How to Write a Therapist Bio

July 2, 2024

Therapist using the SimplePractice therapist bio examples to write her professional bio on pen and paper

You’re a therapist, and you need to write your therapist bio. Your fingers anxiously hover over your keyboard, “My name is…” Backspace, backspace, backspace. “I am a licensed…” backspace again.

You’re stuck at your computer trying to write an “About Me” section for your therapist website, your therapist directory listing, or a therapy journal, and you have no idea where to begin.

Writing about yourself can be uncomfortable, particularly if you work in a field where you focus on supporting others.

That said, as a therapist in private practice, a short and snappy therapist bio is a must-have for your online presence.

Your bio needs to grab your prospective clients right away. It has to communicate that you are professional, yet approachable within seconds—because your headshot photo can’t do all the talking.

Let’s talk about different kinds of bios, what each one should achieve, and how to write them. Plus, we have examples and sample bios that can help, too.

How to write a professional therapist bio for a website

First off, if you’re running your own therapy business, you should already have a HIPAA-compliant private practice website. Your clients have to find you somehow. And, when they do, they need to be able to decide if you’re a close enough fit to make that first phone call or online appointment request.

Prospective and existing clients may be curious to know what credentials you hold. But more importantly, they want to know how those qualifications translate into actual session work.

Be explicit about your communication style and any characteristics that differentiate you as a service provider.

As much as you’d like to think your professional side can exist separate from your personal life, you’re actually doing yourself a disservice if you leave out your own voice and true self. Who you are is precisely what makes you unique and valuable in your role.

Write in the first-person point of view

Consider using first-person language to appeal to your website visitors on a more personal level. Third-person can read awkward and overly academic, especially for people who may be in a vulnerable position trying to ask for help.

The first sentence should focus on your role, your niche audience, and high-level goals clients can expect to work on.

Your second and third sentences should talk about your tactile and philosophical approach to reaching those goals.

Any work you do outside of the clinical—like speaking engagements or workshops—should be included in a separate paragraph to reinforce a clear distinction from in-session work.

Keep it concise

All of this said, you should keep your website therapist bio to be no longer than three sentences. Run-on sentences don’t count—that’ll help keep your bio short and snappy.

Resist the urge to recreate your entire resume or CV on your website.

At the very end, don’t be afraid to add a call-to-action sentence for your website visitors. This will help prompt them to know more about how to work with you, and can let them know how you prefer to communicate.

Website bio example

I’m a [food relationship expert] committed to helping [women] learn how to [build healthier relationships with food and their bodies]. My work focuses on [targeting ineffective behaviors, habits, and beliefs around food.] I believe in [taking a collaborative approach to helping clients reach their goals].

I’m passionate about [creating resources] for [young women struggling with eating disorders], and am interested in participating in [workshops, speaking engagements, webinars, and podcasts].

If you’re interested in [scheduling a consultation] with me, please send [an appointment request].

How to write a directory profile bio

Many times, the bio you’ve written for your website can be used for any online directory profiles. As long as your website bio includes specifics like client focus, treatment approaches, and high-level goals, you should be most of the way there. However, your directory profile should not include any information that’s not directly related to your clinical—or client-focused—work.

Most people reading about you on a directory are likely looking to connect with you as a service provider—as opposed to a collaborator or referral source. This also may be the first time they’re reaching out to a professional, so clarity about your approach is key here.

That said, focus on the first two sentences. Many directories tend to only show the first few lines of your profile in the search results. This means the intro of your profile is important to grabbing your prospective clients’ attention.

You’ll want to keep most of your bio focused on the client. Even when using “I”, “me”, or “my” in your bio, make sure each sentence demonstrates the value a client would get from working with you—emphasizing that you can offer them comfort, hope, and ultimately progress.

Directory profile bio example

“If you’re struggling to cope with [grief], I can help you [navigate these feelings] and offer [a path forward].”

How to write a social media bio

Social media bios can be tricky because you want to be as personable as possible without losing your professionalism.

And, as an additional challenge, the character counts tend to be quite limited. (Twitter, we’re looking at you.) So, let’s make it as easy as possible.

You can avoid proper, full-length sentences here. Consider using the pipe character on your keyboard, which you can insert using Shift and \ between your snippets of text. This provides a clean, modern way to capture your most important takeaways to your audience.

To keep things short and sweet, try a quick catchy phrase that emphasizes your mission or area of focus. And even if your handle or account name already has your name in it, it’s worthwhile to include it again spelled out with proper capitalization.

Add your specialty or important credentials, and one or two unique pieces of information about you. Emojis can be used on platforms like Twitter or Instagram, but should be avoided for platforms like LinkedIn. Regardless, emojis should be used sparingly.

Lastly, you can include the handles for any other accounts you’re associated with, and links to other relevant projects that you’re working on.

Social media bio examples

How to write an author bio

Your author bio can be the most intimidating bio to write, since it’s usually printed and can’t be deleted or updated after it’s been inked onto thousands of copies. Just like with the rest of your writing, you’ll definitely want an extra set of eyes you trust to copy edit and proofread it.

In this situation, you should tout your expertise and credentials, whether your audience are your colleagues or your possible client base. You should definitely use third-person language in this instance. Make sure the information you share about yourself pertains to the information you share in your book or article. This will help validate you as a reliable subject matter expert.

Feel free to add a final sentence to add a touch of personality to an overall academic bio. Three to five sentences tends to be the best practice, but always consider the physical dimensions of where your bio will be printed. Pro tip: Don’t overuse third-person pronouns to start sentences. Mix it up with your last name.

Author bio example

“Best-selling author Dr. Jane Doe is the founder of the Behavioral Clinic in Denver, Colorado. She has more than 25 years of clinical experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist, and nearly 20 years of experience running a private practice.

Her work focuses on helping fellow therapists find purpose and fulfillment in private practice by exploring their deepest motivations in life. Dr. Doe currently lives in the Denver area with her partner, two children, and GoldenDoodle named Roxy.”

The good news is, no matter what kind of bio you need to write, it’s largely a one-time effort. Once you have these foundational bios written, all you need to do is periodically update them to reflect your latest work, accomplishments, and current projects. Since the core of who you are as a practitioner won’t change each time you need to write a bio, that part can stay consistent on every platform.

It can feel uncomfortable to talk up your work or accomplishments. And that can make writing a therapist bio feel like a much bigger undertaking than it is.

But, don’t let that hold you back, because a thoughtful and intentional therapist bio is the best way to let everyone know what you have to offer as a practitioner.

How SimplePractice streamlines running your practice

SimplePractice is HIPAA-compliant practice management software with booking, billing, and everything you need built into the platform.

If you’ve been considering switching to an EHR, SimplePractice empowers you to run a fully paperless practice—so you get more time for the things that matter most to you.

Try SimplePractice free for 30 days. No credit card required.