Do Therapists Need Websites?

As a web developer for therapists, you might not be surprised to hear that I think many therapists would benefit from having a good website. But, not all. Most therapists probably don’t need one in fact. But, you are not most therapists. 

You can, as you know, set up shop and just open the door and let whoever is next in line walk in. That works for many many therapists. Especially these days when the needs for mental health so far outweigh the availability of trained professionals. If that is what you want, then no, you probably don’t need a website. But, I’m going to say, even in that circumstance, you would benefit from having one. Sooner or later, every client you have is going to google you. What they see about you on the internet is part of your therapeutic relationship. You’re going to want to have a say in how that search pans out. You’re going to want to present a face that supports your relationship and builds trust and security, rather than undermining it. A bad website, or no website, looks unprofessional. A well designed website on the other hand presents the image you would like your clients to see. The you who is knowledgeable, compassionate and trustworthy. 

But the best reason to have a high quality website is that you are not like every other therapist. There are people who you are uniquely qualified to serve. Your web presence is the best chance you have to put a flag out for those people. And, you will waste less time serving people who are not suited to you, and you to them. 

In the business world this is known as niching. Depending on how you feel about doing business this might feel icky to you. A lot of therapists feel it is their duty to simply make themselves available to whomever needs their help more. 

But you are not being selfish by being honest about how you work best with and what you really want to do with your life. Beyond that, let’s face it. Your clients are better served if you are honest about what you are good at. 

If you want control over the kind of career you want to have, you need a website. If you think you might want to change your path in the future, you need a website. If you are not everything to everyone and you want to be upfront about that, you need a website. 

I get that you have a Psychology Today profile. I’m sure you worked hard on it. I can also just about guarantee that almost nobody reads those things. If you want your ideas to be read, you have to take into account how people read on the internet. People just don’t read websites the way they read books or articles. It’s not because people are lazy or have no attention span, it is a different medium that confronts us differently. If we read every word on every webpage we were confronted with, we would never get to the end of it. People have learned through their decades of interactions with the internet not to give webpages the same kind of attention. That is not to say that people do not attend to webpages, they most certainly do, but in a different way. You need to present information on the web that takes that into account. The way people’s eyes will move across the screen. Where they will rest and where you could safely hide a gorilla. There is a way to get your message across, a very powerful tool, if you play by it’s unique rules.