Therapist business cards are small, but they carry more rules than most things you print. In several states a card counts as advertising, so your licensing board decides what has to be on it. Ethics codes decide what has to stay off. And because cards get handed across a table at a school meeting or left at a doctor's front desk, privacy matters as much as design. Most pages that rank for this search are template galleries. This guide covers what they skip: the license line that state rules ask for, what the ACA, NASW and APA codes say about testimonials and claims, a QR code that opens your booking page, six complete example cards by practice type, and a template you can copy one line at a time.
Every therapist, practice, phone number and web address in this article is invented. Phone numbers use the 555-01XX range set aside for fiction, web addresses end in .example, which no real site can use, and license numbers are placeholders.
What to put on a therapist business card
A standard US business card is 3.5 by 2 inches. At a size people can read, that's room for about six short lines on each side, so choose in this order:
- Your name and license line: your name, your license title, and the number and state where your board asks for them.
- Who you help, in two or three phrases.
- Where you see clients: your office town, or the states you see clients in by video.
- One way to book: a short web address and a QR code that both open your booking page.
- A phone number you answer or return.
- A practice email address.
- Optional lines: a practice name or logo, languages, your insurance stance, and a crisis line on the back.
Put the first three on the front and the ways to reach you on the back. Each line is covered below.
Your name and license line: what state boards require
This is the line most guides wave at with "check your state's rules." Here is what four states' rules actually say, read on October 25, 2026:
- California (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, LEP).The Board of Behavioral Sciences' advertising fact sheet, revised for rules in effect since April 1, 2026, defines advertising to include "the issuance of any card, sign, or device to any person." Every advertisement must show your first and last name as filed with the board, your license number, and your complete license title or an allowed abbreviation (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC or LEP). Associates must show their registration number, their full registration title, the name of their employer, and a statement that they are supervised by a licensed person. The abbreviation AMFT is allowed only if "Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist" also appears (BBS advertising fact sheet).
- California psychologists.A separate rule requires every licensed psychologist to include their license number "in any advertising, public directory or solicitation," whether they practice under their own name or a group or business name (16 CCR 1380.6).
- Texas (licensed professional counselors).The Behavioral Health Executive Council's rule names "business cards" in its definition of advertising, and every advertisement must "clearly state the licensee's licensure status," with a title such as "LPC." An LPC Associate must use the term "LPC Associate," and "the Associate's name must be followed by the name of the supervisor." Only council-approved supervisors may use "LPC-S" (22 TAC 681.49).
- Florida (LCSW, LMFT, LMHC).The statute requires the license title or its letters "on all promotional materials, including cards, brochures, stationery, advertisements, and signs, naming the licensee." Registered interns must spell out their full title, such as "registered mental health counselor intern" (Fla. Stat. 491.0149). Florida's psychology board, by contrast, says that for its own title rule, "business cards and stationery are not professional advertisements" (Fla. Admin. Code 64B19-17.003).
- New Jersey (LPC, LAC, LRC).The counselors' rule lists business cards by name. Each card must show your name, your title "followed by the 12-digit license number," and "the street address and telephone number of the practice location." You can ask the board in writing to waive the street address "for maintenance of personal or client safety" (N.J.A.C. 13:34-29.3).
Two lessons come out of these rules. First, the rule follows your license as well as your state: a psychologist and a mental health counselor sharing a Florida suite have different requirements for the same card. Second, where a rule doesn't mention cards, the same line works everywhere: your full title or its allowed abbreviation, your license number and your state. It lets anyone look up your license in a minute. Find the advertising section of your own board's rules, and read it for every state you hold a license in.
Degrees go after your name if you want them (MA, MSW, PhD). Use "Dr." only with a doctorate in your field: the ACA code says counselors don't refer to themselves as "Dr." in a counseling context when their doctorate is not in counseling or a related field (C.4.d), and it asks counselors to claim only licenses and certifications that are "current and in good standing" (C.4.b). The APA code bars false or deceptive statements about degrees and credentials (5.01), and it counts "printed matter" among public statements.
Who you help, in two or three phrases
Name the people and what they live with, in their words: "Anxiety and panic in adults," "Couples who keep having the same fight," "Kids 6 to 12 who worry." Two or three phrases is the limit. A card that lists twelve specialties tells a reader nothing about you, and a physician or school counselor deciding whom to refer to needs to see at a glance whether you see their patient's age group. Our therapist bio examples show the same "who I help" line written ten ways.
