Choosing therapy or counseling photos for your private practice website can be a difficult and stressful endeavor.
We get questions all the time about therapy images:
We get questions all the time about therapy images:
- What kind of pictures should I use on my website?
- Where do I buy images for my website?
- Do I need a photo on each specialty page?
- Should I include pictures on my blog posts?
- Where do I put images?
- Where can I find free therapy stock photos?
In this post we cover everything you need to know about counseling images for your website: the best types of photos to use, where to buy them (or get them for free), and what you should avoid when choosing pictures.
There Are Three Types of Therapy Pictures
Starting at the top, it’s important to know that there are three types of counseling photos we recommend using on your private practice website.
No matter what you choose the key is consistency. Don’t juxtapose therapy photos inappropriately so that their tones clash. That will make more sense when you look over the types below.
No matter what you choose the key is consistency. Don’t juxtapose therapy photos inappropriately so that their tones clash. That will make more sense when you look over the types below.
- People in a state of pain / Mirroring how your potential clients feel: Photos mirroring one’s current state of emotions or communicating a state of pain allows one to relate directly to the images. Research has shown that some people want to see their own states of mind mirrored back at them.
- People in a post-therapy state (happy): Another option is photos of people in their post-therapy, or satisfied, emotional state. For those who don’t feel comfortable having photos of unhappy people on their website, this theme is great.
- Nature / Abstract: Photos of nature or abstract art are also an option. This type is great for those who would prefer to stay away from images of people on their site.
Each of the above types of images can be effective on your website when used properly. Try to stick with one theme across your website for consistency’s sake. It will better help communicate to potential clients who you are and what your practice represents.
As with anything, the key is to be authentic to yourself and what you want your practice to be. Remember, a website is an extension of the help you provide.
As with anything, the key is to be authentic to yourself and what you want your practice to be. Remember, a website is an extension of the help you provide.
What to AVOID When Choosing Counseling Photos
Choosing the wrong type of therapist images might scare away the people you should be helping.
Below is a short list of the types of photos counselors and therapists ought to avoid:
Below is a short list of the types of photos counselors and therapists ought to avoid:
- Avoid overly-staged photos: One of the biggest things you want to avoid is the use of overly-staged counseling images. Overly-staged photos are those that are phony, obviously not real or inauthentic.
- Avoid exaggerated and goofy photos: Avoid exaggerated and goofy photos at all costs, as these types tend to almost make fun of a person’s state of mind. In no way do you want to give a client a sense that you are making fun of his or her emotions. The client needs to see your empathy from a professional standpoint. Also, humor isn’t something you want to aim for. You want the photos to exude a sense of sophistication and illustrate your ability to truly understand your clients’ feelings.
- Avoid showing props: 9 times out of 10, props in counseling pictures communicate inauthenticity. We recommend avoiding photos with props — for example, a person sitting stressed behind a computer or a person behind the wheel of a car. Also avoid images that have things like check boxes, pencils or pads of paper.
- Avoid frightening counseling pictures: Lastly, avoid photos that illustrate fear. Watch the video below to see a great example of a frightening photo not to use.
Finding Images 101
Finding the perfect images for your therapist website and social media profiles is all about knowing where to look and the impact you’re trying to create.
The key is choosing images that are relevant to what you’re talking about. You want the image you choose to give people a hint at what they’re about to read about, making them excited or curious about what you have to offer.
For example, if you were sharing a post on social media about social anxiety, you might choose an image of a crowd of people or someone standing in a doorway. Or, if you were looking for an image to add to your contact page, an image of someone’s hands on a keyboard or someone using a tablet would be good.
The images you choose should be chosen to inspire people to take action, whether that is to email you, share your social media update, or click through to read your blog post.
The key is choosing images that are relevant to what you’re talking about. You want the image you choose to give people a hint at what they’re about to read about, making them excited or curious about what you have to offer.
For example, if you were sharing a post on social media about social anxiety, you might choose an image of a crowd of people or someone standing in a doorway. Or, if you were looking for an image to add to your contact page, an image of someone’s hands on a keyboard or someone using a tablet would be good.
The images you choose should be chosen to inspire people to take action, whether that is to email you, share your social media update, or click through to read your blog post.
A Note About Licensing
When you’re searching for free images to use online, you might be tempted to simply type in what you’re looking for into Google and see what comes up.
But that might lead you to use someone’s image without their permission.
Don’t do that.
Anytime you use a free image website (like the ones we share below), make sure to check what their Permission and Attribution or Citing rules are. These rules will outline what ways you’re allowed to use their images (maybe on your blog, but not in an ad) and if you need to attribute or cite the source of the image (often a line of text below the image, linking back to where it came from).
Taking a few minutes to double-check this information can save you a lot of headaches down the line, and ensure that you’re supporting other small businesses appropriately.
