Websites for therapists and counsellors

Why this matters

People looking for therapy or counselling are often stressed, anxious, or vulnerable. Your website should reduce effort: clear information, clear contact, and a tone that feels safe and professional [1]Source 1 .

If contact is hard to find, forms are confusing, or the site feels cold or chaotic, you lose people when they need you most.

For more on care and wellbeing sites in general, see websites for care and wellbeing: accessibility and clarity.

1) Clear contact and booking

People need to know how to get in touch or book without friction.

What to include

• Obvious “Contact” or “Book a session”: Same place on every page. In the header, not buried in the footer.
• Phone and email: If you take calls, make the number visible and tap-to-call on mobile.
• Enquiry form: Short. Name, email, brief message. Optional: “Preferred way to be contacted”, “I’m interested in…”. Do not ask for more than you need upfront.
• Booking link: If you use Calendly, Cal.com, or similar, one clear “Book a session” or “Book a call” button. Make sure the booking page is accessible (keyboard, screen reader).
• What happens next: “We’ll respond within 24 hours” or “You’ll receive a confirmation and a short form before the session”.

What to avoid

• Burying contact or booking behind multiple clicks.
• Long forms with too many required fields.
• No indication of when people will hear back.

2) Privacy and confidentiality

Therapy and counselling depend on trust and confidentiality. Your site should make it clear how you handle enquiries and data.

What to include

• Privacy policy: Clear, easy to find. How you collect, use, and store data (enquiries, booking, notes). Who has access. How long you keep it.
• Confidentiality: A short statement on the contact or booking page: enquiries are confidential, what you share in sessions is confidential (within legal limits). Reassuring without being legalistic.
• Secure forms: Forms submitted over HTTPS. If you use a third-party booking or form tool, choose one that is reputable and clear about data handling.

See privacy policies and GDPR compliance.

3) Accessibility and readability

People seeking therapy may have disabilities, be under stress, or use assistive tech. Accessible, readable content is not optional [2]Source 2 .

What to include

• Readable text: Clear font, good contrast, sensible font size. No tiny grey text.
• Clear headings: Logical order (h1, h2, h3). So people can scan and screen reader users can jump to sections.
• Form labels: Every field has a visible label. Error messages that say what went wrong and how to fix it [4]Source 4 .
• Calm, simple layout: Plenty of space. No flashing or auto-playing content.

4) Tone and content

Your copy should feel professional, warm, and clear—not cold, clinical, or vague.

• Who you work with: Adults, young people, couples, specific issues (e.g. anxiety, grief). So visitors know if you are a fit.
• Approach: Modalities or way of working in plain language. No need for jargon; enough to give a sense of how you work.
• Qualifications and membership: Relevant training and professional body (e.g. BACP, UKCP). Builds trust.

For more on writing for the web, see writing for the web: content that converts.

Summary

Therapists and counsellors need a site that feels safe and clear: obvious contact and booking, privacy and confidentiality stated simply, accessible and readable content, and a tone that is professional and warm. Keep forms short, set expectations for response times, and make sure the booking flow works with keyboard and screen readers.