Brand Voice for Therapy

Brand Voice for Therapy

Ensuring all NextStep content sounds like Jesse—confident vulnerability, not hedging.

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Quick Start

Voice Reference: /​docs/​branding/​voice/​BRAND-VOICE.md

The Formula: Confident Vulnerability

The vulnerability comes from WHAT you admit (not having answers), not HOW you say it (hedged language).

Voice Dial by Page Type

• 80/​20 - Homepage, About, Blog, Email
• 70/​30 - Service pages, City pages
• 60/​40 - Long-tail pages
• Neutral - Pricing, Contact, Privacy

AI Discovery Strategy (Dec 2025)

"A gets you found. B gets you booked."

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Modes

Apply Mode (Writing New Content)

1. Open with direct statement about THEM (not question)
2. Use "Sound familiar?" as only check-in
3. Frame vulnerability as "I don't have X. But I can Y."
4. Use Jesse's verbs (explore, unpack, figure out)
5. Positive framing (what you DO, not what you DON'T)
6. Keep CTAs as invitations

Verify Mode (Checking Existing Content)

Run the kill list check before publishing:

• No "I don't know if this will resonate..."
• No "Honestly..."
• No "I can't promise..."
• No "At least, that's been my experience"
• No "Right?" or "Does that make sense?"
• No "I want to be WITH you"
• No defining by what you're NOT
• No questions as openers
• No outcome promises

Read-aloud test: Would Jesse say this confidently?

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Approved Phrases (Dec 2025 Testing)

Hero Openers

Anxiety:

• "The people who reach out to me aren't broken. They're just tired of their brain running the show."
• "You're probably good at what you do. That's not the problem. The problem is you can't shut off your brain."

Burnout:

• "You're good at what you do. That's not the problem. The problem is you can't turn it off."
• "The promotion came. The exhaustion stayed. Now what?"

Vulnerability Statements

• "I don't have all the answers. But I can walk through the unknown with you."
• "No one has all the answers. What I have is a way of working through things together."
• "I can't make the anxiety go away. But I can help you change your relationship with it."
• "The goal isn't to eliminate anxiety. It's to stop letting it run your life."

Check-in (Only One)

• "Sound familiar?"

Observation Opener (Only One)

• "Here's what I've seen..."

Approach Language

• "Real conversations about what's going on. Practical, personalized, focused on what works for you."
• "I use approaches that research supports. But what matters more is whether we actually connect."

CRPO Note: Never disparage other therapy approaches (e.g., "No homework", "No worksheets"). Focus on what you DO, not what you don't.

WITH-You Positioning

• "We figure it out together. I'm not ahead of you—I'm with you."
• "I'm not going to tell you what to do. I'm going to help you figure out what you want."

Should vs. Want

• "There's this tension between who you think you should be and who you actually want to be. That's often where the pain lives."
• "We explore the gap between who you think you should be and who you actually want to be."

CTAs (All Work)

Buttons: "Let's talk" / "Ready when you are" / "Book a consultation" / "See if it's a fit" / "Book a free call"

Supporting: "If any of this lands, let's talk. No pressure." / "15 minutes. No commitment. Just see if we connect."

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Kill List (Never Use)

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Translations

Verbs

Full Phrases

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Templates

Hero Section

Don't:

Racing thoughts keeping you up at night? I don't know if this will resonate, but I work with people who are tired of anxiety running the show. I can't promise to make it disappear—honestly, I don't think anyone can.

Do:

The people who reach out to me aren't broken. They're just tired of their brain running the show. I don't have all the answers. But I can walk through the unknown with you. We'll figure out what's in your control. Sound familiar?

About Section

Don't:

I'm Jesse. I work with people dealing with anxiety. I'm a Registered Psychotherapist—CRPO #10979, if that matters to you. I can't promise I have all the answers—honestly, I don't think anyone does.

Do:

I'm Jesse, a Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO #10979). I work with people dealing with anxiety, burnout, feeling disconnected from themselves. I don't have all the answers. But I can walk through the unknown with you. We figure it out together. I'm not ahead of you—I'm with you.

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Red Flags (Instant Rewrite)

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CRPO Compliance

Even in confident voice, watch for violations:

Rule: If it sounds like a promise, reframe it as a process.

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Integration

This skill referenced by: direct-response-copy-therapy, therapy-content-generator, email-welcome-sequence-therapy, conversion-optimizer, positioning-angles-therapy

Reference file: /​docs/​branding/​voice/​BRAND-VOICE.md