Where you see clients: office or telehealth states
For in-person work, the town is enough unless your state wants the full address, as New Jersey does. For video sessions, name the states. HHS says behavioral health professionals must "be licensed or legally permitted to practice in the state where the patient is located" (HHS, Licensure for behavioral health). "Video sessions for clients in Pennsylvania and New York" tells a reader exactly who you can see. "Telehealth available" invites someone in a third state to get in touch, and you'll have to turn them away.
A web address and a QR code
Print one short web address, ideally your booking page itself, and a QR code that opens the same page. The QR section below covers how to set one up and test it.
Phone and email
Give a business line you'll answer or return, with a voicemail greeting that says when you call back and what to do in an emergency. Keep your personal cell number off: once a card is printed, it's in circulation for years.
Use a practice email address. People sometimes write a lot about themselves in a first email, so the address on your card should go to an account set up for client mail. Our guide to whether Gmail is HIPAA compliant covers what that setup involves.
Optional lines
- A practice name and logo. Keep the logo small; your name matters more.
- Languages you offer sessions in.
- Your insurance stance in a phrase: "Out of network; superbills provided" or "In network with three plans, listed on my website." Leave session fee amounts off: fees change faster than a box of cards runs out. If you offer reduced fees, "Sliding scale spots available" is enough, and our sliding fee schedule guide shows how to explain it on your website.
- A crisis line on the back: "I can't respond to emergencies. In a crisis, call or text 988." The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline takes calls and texts at 988.
- Your NPI, on a referral version. Some physicians' offices ask for it when they send a referral. NPI numbers are already public in the NPPES NPI Registry, so printing yours gives nothing away.
What to leave off a therapist business card
Most of what to leave off falls under the ethics codes' rules on advertising. A card has no room for context, so anything that needs a footnote doesn't belong on it.
- Testimonials and reviews. The ACA code says 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 get permission (C.3.b). The NASW code says social workers should not solicit testimonial endorsements from current clients, "including solicitation of consent to use a client's prior statement" (4.07(b)). The APA code says psychologists "do not solicit testimonials from current therapy clients/patients" (5.05). Texas also treats an ad as false or misleading if it "contains a testimonial that includes false, deceptive, or misleading statements" (681.49(b)(4)). A star rating or a client quote isn't worth that risk on a 2-inch card.
- Outcome claims and promises. "Feel like yourself again in eight sessions," "Proven results," "Results guaranteed." Texas counts as misleading any representation "likely to create an unjustified expectation about the results" of a service (681.49(b)(2)). The NASW code asks that representations of "results to be achieved" be accurate (4.06(c)), the APA code bars false or deceptive statements about "results or degree of success" (5.01(b)), and the ACA code asks for advertising that is not "false, misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent" (C.3.a).
- Comparisons: "The best couples therapist in Austin." Texas counts comparisons with another professional's services as misleading unless they can be factually backed up (681.49(b)(3)).
- Credentials you don't hold yet. "Certified" after a training that isn't a certification, a license that has lapsed, or an associate's card that reads like a licensed clinician's. California's fact sheet says it is "especially important that Associates do not give the impression that they are licensed and/or working independently." The ACA code says counselors claim only qualifications "actually completed" (C.4.a).
- Waived copays. Texas counts advertising that "health care insurance deductibles or co-payments may be waived" as misleading (681.49(b)(6)).
- Fee amounts, a list of abbreviations ("MDD, GAD, PTSD, OCD") and personal social accounts. Clients don't search in abbreviations, and a personal account on a professional card mixes the two.
- Anything about a client. That has its own section.
Privacy: a business card is handed out in public
A card leaves your office and goes wherever people go. Plan for that.
- No client information on a card, ever. Some therapists use the back as an appointment card. If you do, write only the date and time: no name, no type of session. Hand it to the client yourself.
- Make a card a client can carry. A client may keep your card in a wallet, a car or on the kitchen counter, where other people see it. A plain front with your name and practice name, with "therapy" and your specialties on the back, lets them keep it without announcing it. Your license line still has to appear wherever your state requires; the rules quoted above don't say which side it goes on.
- Protect your own address. If you see clients from a home office or only by video, check whether your state requires a street address. New Jersey does, with the safety waiver above. Where it isn't required, the town and "By video in [state]" are enough.
