How to Write a Specialty Page For Your Therapist Website; To Help You Stand Out
Coming up with the inspiration for your therapy specialty pages can feel like working with a teen who doesn’t want to be in therapy. Neither of you want to be there and all you hear is crickets.
You’ve done the work and know who your ideal clients are. You know them inside and out and have worked with them for years. But what to say on your website to help them really know you understand.
Most therapists hate talking about themselves and we’ve been taught to be invisible. So how do you talk about your specialty without giving away too much of yourself?
If this sounds familiar you are in the right place. Having written website copy for dozens of therapists, I’ve learned that specialty pages aren’t that hard, even if they feel that way at first.
I’m going to walk you through how to write a specialty page that helps you connect on a deep level with your ideal clients. Helps you connect in a way that makes them feel understood and ready to reach out. This will be a quick and painless process and you’ll feel proud of your website when you're done.
So let’s get started.
You Already Know What Your Clients Need To Hear (Inspiration for Your Therapist Website)
As a therapist, it might not feel like it but you already have all the information you need to write an amazing specialty page. You know what your clients need to hear at the beginning of therapy and what they are struggling with.
Think about your clients when they are first sharing their stories with you and why they are in therapy. Those are the feelings that need to go on your specialty pages.
Start by going through the last few initial sessions in your mind, especially the clients who were a good fit. What did they say when they finally opened up? What were the words they used to describe their struggles? These are the sentiments we want to capture on your specialty pages.
When your client lands on your specialty page we want them to feel heard and understood. To say I have to see this therapist because they get me. We’re just taking the deep empathy that you experience with your clients in the room and putting it into their words on your website.
The trick is translating what you already know into the client's language in written form. You don’t need to be an expert wordsmith, just use the same empathic understanding you use in the therapy room. Only on paper.
Here are some questions to ask yourself about your favorite clients when they are new;
What are they experiencing when they start therapy?
What are the words they use to express the struggles they are having?
What situations push them to actually reach out for therapy?
Reading this list I bet you are thinking to yourself. I already know this. I live this every day in my practice. Now you just need to put it into the written word on your website.
You want prospective clients to experience the same relief they have in the therapy room when they feel that deep connection and understanding on your website as well.
Getting Specific On Who You Work With (Your Ideal Clients)
Therapists often tell me that they are scared to be too specific on their specialty pages because they don’t want to scare other clients away.
But the truth is that being specific helps more people connect with you, whether or not they are your ideal clients.
In my personal therapy practice, I specialize in moms of neurodivergent kids. It’s a very tiny and specific niche and most would think it limits the people that request consultations. In reality, I get moms (and sometimes dads) from all walks of life.
Through my copy written for parents of neurodivergent kids, other parents feel seen and understood because I understand the other experience on such a deep level and show it in my copy.
So through nicheing down I actually ended up getting more clients than I would if I just focused on therapy for parents.
If you are writing for everyone, it’s so much harder to write in a way where they all will feel understood because each person who is seeking therapy is in the midst of their own unique experience.
But if you show that you have a deep understanding of one certain experience other clients will see your expertise and seek you out as well.
Think about it from a client’s perspective. If you are a woman with childhood trauma who is struggling with parenting. Which feels more comforting and understanding:
“I treat children, teens, and adults with a wide range of mental health concerns”
“I help moms who desperately want to be the mother they didn’t have but catch themselves yelling and screaming in a way that they just don’t understand, only to feel desperately guilty later that day.”
The second one makes you feel seen, understood, and builds trust, doesn't it?
This is an example of how being specific means your ideal clients can see themselves in your words. The clients that you do your best work with, the ones with who you feel a deep connection feel like you really get them. These are the clients you want to speak to on your specialty page.
You don’t want to attract clients that drain you.
These are the clients that you don’t have enough experience with to feel comfortable, the ones that trigger your personal issues, or that you just don’t connect with.. These are the clients you want to repel and that isn’t a bad thing. You aren’t excluding people you are giving the people who are not going to get your best work a chance to find a therapist that they work well with.
Here are some ways to get really specific about who you work with on your specialty page;
Describe the real-life situations your ideal clients experience
Use the words they use in session and on their intake paperwork
Paint a picture of their struggles even the ones they don’t say out loud
Share their secret hopes and what they want to achieve
Remember that by being specific you are helping the people that come across your website determine if you are the right therapist for them. You are doing everyone a favor by not wasting the time of clients with whom you are not a good fit and being clear about who you work best with.
Writing Your Therapist Specialty Page
So now that you know why we want to be so specific about who you help, we need to talk about writing the actual specialty page.
As I mentioned above, you know everything you need to write these pages. You get that information from your consultations and sessions with clients. That’s where your content comes from.
Keep a notebook next to where you work and write down those perfect words when you hear your clients describe what they are experiencing.
As therapists, we all went to grad school. We were taught to write professional-sounding grad school papers with all kinds of clinical and professional jargon. Then we were taught to write progress notes and treatment plans in our internships, also full of jargon.
When writing a website one of the biggest challenges is to let go of all that training and write in a casual tone as close as possible to how you actually speak to clients in session.
Your website is a letter to your ideal client when they are getting ready to reach out for help.
When you are writing your specialty page
Speak to the pain points going so far as to name the things they don’t tell other people
Use their exact words
Write in everyday language like you are talking to a client
Show expertise through understanding, not through credentials and experience (these often don’t mean much to our clients)
Of course, there are other things to consider like SEO but start by speaking directly to the client and then you can come back and tackle SEO. Once you have written your copy find your keywords and add them in where they feel natural.
Yes, Google needs to know what you are about but your first priority is connecting with your clients.
