Therapist Bio Examples and a Template That Follows the Rules

A good therapist bio tells a stranger four things in a few short paragraphs: who you help and with what, what working with you is like, which license you hold and where, and how to take the next step. Below are four therapist bio examples, a line-by-line template, and the board rules every bio has to meet.

The examples are written for the about page on your own website, which is the long version. The same bones give you the short version for every directory profile you keep.

What should a therapist bio include?

A therapist bio should include who you work with, the problems you help with in the words clients use, what a session with you looks like, your license type and the states you practice in, the training behind your specialty, and one clear next step. Everything else is optional, and most of it can go.

Each part answers a question the reader is already asking. Put them in this order and the bio reads like a conversation rather than a resume.

Part of the bio	The reader’s question	Example line
Who you help	Is this for someone like me?	“I work with adults whose anxiety has started to run their week.”
What they are going through	Does this person get it?	“The email you rewrite five times. The plans you cancel.”
How you work	What would we actually do?	“We look at what a hard day looks like and work on the moments that set it off.”
License and states	Are they qualified, and can they see me?	“[Name], LPC, licensed in [State], license #[number].”
Training and one human detail	Do they know this problem? Could I talk to them?	“Before private practice I spent [n] years at a community clinic.”
Next step	What do I do now?	“Sessions are $[fee]. Book a free 15-minute call.”

What usually comes out: a paragraph on your theory of change, a list of fifteen issues, every certificate you hold, and client quotes. The first two read as filler, the third buries the license line the board cares about, and the fourth is an ethics problem covered below.

Therapist bio examples you can adapt

These four therapist bio examples were written for this article. Every bracket is yours to fill, and none of them describes a real clinician. Each one follows the six parts above, in a different voice, for a different kind of practice.

Example 1: LPC, anxiety, in-person practice

“I work with adults whose anxiety has started making decisions for them: the email you rewrite five times, the plans you cancel, the 3 a.m. replay of a conversation that went fine. Therapy with me is practical. We look at what a hard day actually looks like, find the moments that set it off, and practice responding differently, using cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure work.

I’m [Name], a Licensed Professional Counselor in [State], license #[number]. Before opening my practice in [City], I spent [n] years working in [setting]. Sessions are 50 minutes and $[fee], in person at my office on [Street]. If you’d like to see whether we’re a fit, book a free 15-minute call.”

Why it works: it opens with the reader’s situation in their own words, names the method in plain terms, and puts the license, the fee and the next step where someone deciding can find them.

Example 2: LCSW, trauma, online only

“If you’ve been told you should be over it by now, you’re in the right place. I work with adults living with the effects of trauma, including people who aren’t sure their experience counts as trauma at all. We go at a pace you set. I’m trained in EMDR through [training organization], and much of our early work is making the present feel steadier before we look back.

I’m [Name], LCSW, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in [State] and [State], license #[number] and #[number]. I see clients by secure video only, anywhere in those two states. Sessions are $[fee], and I can provide a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement. Start with a free consultation call.”

Why it works: it names the states in the credential line, so a reader elsewhere knows at once, and it says “video only” plainly instead of leaving an online practice to be discovered at the booking step.

Example 3: LMFT, couples

“Most couples I see aren’t fighting about what they think they’re fighting about. The dishes, the phone, the in-laws: underneath there is usually one question, asked over and over. I help couples hear that question and answer it. I use [named approach], and I’ll ask to meet you together first, then each of you once on your own.

I’m [Name], a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in [State], license #[number]. Sessions are 75 minutes and $[fee], in person or online. If you’re not sure your partner is ready, send me a note and I’ll explain what a first session involves.”

Why it works: it speaks to both partners, describes the shape of the first sessions, and gives the hesitant partner a smaller step than booking.

Example 4: associate working under supervision

“I work with teenagers and their parents when home has turned into a standoff. Teens get a room where they are not being lectured. Parents get a plan for the next argument, not a lecture of their own. Some sessions are with the teen, some with the parents, and some with everyone.

I’m [Full name as filed with the Board], Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, registration #[number]. I work at [Practice name] and I’m supervised by [Supervisor name], LMFT, license #[number]. Sessions are $[fee]. Call the practice to book a first session.”

Why it works: the second paragraph carries, in one place, the five items California’s board requires of an associate in any advertisement. Rules differ by state, so check yours, which is the next section but one.

How do I write a therapist bio? A line-by-line template

Write a therapist bio as six lines first, then expand each line into two or three sentences: who you help, what they are going through, how you work, your license and states, one detail about you, and the next step. Draft it out loud in your speaking voice, then cut anything you would not say to a client.

