What web design for therapists has to do differently
Web design for therapists is less about selling and more about lowering a barrier. Most people reading a counselor's website have thought about reaching out for weeks or months. They are reading closely, often late at night, trying to answer one question: would this person understand me? A site that answers that in your own voice, explains the practical details plainly and makes the first step small will do more than any amount of design polish.
It also has to be careful in ways a contractor's site does not. The contact form should not invite someone to type out their history. The site should say clearly that it is not a crisis line. And any statement about privacy should be accurate, not a reassuring badge.
Dominion Web Design Pro builds private practice websites one at a time. Maurice Johnson writes every page by hand from what you tell him about your work, and you see a free demo before you commit to anything.
Your own site or a directory profile?
Many therapists get their first referrals from directories such as Psychology Today, where professionals pay a fixed monthly fee to be listed. That is a reasonable place to be found. It is not a replacement for a site of your own, and the two do different jobs.
| Directory profile | Your own website | |
|---|---|---|
| Who controls the layout | The directory | You |
| Who else is on the page | Nearby therapists, a click away | Only you |
| Room to explain your approach | A set number of fields and characters | A full page for each specialty if you want it |
| Fees, insurance, policies | Short fields | A complete, plain-language fees page |
| Ongoing cost | A monthly listing fee | A one-time build, then hosting ($49 a month here, or included with the AI agent) |
| If you stop paying | The profile goes away | You still own the site and its content |
The usual answer is both: keep the directory profile and link it to your own site, where the visitor can read more and request a consultation.
Specialty pages, written in your voice
"Anxiety, depression, trauma, relationships, life transitions" on one page reads like every other practice in town. A page for each area you genuinely focus on, written the way you would explain it in a first session, gives the right reader a reason to stay, and gives searches like "therapist for postpartum anxiety" or "couples counseling" a page to land on.
Maurice works from a conversation or a questionnaire with you, not from a template. You read every page before it goes live and change anything that does not sound like you. Nothing claims an outcome, and no client stories are invented.
Contact forms that do not collect health details
HIPAA applies to covered entities. HHS explains that a health care provider is a covered entity if it transmits health information electronically in connection with a transaction HHS has adopted a standard for, such as submitting insurance claims. HHS also notes that simply using email does not make a provider a covered entity. A private-pay therapist who never bills insurance electronically may fall outside the definition, while one who files claims electronically, directly or through a billing service, generally falls inside it. We are not the right people to tell you which you are or what your obligations are; your compliance advisor or attorney is.
What we can do is keep the website out of the clinical side entirely. Every therapist site we build follows these rules:
- The contact form asks for a name, a way to reach the person, and a preferred time. No reason for seeking therapy, no symptoms, no history.
- A short line beside the form asks people not to include personal health information and to save that for the first conversation.
- Intake paperwork, scheduling and notes stay in whatever practice management system you already use. The website links to its portal if you have one.
- Advertising pixels and session-recording tools are left off unless you and your advisor decide otherwise.
- The privacy policy describes what the site actually collects, in plain words.
The same goes for the AI chat widget on the Pro package. For a practice, it is set up to answer general questions about fees, hours and how to book, and to take a name and number, never to discuss anyone's situation. Many therapists will reasonably decide to skip it.
A crisis note on every page
Your website is not watched around the clock, and someone in crisis may land on it. Every therapist site we build carries a short, visible note in the footer and on the contact page: if you are in crisis, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which offers free, confidential support by call, text and chat around the clock, or call 911 in an emergency.
The wording is yours to approve. If your state or your licensing board expects other language, we use theirs.
Telehealth, licenses and where you can see clients
A lot of private practices now see some or all clients by video. That widens who can find you, and it also raises a question every visitor from out of state will have: can you see me where I live? Counseling and psychology licenses are issued by states, so the honest answer depends on your license and any interstate arrangements your board recognizes.
The site should answer that before anyone has to ask. Your license type and number, the state or states where you can see clients, and whether you offer in-person sessions, telehealth, or both go on the about page and in a short line on the home page. If you take part in an interstate compact, we describe it in the exact words your board uses, not ours. A clear "I can see clients located in Texas" saves you a dozen emails from people you cannot help.
For in-person practices, the office location matters for a different reason: people search with a town name. Your Google Business Profile, a map on the contact page and, if you serve several towns, a page for each one help nearby clients find you. Those city pages come with the Pro package.
What a private practice site usually needs
- HomeWho you work with, how, where (in person, telehealth, or both), and one clear way to request a first call.
- AboutYour training, your license and the states it covers, and why you do this work, in your words.
- Specialty pagesOne for each area you focus on.
- Fees and insuranceYour session fee, whether you are in network with any plans, superbills, sliding scale if you offer one and your cancellation policy.
- ContactThe short form, your phone line, office location if you have one, and the crisis note.
For a solo practice, those five pages are exactly the Starter package: $497 one time, every page written by hand, live in 7 to 14 days, and yours to keep. A group practice with several clinicians and locations may fit Pro at $997, which adds ten pages with a photo gallery, ten city pages and Google Business Profile setup. Agency at $1,997 is built for wider service areas and is more than most practices need. Hosting and maintenance are $49 a month, or included while you keep the AI agent. The pricing page lists everything.
About the phone line: (903) 636-7511 is answered any hour by an AI receptionist. Ask about a website preview, or ask for Maurice or a person, and it transfers you to Maurice.
How it works
- Ask for the demoGive your business name and what you do on the demo page, or call (903) 636-7511.
- Look at it on your phoneYou get a link to a site built for your business. Show it to whoever you show things to.
- Pick a package or walk awayStarter, Pro or Agency, one-time price. If it is not right, you owe nothing.
- Maurice writes and builds itEvery page written by hand, then launched on your domain, usually in 7 to 14 days for Starter.
Maurice will ask about your specialties, your approach, your fees and insurance policy, your license details, and how you want people to book. You approve every word. The full steps are on how it works.
Ask for a free demo and read a site written for your practice before deciding anything.