well-written and well-designed website, your potential clients will be impressed and think that you are a true professional that they could see themselves working with. 

Finally, you need to make sure you know how to write a Psychology Today profile. The words are very important, especially since you have so few. Psychology Today therapist profiles are usually around 200 words tops. So you don’t want to waste a single character

How to Write a Psychology Today Profile That Converts

Therapist profiles are tricky because you want to both show the readers that you know what you’re talking about while also conveying your therapeutic style and demonstrating that you understand them in 1,360 characters. That’s not a lot at all!

Make the profile all about the potential client. Hook them right away with an attention-grabbing first sentence. Use the word “you” or if you work with children “your child.”

When learning how to write a Psychology Today profile that converts, it’s important to really think about who your ideal client is. Make an ideal client avatar (ICA). Get specific. Think about their age, gender, geographical location, socioeconomic status, interests, hobbies, etc. Know exactly who you’re talking to when you write your therapist profile. If you’re talking to everyone, you’re talking to no one, so make sure you’re specific.

Some therapists are afraid to niche down because they think they won’t get enough clients. When in fact, it’s usually the opposite. If you work with millennials with anxiety and depression, don’t advertise yourself as someone who works with children or older adults with personality disorders. Stay true to your specialty and your expertise.

Identify and speak directly to your potential client’s pain points. Figure out what makes them tick. Do they want to be more successful in relationships? Do they want their child to stop throwing tantrums unexpectedly in public? What does your ICA need that you can give them?

How to Get More Referrals From Psychology Today

I’ve already said this but it’s so important that I’m going to say it again – speak directly to your ideal client’s pain points. Do this at the very beginning of your therapist profile. Once they feel as if you understand them, you need to make sure they know how you can help them. Include the theoretical frameworks that influence your therapeutic style. When I write a Psychology Today profile for a therapist, I usually include the therapeutic style in the second paragraph. This is also a great place to talk about how you’ll work together.

It’s important to know your values when you’re trying to figure out how to get more referrals from Psychology Today. You can even include a few of them if they seem relevant. You need to be as clear about your therapeutic style and who you are as a therapist as you are about your ICA.

When someone comes across your Psychology Today profile you want them to say “Oh, they get me! Let me go check out their website and learn more.” Or “Wow, this person really seems to understand what I’m going through and I think they could really help me. I’m going to schedule a call with them.”

Don’t waste space telling your readers where your office is and how they can reach you. You also want to stay away from stating every diagnosis or presenting problem that you work with within the profile because there’s a section on the side where you can check off those things. Just make sure you don’t check everything off. Remember, niching down isn’t a bad thing and it will ultimately bring you more and the right clients.
Knowing how to write a Psychology Today profile isn’t something you learned in grad school. No one taught you how to market yourself in a therapist profile, and that’s ok. Sometimes you need to outsource. I’ve written upwards of 20 Psychology Today profiles and I know how to get more referrals from Psychology Today for you. Book a free 30-minute consultation with me to discuss