- Offer cards; don't press them on people. The NASW code says social workers should not engage in "uninvited solicitation of potential clients" who, because of their circumstances, are vulnerable to undue influence, manipulation or coercion (4.07(a)). The APA code bars "uninvited in-person solicitation of business" from people in that position (5.06). Handing a card to someone in a hospital waiting room, or to another member of a support group you attend for yourself, can cross that line. At a talk, leave a stack on the table so people can take one without being seen asking.
- Cards for current clients are for your contact details and the next appointment. Many therapists don't ask clients to pass cards to friends, because a request from your therapist can be hard to refuse.
Design principles: readable, high contrast, accessible
A business card for a therapist doesn't need a clever design. It needs to be readable by a tired person in a dim waiting room.
- One clear order:your name largest, then who you help, then the booking line. If everything is the same size, nothing gets read.
- Type sizes:your name at 12 to 14 points, other lines at 8 points or larger, and the phone number and web address at 9 or 10. Use one or two typefaces at most. Avoid thin, condensed or script fonts for anything with numbers in it.
- Contrast.The web accessibility standard asks for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 for regular text and 3 to 1 for large text (18 point, or 14 point bold) (W3C, Contrast (Minimum)). It's written for screens, but it's a useful bar for print. Pale sage on cream, gray on gray and white text over a photo usually fail it. Check your two main colors in any contrast checker before you order.
- Margins:keep every line at least 1/8 inch inside the trim edge, so nothing gets cut off.
- Paper.If you'll write appointments on the back, choose an uncoated or matte back. Glossy stock smudges.
- Clients with low vision.If you work with older adults or people with low vision, make the phone number the largest contact line, and keep the full card text on your website for anyone who needs it larger.
- A photo, if you want one.A small headshot helps referral partners remember who you are. Our guide to therapist headshots covers framing a photo that still reads at a small size.
- Proof it on paper.Print the design at 100% scale, cut it to size, and read it at arm's length under ordinary room light. Screens make small type look sharper than paper does.
QR codes on therapist business cards
A QR code is the shortest path from a card to a booked first session, but only if it opens the right page and actually scans.
- Point it at your booking page.Not your home page, not a social profile, not a contact form. Each extra tap is another place to stop. If you want to give the person more context first, link the page that has your booking button near the top.
- Put your own address in the code.Some QR generators make "dynamic" codes that send people through the generator's own short link. If that account lapses, every card you printed can stop working or open a page you didn't choose. A code that holds your own web address works as long as the page does.
- Keep the address short.A shorter address makes a simpler code with bigger squares, which scans more easily from a small card.
- Size and margin.Make the code at least 0.8 inch (2 cm) square on a card, keep a clear light margin around it (the QR standard calls for a blank border four of the code's small squares wide), and print it dark on a light background. Don't put it over a photo or invert the colors, and don't drop a logo in the middle unless you've tested it.
- Label it and print the address."Scan to book a 15-minute consultation," with the web address written underneath. People who can't or won't scan can type it. The FTC tells consumers to inspect the URL before they open a QR code they find in an unexpected place (FTC consumer alert), so a printed address that matches what their phone shows makes your code easier to trust.
Then test it, on paper, before you order a full run:
- Print a proof at actual size.
- Scan it with at least two different phones, using each phone's built-in camera, in ordinary indoor light, from 6 to 12 inches away.
- Check that it opens your booking page itself, that the page fits a phone screen, and that you can get to the step where you pick a time.
- Type the printed address into a phone browser and check it opens the same page.
- Ask someone who has never seen your site to go from scan to choosing a time without help. Stop before they confirm.
- Test again whenever your website address or booking page changes. A printed code can't be edited.
Where therapist business cards still help
Many clients find a therapist online. Cards earn their place where people meet you in person and need something to hand on.
- Physicians and psychiatrists. Primary care practices, pediatricians and obstetric offices often refer patients to therapists. Leave a small stack with a short note on who you see and how to refer. Once a referral becomes a client, the usual confidentiality rules apply: most therapists get the client's written release before telling the referring office anything, even that the person booked. Our guide to marketing for therapists covers building those referral relationships.
- Schools. School counselors, psychologists and nurses keep lists of community providers for families. Ask how the school shares outside providers' details first: some districts have rules on what staff can hand out.
