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Professional Headshots for Team and Organizations

How to Take Amazing Therapist Headshots (Plus Examples)

By August 9, 2023January 27th, 2025No Comments
therapist headshots

Actual Headshots.com customers

When potential clients search for a therapist, they often make quick decisions based on first impressions.

Your practice’s headshots can be the deciding factor that encourages them to reach out. Quality, professional photos show potential clients they’re in capable, caring hands before they ever schedule a session.

At Headshots.com, we’ve helped over 100,000 people get studio-quality headshots without leaving their home or office. And over the years, we’ve learned what separates a great one from something that’s just average.

 

Why Your Therapists’ Headshots Are So Important

Whether your practice focuses on cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamics, or humanistic psychology, the look of your headshots matter. Each photo is among a potential client’s first impressions of your therapists, which they see showcased on your website, social media profiles, and print materials.

To illustrate the importance, let’s compare two sets of therapist headshots:

good therapist headshotsThese headshots exude an aura of professionalism and warmth. They highlight a caring presence and well-lit staging, making it easy for potential clients to choose a counseling relationship with this practice.

Now let’s take a look at another set of therapist headshots that have some room for improvement:

bad therapist headshots example

Although these headshots show off the great smiles of both practitioners, they’re missing a sense of cohesion. Plus, the low photo resolution causes the images to appear blurry.

When comparing the two sets, it’s clear that investing in high-quality headshots lays a strong foundation for the relationship built between you and your prospective clients.

 

Planning a Headshot Session for Therapists

Here are two standard methods therapists typically take to get their headshots:

The Traditional Way [The Standard Yet Challenging Route]

Traditional headshot sessions typically follow this path:

1. Initial Setup (2-4 weeks)

  • Survey your therapy team’s availability (if getting headshots for multiple people at your practice)
  • Match schedules with local photographers
  • Compare portfolios and pricing packages
  • Plan wardrobe and backdrop details

2. Session Day (Half day minimum)

  • Travel to studio or chosen location
  • Manage individual session times
  • Address wardrobe and comfort levels
  • Navigate group dynamics and individual needs

3. Finishing Process (1-2 weeks)

  • Review initial photo selections
  • Request revisions for lighting and retouching
  • Pay additional fees for extra editing requests

Most practices find this process takes 3-4 weeks from start to finish, with significant schedule disruption.

Headshots.com [The Modern, Efficient Path]

Headshots.com has a solution to help you save time and money without sacrificing the quality of your headshots:

1. Personal Sessions (30 minutes)

  • Take photos with your phone or camera
  • Follow our therapy-specific photo tips
  • Choose from our professional backgrounds
  • Submit through our simple platform

2. Professional Editing (3 days)

  • Professional retouching by hand (we don’t use AI)
  • Custom backdrop integration
  • Consistency across your practice
  • Unlimited revisions until it’s perfect

3. Implementation (Instant delivery)

  • Download web-optimized files
  • Access print-ready versions
  • Multiple formats included

Your entire practice can complete this process within one week, maintaining full client schedules. Plus ever purchase is backed by our Happiness Guarantee.

 

What Your Therapists Should Wear

To make a great impression, start with a curated wardrobe. Here are some general guidelines to ensure a successful shoot day.

Women’s Headshots  

A great headshot starts with a dazzling smile! For women’s headshots, pair your confidence with dark, solid-colored shirts. Aim for a simple neckline and optional layer pieces like a cardigan or solid jacket that won’t distract from the photo’s focus.

Light makeup, jewelry, and accessories are acceptable but should be minimal and look more or less representative of your daily appearance.

women therapist headshots exampleMen’s Headshots

Headshots for men follow a similar theme, revolving around tops of dark, solid colors that don’t wash out a subject’s skin tone. Solid sweaters, blazers, or light jackets work too, and you can pair them with a tie or bowtie with or without a pattern.

Keep hair well-combed, and be sure to let your smile do the talking!

men therapist headshot examples

With any headshot, good posture and relaxed shoulders give off a sense of approachability.

 

Examples of How to Pose

Outfits are just half the battle; your therapists should have an appropriate pose or two in mind when capturing headshots. Here are some examples of poses to help spark inspiration on shoot day.

Front and Center

You can’t go wrong with this professional pose. Stage your subject with feet shoulder-width apart and eyes level with the camera. Capture the photo with their confident and credible grin at the center.

front and center pose

At an Angle 

Present a confident, collected look with this classic headshot pose. Have your therapists stand shoulder-width apart with one shoulder slightly angled toward the camera. The subject’s eyes should be level with the camera and paired with a warm smile.

at an angle pose

Out in the Field 

Offer potential clients a more personalized feel with an outdoor or customized backdrop that shares an element of your practice’s persona or specialization. Center the photo’s subject and use even lighting so your background doesn’t detract from the therapist.

out in the field pose

 

Typical Cost of Headshots for Therapists

The projected costs of a headshot session can impact your options as a therapy practice. Costs add up quickly, and in the case of a traditional photo shoot, you can reasonably expect to pay several hundred dollars for each headshot.

Traditional Photo Shoot* Headshots.com 
$100 to $1,000 per headshot $25 to $50 per headshot

*Not including pre-planning or opportunity costs due to the logistics involved with a traditional photo shoot

 

Next Steps: Get Studio-Quality Therapist Headshots with a Fraction of the Effort

If you’re ready to get professional headshots without an in-person photo session, learn more about our 100% virtual headshot services.

You can also check out some of our customer examples to see the quality you can expect from our team.

 

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