When someone lands on your website, they are often a little nervous. They have already done the hard part of looking. The About page is where they decide whether you feel like a real person they could sit with.
That page does not need to impress anyone. It needs to feel true.
What people actually want to know
Most visitors are not hunting for slogans. They want a few simple answers:
- Who are you?
- How do you work?
- Who do you usually help?
- What happens if I get in touch?
If those four things are clear, in ordinary language, you have done most of the work.
Warm is not the same as hype
Hype is the extra. The stacked adjectives. The promises you could not stand behind in the room.
Here is the difference, in two lines you can steal and rewrite in your own voice.
Overcooked: “I am a passionate, transformative therapist offering a unique, life-changing space for every client.”
Believable: “I am a counsellor in Leeds. I work with adults who feel stuck in anxiety or old family patterns. Sessions are 50 minutes, usually weekly.”
The second line is quieter. It is also easier to trust, because it could only be about you.
A simple shape that works
You do not need a novel. A few short sections are enough.
A greeting. One or two sentences in the first person. Your name, your town or how you work (in person, online, or both).
How you work. Not a lecture on your modality. A plain picture of the room. Do you listen more than you advise? Do you use a particular approach? Say it once, then stop.
Who you help. Be kind and specific. “Adults, 18+” is clearer than “anyone who needs support.” If you do not work with a group, it is all right to say so. That saves everyone a difficult conversation later.
Training and memberships. List what is true. Memberships, insurance, and the names of your trainings. No need to pad it. Visitors who care will read this. Visitors who do not will skip it, and that is fine.
A next step. Tell them what happens after they write. “I will reply within two working days, and we can arrange a brief call if it feels like a fit.” That is more reassuring than “book now.”
Words that usually get in the way
You can keep warmth and still cut the fog.
Go gently with: unique, passionate, journey, heal, transform, expert, guaranteed, always, never.
Prefer: I work with, I trained in, sessions are, I am currently taking on, please email.
If a sentence could sit on any therapist’s site in the country, it is probably not doing much. Swap it for a fact only you could write. The street your practice is on. The day you offer online sessions. The kind of stuckness you know well.
First person, without making it all about you
“I” is right for a sole practice. “We” is right for a clinic. Mixing them confuses people.
Why a clear headshot helps this page
Your words do the main work. A photograph of you, looking like yourself, makes those words feel attached to a person.
Visitors are about to talk about private things. Seeing your face (calm, ordinary clothes, a quiet background) is often the difference between “this could be anyone” and “this is someone I could email.”
It does not need to be a studio portrait. It does need to be current, well lit, and obviously you. A five-year-old holiday crop, a group photo, or a heavy filter usually works against the rest of a careful About page.
You do not have to show your face if that genuinely does not fit how you practise. A still of the room is honest too. If you are willing to be seen, a simple headshot is one of the kindest things you can add.
How to get a good result without booking a photographer
Light. Face a window in daytime. Stand a couple of steps back from the glass so the light is even. Avoid overhead bulbs and midday sun on your face.
Background. A plain wall, a bookshelf, or a corner of your room. Uncluttered. Nothing competing with your face. A little blur is fine. A busy kitchen is not.
Clothes. What you would wear to meet a new client. Solid colours usually read more calmly than loud patterns. Avoid logos.
Expression. Think “hello,” not “professional portrait.” Soft mouth, relaxed shoulders. Take twenty frames. Pick the one that looks like you on a decent day.
Phone vs a friend. The front camera is convenient. The back camera is usually sharper if someone else can tap the shutter, or you use a timer on a shelf. Wipe the lens. Hold the phone at about eye height, not under your chin.
AI tools. Some people now use a service that turns ordinary phone photos into a consistent professional-looking set. That can be a good option if you cannot get a clean shot, or you want a few matching images for the site and directories. Check the results like you would a bio: does this still look like you, or like a stranger in better lighting? Keep a real photo in the mix if the AI version feels glossy.
One option we have used and are happy to point people to is Headshot Pro. You upload a handful of casual photos and get a set of studio-style headshots back. If you use our link we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It is a shortcut, not a requirement. A window, a plain wall, and ten quiet minutes with your phone will still take you a long way.
(We will write more separately on client photos and consent. This section is only about a picture of you.)
A 20-minute pass
If the page already exists, you do not need to start again.
- Read it out loud. Cut anything you would not say to a new client.
- Add one specific fact (where you practise, session length, who you see).
- Check the last line tells them how to get in touch, and what you will do next.
- Look at the photo. If it does not look like you this year, take a new one this week.
That is enough for now.
A last thought
Your About page is not a performance. It is a handshake. Keep it human, keep it accurate, leave a clear door open, and let people see who they are writing to.
If you already have a site with us and you would like a second pair of eyes on the wording, just ask. We can help you tidy a draft. The words should still sound like you.
Thanks for reading.