- Community talks and workshops. Libraries, faith communities, workplaces and parent groups. Leave cards on the table rather than handing them out one by one.
- Other therapists. Consultation groups, former classmates and colleagues whose caseloads are full. Name your specialties clearly so they know when to think of you.
- Your own clients, for your contact details and the next appointment.
If most of your referrals come from physicians or schools, consider a second version for referral partners. It can carry what they need: the ages you see, your insurance stance, how to send a referral and your NPI. Clients get the plainer card.
6 therapist business card examples by practice type
Each example shows the front and back as plain text, then why it works. Swap in your own details with the template that follows. The state rules quoted above apply to each one; check your own board's rules before you print.
1Trauma therapist, licensed professional counselor in New Jersey
Why it works:
- It carries all three items New Jersey's rule asks for on a business card: name, title with the 12-digit license number, and the practice's street address and phone.
- "Trauma and PTSD in adults" names who she helps in one line, and "using EMDR" tells a referring clinician how she works.
- The crisis line sits on the back, where someone looking for help will see it.
2Associate under supervision, LPC Associate in Texas
Why it works:
- It uses the exact term "LPC Associate," and the supervisor's name follows the associate's name, as Texas's rule asks.
- Only the supervisor carries "LPC-S," which Texas reserves for council-approved supervisors.
- The group practice's name shows the associate is not practicing alone, and the QR code opens Rowan's own booking page rather than the group's home page.
3Couples therapist, LMFT in California
Why it works:
- It shows his first and last name as filed with the board alongside the name he goes by. California's fact sheet allows a nickname only when the filed name also appears.
- The license title, abbreviation and number all appear, so the card meets the state's minimum for any advertisement.
- "Couples who keep having the same fight" is how a couple would describe the problem, and the video line limits sessions to people in California.
4Child and family therapist, LCSW in Florida
Why it works:
- "LCSW" and the full title are on the card, which Florida requires on "all promotional materials, including cards."
- The age range is the first thing a school counselor or pediatrician needs to see before referring a family.
- "Book a parent consultation" tells parents who the first conversation is with.
5Psychologist, assessment practice in California
Why it works:
- The license number appears even though she practices under a business name, which California's psychology rule requires "regardless of whether" the ad uses the licensee's own name.
- It's built for referral partners: a referral line, an NPI and the age range, with a separate path for families.
- "Reports in about four weeks" answers a practical question for referral partners: when the report arrives. Print it only if it's true and stays true; otherwise, put it on your website.
6Telehealth-only counselor licensed in two states
Why it works:
- Each license is listed with the title that state uses, because the same work carries different titles in different states.
- "Video sessions only, for adults in Pennsylvania or New York" says where the client has to be, which is the fact that decides whether she can see them.
- With no office, the card shows no street address. Before you leave one off, check each of your boards' advertising rules: New Jersey, for one, requires the practice's street address on a counselor's card.
Copy this: therapist business card template
Fill in each line, then cut anything that doesn't fit at 8 points or larger. Lines in brackets apply only to some cards; for associates and interns, those lines are required where your board asks for them.
Before you print: a proof checklist
- The license line matches your board's advertising rule, word for word, for every state you list.
- Associates and interns: title, registration number, supervisor and employer appear as your board asks.
- No testimonials, ratings, promises of results or comparisons.
- No client information, and no personal cell number or home address you don't have to show.
- Every line is 8 points or larger, and the colors pass a contrast check.
- The QR code opens your booking page from a paper proof, on two phones.
- The printed web address opens the same page when typed.
- The video line names the states where clients have to be.
- Someone who doesn't know you can say, after one look, who you help and how to book.
How this works in TranqBay
TranqBay is practice software for therapists in private practice, with a practice website and online booking built in. Here is what that means for a card:
- A booking page for the QR code.Your booking page shows the services, session lengths and hours you set. You can confirm each booking yourself or let clients book straight away. Every plan includes a booking link you can print; building and publishing the full practice website is part of some plans.
- A website behind the card.practice.tranqbay.health shows template practice websites for invented therapists and the booking page their clients use: services, session lengths and open times on one page. That's the page a client should reach after scanning a card.
- A video line you can print.Video sessions run in the browser and are end-to-end encrypted, and TranqBay provides a Business Associate Agreement that applies when you accept the Terms.
