Therapist Website Trends That Need to Go Away Forever
Your website might look fine to you, but if potential clients are bouncing faster than you can say “cognitive behavioral therapy,” it’s time for some tough love. There’s a lot happening on therapist websites that’s just… bad. Distracting layouts, unreadable text, and design choices that make people wonder if you even care about your practice, let alone your clients.
These trends? They’re costing you.
Clients, credibility, and maybe even the respect of your referral sources.
Let’s talk about what’s wrong—and how to fix it.
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1. Information Overload
Some therapist websites feel like you’re walking into a library where all the books have been dumped in one pile. Walls of text, no clear breaks, and no way to skim—just endless paragraphs that might be meant as a personal story but read more like a textbook. Or maybe the text is split up a bit, but it’s still overwhelming: too much, too random, and no obvious flow. The problem? Websites aren’t novels or dissertations. They’re made up of snippets—digestible, scannable pieces of information designed to guide the reader. When you ignore this, your site feels like work, and nobody has time for that.
Your website should consider the reader’s experience. Think of it as a roadmap. Each section should have a clear purpose and offer the right amount of information without overloading your audience. Personal stories? Great—when relevant and disclosed thoughtfully. Educational content? Fine—when it’s concise and broken into readable chunks. If the client can’t quickly scan the page to understand what you do, they’re gone.
2. Resource Pages That Send Potential Clients Away
Resource pages with links to hotlines, directories, or other therapists might seem helpful, but you’re sending people off your site and into someone else’s care. You’ve just handed a potential client to another therapist on a silver platter. Is that what you want?
If your website’s primary goal is to attract clients, then keep them on your site. Resources can be incorporated into your work—perhaps as part of your first session—but they shouldn’t be a one-way ticket out the door. If, however, your site exists solely as a resource hub, go ahead and link away. Just be honest about the purpose of your site so it works for you, not against you.
3. Your Website Doesn’t Know Its Purpose
When your website is trying to be too many things at once—a portal for current clients, a resource for the general public, and a marketing tool for potential clients—it ends up doing none of them well. It’s like going into a store for running shoes and being bombarded with protein shakes, yoga mats, and meditation apps. You lose focus, get overwhelmed, and leave without buying anything.
Decide who your primary audience is and structure your website for them. If it’s potential clients, make everything about their experience. Current clients don’t need front-and-center attention—they already know how to find you. And if you really need to serve multiple audiences, create separate, clearly labeled sections for each group.
4. Bad Photos (or No Photos)
A blurry selfie, a vacation snapshot, or no photo at all? Your clients deserve better. Poor-quality images suggest you don’t care about the details, and if you’re willing to let your website slide, what else are you letting slide? Referral sources notice too. When I see a therapist site with bad photos, I’m not referring clients—not because I’m a designer, but because it tells me the therapist is fine with a lack of professionalism.
Invest in professional headshots and, if possible, lifestyle photos that show your personality and space. Good photos make you look approachable and credible, and they tell potential clients, “I care enough to get this right.”
5. Writing in Third Person
Writing about yourself in third person makes your site feel distant and formal, like someone else wrote it for you. “Dr. Jones is a compassionate therapist who specializes in…”—is Dr. Jones even here?
This is therapy, not a corporate board meeting. Clients want to feel connected to you, and third-person bios create unnecessary distance. Instead, write in first person. Speak directly to your audience, show warmth, and let your personality shine. People are coming to you for a personal connection—don’t hide behind formalities.
6. Badges Everywhere
Certification badges plastered all over your homepage? It’s a design disaster waiting to happen. While credentials are important, cluttering your site with too many badges can make it look cheap and chaotic.
If a badge doesn’t add credibility in a way that enhances the overall design, skip it. Highlight your expertise in your copy instead of relying on visual noise. Less is more—your potential clients will trust you without feeling overwhelmed.
7. Too Much Centered Text
Center-aligned text works for headlines and short blurbs, but entire paragraphs? No, just no. It’s hard to read, feels amateurish, and disrupts the natural flow of information.
Align text to the left for anything over two lines. It’s easier on the eyes and creates a cleaner, more professional layout. Trust me—your clients aren’t here to play guessing games with your formatting.
8. Too Many Specializations
You’re not a jack-of-all-trades, so stop pretending to be. Listing every issue you’ve ever worked with—anxiety, depression, couples counseling, trauma, grief, insomnia, eating disorders—makes you seem unfocused and unqualified. Clients want to know that you’re the expert in their specific problem, not someone dabbling in a dozen different areas.
Pick a few key areas where you excel and make those the focus of your site. Specificity builds trust and attracts the clients you want to work with.
9. Clinical, Emotionless Copy
Some websites read like medical brochures—cold, clinical, and completely disconnected. Sure, you’re describing disorders and approaches, but where’s the heart? Where’s the story?
Therapy is about human connection. Your website copy should reflect that. Write as if you’re talking to a potential client in person. Show empathy, understanding, and the unique ways you can help. People aren’t diagnoses—they’re human beings looking for someone who gets it.
10. Expanded CV Websites
When your site is little more than a résumé—plain fonts, zero color, and two overused stock photos—it’s obvious you’re not putting in the effort. Clients don’t want a business card online; they want to feel seen, understood, and inspired to take the next step.
Add warmth and personality to your design. Use color thoughtfully, choose engaging images, and make your site feel like a space where clients want to linger.
11. Poor Formatting
Randomly sized images, inconsistent fonts, uneven margins—your site looks like it was thrown together in a rush. This kind of chaos sends the message that details don’t matter to you.
Take the time to clean up your formatting. Consistency is key. Align text, size images properly, and give your site the polish it deserves.
12. Click-Fest Design
Some sites make clients click through a maze just to find basic information. Group practice bios with separate pages for every therapist? Endless submenus for every therapy approach? Nobody has the patience for that.
Organize your content with your client’s experience in mind. Group related information together and make navigation intuitive. The fewer clicks it takes to find what they need, the better.
The Final Word
Your website is more than just a business card online—it’s your practice’s first impression. If you’re guilty of any of these website sins, it’s time to make some changes. Who knows who’s looking at your site? A potential client? A referral source? Or maybe even a designer writing a blog post about what NOT to do.
Don’t let your website hold you back. Let this be the year to prioritize your online presence, because your clients—and your reputation—deserve better.
