The typical therapist bio resembles a CV. Training, license, methods of therapy, number of years in practice, and then one paragraph about how much he/she adores creating that space for people. And the question arises as to why that profile brings traffic but no inquiries.
Credibility is not the issue. The issue lies in the fact that a bio written for peers does not address someone who is scared, exhausted, and scrolling through your profile at midnight because he/she cannot make up his/her mind to contact you. This is what Therapeia Marketing states in their guide on writing a therapist bio that converts. Having the right bio is only half the issue getting a bio that converts is only half the problem the other half is everything that happens after someone decides to contact you.
Lead With the Problem You Solve
Start with the client’s need, not your credentials. The person looking to be helped doesn’t care about “integrative psychodynamic practitioner”; he’s looking for ways to deal with panic attacks prior to presentations, or a marriage where it’s as though the two of you are running a logistical operation. State the problem in clear terms right away in the first two sentences. Credentials come later, where they serve as reassurance. Therapeia’s deconstruction of starting with the problem you solve is well worth reading in its entirety.
Crowded paragraphs turn off readers. So does an endless string of medical jargon. It is much more important that sentences and paragraphs be short and that there be plenty of white space. Action item: make sure that no paragraph goes for more than three or four lines, divide up the bio into labeled segments, and read it out loud. Anything you have difficulty saying needs to be rewritten.
Make Your Location Known
This is the part that therapists miss out on the most. If you meet your clients face-to-face, let them know precisely where you’re located – neighborhood, city, notable landmarks, even parking facilities. And if you do virtual sessions, let them know in what areas you’re licensed to practice. Proximity filters matter a lot early on, usually before people have done any other type of research. Vague descriptions like “providing therapy services to the greater metropolitan area” will cost you momentum at a very crucial time.
It paralyses individuals. Most potential clients have never been in therapy before and are not sure of what will happen: Do I call? Email? What will you ask? When will we begin? This is where your biography comes into play. Detail the first step, the process of intake, duration of sessions, and how the first meeting will go. Eliminate any decision-making from the equation for your client.
Why Therapy Prospects Are Unusually Hard to Convert
These patients are ambivalent on purpose. In a review of help-seeking research, it was found that stigma and embarrassment, difficulty recognizing symptoms, and a desire to solve problems on their own were the key factors impeding help-seeking. Notice that: the patient whose profile you have just read is arguing with himself more than anything else. He might have never named his problem, he may have never wanted help. You do not persuade a customer who has already made up his mind. Instead, you try to persuade a resister.
They may not seek help at all. A cross-sectional survey of young adults in the UK showed that 35% of those who recognized the need for professional help never received any help: formal or informal. The key barriers named by participants included stigmatizing attitudes, difficulty in describing their problem, self-reliance, and difficulty in obtaining help.
Often times, the reasons are not you. The American Psychological Association analyzed data from national surveys and found that among adults who needed mental health care but did not receive it, cost was a barrier for 39%, belief that they could deal with the problem without help was a reason for 26%, lack of information about where
Lead With the Problem You Solve
Don’t open by listing your credentials, which are irrelevant to someone seeking help. People don’t search for “integrative psychodynamic practitioner.” They search for a solution to their problems – help with panic attacks before meetings or a marriage where each partner is handling logistics alone.
Identify the problem right off the bat. Your qualifications go at the bottom; there, they can offer reassurance rather than erect gates to entry. The Therapeia article on writing your introduction with the problem you solve deserves your undivided attention, precisely because of the order.
So many barriers are cognitive, rather than motivational, that readability is not an extra. Short sentences, short paragraphs, headings, ample white space. Paragraphs no longer than 3-4 lines, split the biography into labeled sections, and read it out loud; anything that trips you up, rewrite it. If you have to define any sentence in order to understand it, it shouldn’t be in the introductory biography.
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