- Forms after the booking.The form library has ready-made templates you send to a client for a session, including intake, consent to treat, telehealth consent and release of information. The client fills them in online and the answers wait with the session. The release of information form is there for the permission most therapists get before updating a referring physician.
Whatever you use, set up the booking page before you design the card. A QR code needs a finished page to point to, and if the address changes later, every printed card is out of date.
Frequently asked questions about therapist business cards
What should a therapist put on a business card?
Your name, license title and number, who you help in two or three phrases, where you see clients (an office town or the states you see clients in by video), a short web address and a QR code to your booking page, a phone number and a practice email. A crisis line on the back is a good addition.
Do I have to put my license number on my business card?
It depends on your state and license. California's BBS rules ask for the license number in any advertisement, and they define advertising to include issuing a card. California psychologists must also include their number. New Jersey counselors must show their 12-digit number on business cards. Texas asks counselors to state their licensure status, and Florida asks for the title or its letters. Where your rule doesn't say, include the number anyway: it lets anyone verify your license.
Can I put testimonials or reviews on my card?
Leave them off. The ACA, NASW and APA codes all restrict asking clients for testimonials, and a card has no room for the permission and context a testimonial needs.
Should a therapist business card have a QR code?
Yes, if it opens your booking page and you've tested it on paper with two phones. Print the web address next to it for people who won't scan.
What size is a business card?
The US standard is 3.5 by 2 inches. Keep all text at least 1/8 inch inside the edge.
Should I list my home address or personal cell phone?
Not unless your state requires a street address for your practice location, as New Jersey does for counselors, and New Jersey lets you ask for a waiver for safety. Use a business line and a practice email.
What should an associate or intern put on a business card?
Your full associate or intern title as your board writes it, your registration number, and your supervisor's name where required. California associates also need their employer's name and a statement that they are supervised by a licensed person, and Texas wants the supervisor's name right after yours.
Do therapists still need business cards?
Many clients search online first, but a card still does a job a search can't: a physician, a school counselor or a colleague can hand it to someone who needs help, and that person can scan it to book. A small run you update every year is usually enough.
Set up the page first, then order the cards
The card is the last thing to make. Decide the license line from your board's rule, pick the two or three phrases for who you help, and make sure your booking page is live before you design anything around it. If you don't have a booking page yet, see the template sites and booking page on practice.tranqbay.health: a client who scans your card should land on a page like that one, with your services and open times, and you can set yours up before the cards go to print. Our guide to the best therapist websites has a scorecard for the page itself. If you're deciding whether to join, this page explains how joining TranqBay works, and there are more guides for therapists in private practice on the blog.
Sources
States 2Regulations 4Associations 3HHS 2w3.org 1Federal 1988 Lifeline 1
State boards and laws2
- 1California Board of Behavioral Sciences, Fact Sheet and FAQs: Licensee and Registrant Advertising Requirements, effective April 1, 2026 (PDF)bbs.ca.govhttps://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/publications/adv_guide.pdf
- 2Florida Statutes section 491.0149: Display of license; use of professional title on promotional materials (2025)flsenate.govhttps://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/491.0149
Laws and regulations4
- 3California Code of Regulations, Title 16, section 1380.6: Display of License Number (Cornell LII)law.cornell.eduhttps://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/california/16-CCR-1380.6
- 422 Texas Administrative Code section 681.49: Advertising and Announcements (Cornell LII)law.cornell.eduhttps://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/texas/22-Tex-Admin-Code-SS-681-49
- 5Florida Administrative Code 64B19-17.003: Advertising (psychology) (Cornell LII)law.cornell.eduhttps://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/florida/Fla-Admin-Code-Ann-R-64B19-17-003
- 6New Jersey Administrative Code 13:34-29.3: Minimum content (professional counselors' advertising) (Cornell LII)law.cornell.eduhttps://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/new-jersey/N-J-A-C-13-34-29-3
Professional associations3
- 7American Counseling Association, 2014 ACA Code of Ethics (C.3.a, C.3.b, C.4.a, C.4.b, C.4.d)counseling.orghttps://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/ethics/2014-aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
- 8National Association of Social Workers, Code of Ethics, section 4 (4.06, 4.07)socialworkers.orghttps://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English/Social-Workers-Ethical-Responsibilities-as-Professionals
- 9American Psychological Association, Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (5.01, 5.05, 5.06)apa.orghttps://www.apa.org/ethics/code