But that might lead you to use someone’s image without their permission.
Don’t do that.
Anytime you use a free image website (like the ones we share below), make sure to check what their Permission and Attribution or Citing rules are. These rules will outline what ways you’re allowed to use their images (maybe on your blog, but not in an ad) and if you need to attribute or cite the source of the image (often a line of text below the image, linking back to where it came from).
Taking a few minutes to double-check this information can save you a lot of headaches down the line, and ensure that you’re supporting other small businesses appropriately.
Where to Find the Best Free Therapy Images
We get asked almost daily about the best websites to use for free images.
Here it is, our master list of the best websites to source free images for your therapy or coaching practice:
Here it is, our master list of the best websites to source free images for your therapy or coaching practice:
*PikWizard integrates premium photos alongside its free photos, making searching for pictures confusing at times.
Note: Photos from the above websites tend to have very large file sizes. Make sure to save the files properly so that the file size is compressed, otherwise the large photo sizes may slow down your website.
Also, know many of these sites do not require attribution or citing, but be sure to check if their policies have changed.
Note: Photos from the above websites tend to have very large file sizes. Make sure to save the files properly so that the file size is compressed, otherwise the large photo sizes may slow down your website.
Also, know many of these sites do not require attribution or citing, but be sure to check if their policies have changed.
Where to Buy Photos
If you would rather own the images that you use, there are several places to purchase royalty-free images online.
Some of our favorites include:
Some of our favorites include:
- iStock Photo: iStock is our go-to image site. They have a great selection of counseling pictures — many of which work well with the types of images we recommend. You can purchase using credits or regular payment.
- Dreamstime: Dreamstime is another great resource for photos. These images do tend to be a little pricier than iStock, so be sure to check iStock to see if they have a similar, if not the same, image.
- Photodune: Photodune is a photo website we recently discovered. Their images are quite a bit cheaper than iStock or Dreamstime, however they seem to have a smaller selection to choose from.
- 123RF: This is another site we were recently introduced to. Similar to Photodune, their images are quite a bit cheaper, but with a smaller selection than iStock or Dreamstime.
Where to Put Photos
Now that you know what types of counseling images to buy, what pictures of therapy to avoid and where to buy them, where do you put them? For Specialty Pages, the most common positioning is at the top of the page, aligned either right or left.
Another option for Specialty Pages is to insert a large image that fills the entire page width. If you do this, we recommend that your text still appears “above the fold” (immediately visible on the screen, before scrolling).
Images on your homepage depend entirely on the WordPress Theme (what we call a “template”) you have. Some have sliders (with images that automatically or manually change every few seconds), a static banner image, or another image placing on the homepage. Remember to stay consistent with homepage images, as well as Specialty Page images (to learn about keeping them on your homepage, read here) (to learn about keeping them on your homepage, read here).
Photos on Blog Posts
In addition to including images throughout your Specialty Pages, adding an image to your blog posts has many added benefits. By doing so, you can begin to achieve an emotional connection with your reader.
And, pictures help to support your blog topic and make it much easier to share on social media. While adding photos to your blog posts isn’t required, it can increase site engagement (AND it has been shown to greatly increase readership!).
And, pictures help to support your blog topic and make it much easier to share on social media. While adding photos to your blog posts isn’t required, it can increase site engagement (AND it has been shown to greatly increase readership!).
Photos for Your “About Me” Page
The photo you select for your “About Me” page is an important part of your website. Through the content and your photo, your “About Me” page communicates who you are to your potential clients.
When choosing photos for your about page, we highly recommend adding at least one professional, high-quality photo of yourself. We also like to encourage you to add a more casual photo, in addition to your professional photo, further down the page.
Adding a more casual photo of yourself allows people to see your human side and possibly relate to you more. You can use a photo of your hobby — for example, if you like hiking, add a photo of you hiking. Or, add a photo of you and your pet. These types of photos are engaging and allow you to present yourself in a way that people can relate to.
We also recommend adding a photo of yourself on your contact page. This allows someone to see your face when taking the next step towards contacting you.
When choosing photos for your about page, we highly recommend adding at least one professional, high-quality photo of yourself. We also like to encourage you to add a more casual photo, in addition to your professional photo, further down the page.
Adding a more casual photo of yourself allows people to see your human side and possibly relate to you more. You can use a photo of your hobby — for example, if you like hiking, add a photo of you hiking. Or, add a photo of you and your pet. These types of photos are engaging and allow you to present yourself in a way that people can relate to.
We also recommend adding a photo of yourself on your contact page. This allows someone to see your face when taking the next step towards contacting you.
Video on Photo Selection
The video below is a short walkthrough about what we talked about in today’s post. If you want to see more examples of what photos to use, and those NOT to use, we recommend you check it out.