Remember both your website and your practice will change with time. This is especially true with your specialty page. I would say this page changes the most as you really sus out who you really like working with. Or as your ideal client changes.
What Should be Included on Your Specialty Pages?
There are a few sections that absolutely need to be included on your specialty page, all of which help your clients feel seen and help them decide if you are the right therapist for them.
Pain points- This section should grab your client's attention and help them feel like “this therapist is in my head and already knows my deepest thoughts”. You are showing them that you understand what they are going through on their worst day. Say this out loud by writing the emotions that are bringing them to therapy and your website.
Hope points- In this section, you share what their life could look like when things are better. What is possible after therapy. You want to share the realistic options of what life could look like with real healing. As therapists, we want to be as realistic as possible about the outcomes. You want to be careful not to over-promise. An example of this could be “imagine walking away from a hard day at work without questioning every decision you made and replaying every conversation you had that day”.
How you specifically work with this issue- In this section, you want to talk about how you specifically help with this issue. Sure use the names of the techniques that you use but also make sure you describe them in layman's terms so that someone without a psych degree can picture what a session is like. An example of this is “ I primarily use a form of therapy called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT which focuses on changing your thoughts, behaviors, and feelings so that you can live your best life”. Focus on describing what it’s like to be in the room with you. If you use a highly sought-after therapy like EMDR make sure that you have that in the header and explain what that means.
In this section, you also want to talk about how you approach this issue differently than other therapists who specialize in this. Most of this will be on your about me page but you want to hit on this a little. A good example of this is “Even though grief can be a hard journey we will still look for the little glimpses of joy we have left.”
For some therapy practices, this section can take the place of a services page. If you are interested in how this might work check out my blog which helps you learn what the difference is between specialty and service pages.
Your experience and training that makes you a specialist- So in this section, you really need to focus on how is this going to help my client decide if I am the right fit. Start by talking about your experience in a way that helps your clients know you can help them. So saying something like “In my work with other victims of abusive relationships I’ve learned that the most important thing is that they feel heard and understood” instead of I’ve worked with victims of domestic violence for 20 years. If you are comfortable talking about personal experience with your niche this is where you share it.
Your general training should be on your About Me page (for more info about that click here) but if you have any specialized training or experience (EMDR trained and consultant etc) this is where you want to share it.
Solid CTA- At the very end of this page, you want a clear and simple next step. Usually, this will be schedule a consultation but if you want them to learn more about you before booking send them to this page.
Remember the goal of your specialty page while you are writing and make sure that you are meeting that goal. Does everything I’m telling them help them to decide if I am the right person for them?
Tips and Traps When Writing Your Specialty Page
Okay so now that we know what to include in your specialty page let’s cover the things to keep in mind while you're writing and some common mistakes therapists make when writing this page. This will keep you on track of writing a specialty page that will really make your website memorable to your ideal clients.
When writing your specialty page and your website as a whole there are some things to keep in mind. Keep your ideal client front and center with every single word that you write. Don’t get too stuck in your head but still keep them in mind. Maintain your personality and be as genuine and authentic to yourself as you can including when you are adding keywords. You want to use the same language you would use to explain things to clients as you would in session. On top of that organize your content to make it as easy as possible to read.
Now, here are the mistakes I see therapists make all the time and the best ways to avoid them;
The “I can help everyone with everything” trap. As therapists, we are taught in our internships and in school to be generalists. This is in the beginning of our career to make sure that we are competent therapists. It also helps us learn who we are as a therapist and who we work well with. But just because you can work with everyone doesn’t mean that you should. Focusing on clients that you do your best work with helps prevent burnout and makes sure that your clients get the best of you. Focus on your specialty and writing to the clients you do your best work with.
The “I’m scared to leave anyone out” trap. This is very similar to the first trap in that it’s tempting to target everyone in your copy. But remember that you don’t work well with everyone and it’s okay to repel those people with your website. If needed you can even network with therapists who see the people you don’t work well with and post their information on your website. This way you can help clients you don’t work well with find the right fit therapist for them. Being specific attracts more people than being general does.
The Professional Speak slip. It’s so easy to slip into professional jargon and not even realize that you are speaking a language that no one else fully understands. Have a non-therapist friend read through everything you write until you get used to this. That way they can help you catch any jargon that might have slipped in. Remember your ideal clients are looking for real-world advice.
The Credential Creep. You put so much time and energy into the training that you’ve received. Yes, it’s important but too much emphasis on training and certifications makes you appear elitist and unapproachable. Showing your expertise through understanding plus a small credentials section will help keep this under control.
Forgetting to Build a Connection. Some specialty pages forget that connecting with their ideal clients is what we do as therapists. Remind yourself that your website really is the first step in therapy so we want to connect with our clients, instead of giving them a professional resume.
Promising the “perfect life”. As therapists, we want to be careful about what we say is possible in our marketing. It’s tempting to paint a picture of those “Instagram lives” that it seems like others have. That is a promise that we all know in our hearts isn’t realistic. We want to paint a realistic picture of what therapy is and what your ideal client’s lives will look like after.
The Dead End. It’s important to remember that our website has a purpose and you can’t assume that others will automatically know that you want them to reach out for therapy. Tell your prospective clients what the next step is so that they can learn how to work with you and take the next step.
Your specialty pages aren’t just any old pages on your website. They’re the pages that really allow you to connect with your ideal clients. They’re the pages that really help them understand whether or not you are right for them.
Your Unique Specialty Pages
Your specialty pages don’t have to be hard to write. Focus on the clients you know best, the ones you do the best work with. Do your best to be yourself.
This way you’ll attract the clients that you are meant to work with.
If writing still feels like too much. I’d love to help find your authentic voice and write your specialty pages for the clients you love working with. If you are interested in my done-for-you services set up a consultation time here.