Fill in the brackets, in this order:

Who: “I work with [who] who [situation, in the words they would use].”
What it is like for them: two or three concrete moments from their week, not symptoms from a diagnostic manual.
How you work: “In our sessions we [what actually happens], using [one named method, explained in plain words].”
Credential line: “I’m [name as filed with your board], [full license title], licensed in [state or states], license #[number].”
One detail: where you trained, where you worked before, or why this work, in one sentence.
Next step: session length, fee, in person or online, and the one action you want: “Book a free 15-minute call.”

Read the draft aloud. If a sentence describes you and could sit on any therapist’s site, rewrite it so it describes the reader’s week instead.

Should a therapist bio be in first or third person?

Use first person on your own website. A solo practice bio is you talking to one reader, and “I work with” does that better than “Jane is a licensed therapist who.” Third person fits a group practice page where the practice introduces each clinician. Whichever you pick, keep it for the whole bio.

A mixed bio, first person in the opening and third person in the credentials, reads as two documents stapled together. If your group site uses third person, write the credential line in third person too, and keep the opening warm by describing the client, not the clinician.

What does my licensing board require in a therapist bio?

Your board treats a website bio as advertising. Every board expects accuracy about your license, degrees and training, and some set minimum content: California requires your name as filed, your license number and your license title in any advertisement, and Texas requires counselors to state their licensure status. Associates carry extra requirements in both states.

California. The Board of Behavioral Sciences’ advertising fact sheet, effective April 1, 2026, is direct: “A website is a type of advertising.” Licensees must include their first and last name as filed with the board, their license number, and their complete license title or an allowed abbreviation such as LMFT, LCSW or LPCC.

Associates in California must include their name, registration number, complete registration title, the name of their employer, and that they are supervised by a licensed person. The board adds: “It is especially important that Associates do not give the impression that they are licensed and/or working independently.”

The same fact sheet says misleading advertising can be an omission, or required information that is “difficult to find,” and warns that details in small print at the bottom of a long page, or buried on another page, may not comply. So the credential line belongs in the bio itself, not only in a footer.

Texas. The counselor rule, 22 Tex. Admin. Code §681.49, requires every advertisement to state licensure status with a title such as “Licensed Professional Counselor” or “LPC.” An LPC Associate must use that term, with the supervisor’s name following the associate’s. The rule also bars advertising likely to create “an unjustified expectation about the results” of a service, and anything that confuses your credentials, education or licensure. One more line matters if someone else drafts your bio: a licensee who hires others to advertise “remains responsible for the statements.”

Your professional code applies on top of your board’s rules. Here is what each says, applied to a bio:

Code and section	What it means for your bio
APA Ethics Code 5.01	No false, deceptive or fraudulent statements about your training, experience, competence, degrees, credentials, affiliations, services, results or fees. Claim a degree as a credential only if it came from a regionally accredited institution or was the basis for your psychology license.
ACA Code of Ethics C.4.a and C.4.d	Claim only qualifications you actually completed, and separate paid from volunteer experience. Do not call yourself “Dr.” in a counseling context if your doctorate is not in counseling or a related field, and do not use “ABD.”
NASW Code of Ethics 4.06(c)	Representations of your qualifications, credentials, services and results must be accurate. Claim only the professional credentials you actually hold.
AAMFT Code of Ethics 9.1 and 9.5	Represent your licensure, supervision status, degrees, training and experience accurately. Present yourself as offering a specialized service only after taking reasonable steps to ensure your competence in it.

These are summaries of two states and four codes. Read the current text of your own code and your own board’s advertising rule before you publish, because a board rule can be stricter than a national code.

Can I put client testimonials in my therapist bio?

Not testimonials you asked for. The APA, ACA, NASW and AAMFT codes all restrict soliciting testimonials, and the ACA rule covers former clients as well as current ones. A bio built on client quotes also tells the reader those clients were asked. Use proof that is not a client: your license record, training and professional memberships.

The wording differs by profession, and the differences matter:

APA 5.05: psychologists “do not solicit testimonials from current therapy clients/patients or other persons who because of their particular circumstances are vulnerable to undue influence.”
ACA C.3.b: counselors who use testimonials “do not solicit them from current clients, former clients, or any other persons who may be vulnerable to undue influence,” and must discuss the implications with clients and obtain permission for any testimonial used.
NASW 4.07(b): social workers should not solicit testimonial endorsements, “including solicitation of consent to use a client’s prior statement as a testimonial endorsement,” from current clients or others vulnerable to undue influence. A kind email from a client is not yours to quote just because you ask afterward.
AAMFT 9.2: marriage and family therapists “do not solicit testimonials or endorsements from current clients or from other persons who are vulnerable to undue influence.”

Texas adds its own condition: a testimonial in counselor advertising must not be misleading and must carry disclaimers about the credentials of the person giving it. Google will not reward quotes either. Its review snippet documentation limits review stars for a local business to sites that collect reviews about other businesses, so reviews of your own practice on your own site do not earn stars. The rules for public reviews on Google are covered in Google reviews for therapists.

What to use instead, all of it checkable:

Your license number, and a link to your board’s license lookup. California’s board explains it requires your name as filed so that “consumers are able to locate your license or registration record.”
Training named with the organization that provided it.
Professional memberships, talks you have given and articles you have written.
A sentence on who you are not the right fit for, which tells the right reader you are.

Search engines look for the same signals. The guide to E-E-A-T for therapists covers how credentials on the page support trust.

How long should a therapist bio be?

Long enough to answer the six questions above, which on a website about page usually means 200 to 350 words. Then cut two shorter versions from it: about 50 words for directory profiles, and one line for an email signature or social profile. Every place a client meets you then says the same thing.

Here is Example 1 cut down both ways.

The 50-word version: “I help adults whose anxiety has started making decisions for them. Our work is practical: we find the moments that set it off and practice responding differently, using CBT and exposure work. I’m [Name], LPC, licensed in [State]. In person in [City], $[fee]. Book a free 15-minute call.”

The one-line version: “[Name], LPC. Practical anxiety therapy for adults in [City].”

A one-liner cannot hold everything a board may require. California’s fact sheet says that when a social media bio is too short, you need an easy way for readers to find the required information, such as a link to a website that contains it. Link the one-liner to your full bio.

Directory profiles have their own fields and limits. The guide to Psychology Today profile optimization covers how to fit the short version into one.

Which phrases should I cut from my therapist bio?

Cut phrases that describe you in words any therapist could use, promise an outcome, or claim a credential you do not hold. “Safe, non-judgmental space” and “holistic, client-centered approach” tell the reader nothing. “Most clients feel better in a few sessions” is a results claim. A borrowed title is a board problem. Replace each with something specific.

Phrase	Why it fails	Write instead
“I provide a safe, non-judgmental space”	The reader has seen it on every site; it describes you, not them	What the first session is actually like
“An eclectic, holistic, client-centered approach”	Three labels and no picture	One method, and what it looks like in a session
A list of fifteen issues	Reads as no specialty, and the codes ask you to claim only competence you have built	Your two or three main areas, the rest named once
“Most clients feel better within a few sessions”	An outcome claim; Texas bars advertising likely to create an unjustified expectation about results	A description of the process
“Dr.” with a doctorate outside your field	ACA C.4.d bars implying doctoral-level competence in counseling	Your highest relevant degree, as it is
“LPC” or “LMFT” while you are an associate	Confuses licensure status, which Texas and California both address	Your full associate title and your supervisor
“I have always been passionate about helping people”	Says nothing the reader can use	One concrete reason you do this work

Where the bio fits on the rest of your site

The bio is one page. Your fees page, your specialty pages and your contact page each do a different job, and the bio should link to them rather than repeat them. A reader who likes your bio wants the fee and the booking step one click away. How the about page fits with the rest of a practice site is covered on our website design for therapists page.

Write your bio this week: five steps

Look yourself up. Open your board’s license lookup and copy your name and license title exactly as filed.
Say the six lines out loud. Record them on your phone, then type them up. Spoken drafts sound like you.
Expand to 200 to 350 words. Cut every sentence that describes you and could sit on any other therapist’s site.
Check the rules. Credential line present, no outcome claims, no solicited testimonials, nothing your board or code would read as misleading.
Cut the short versions. Make the 50-word and one-line versions and use the same facts on every directory profile.

FAQ

What is a good bio example for a therapist? One that opens with the reader’s situation, says what sessions involve, states the license and states in one line, and ends with a fee and one next step. Example 1 above does all four in about 120 words.

How do you introduce yourself as a therapist in a bio? Start with who you help, not with your name. Introduce yourself in the second paragraph, with your full name, license title and state, once the reader knows the page is for them.

Should I put my license number in my bio? In California it is required in any advertisement, which includes your website. Texas requires counselors to state their licensure status. Elsewhere, check your board’s advertising rule. Either way, the number lets a careful reader verify you.

What is a three-line therapist bio? A compressed bio with one line each for who you help, how you help, and your license plus the next step. It works for a directory card or a group practice roster, and it should match the long version word for word where they overlap.

Therapist Bio Examples: How to Write a Bio Clients Read (and Your Board Accepts)