AI is changing how people find therapists — searches increasingly return AI-generated answers that cite a handful of trusted sources rather than ten blue links. To stay visible, therapy practices need structured, question-first content, schema markup and an llms.txt file so AI engines can understand and cite them accurately.
From SEO to AEO
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) was about ranking pages. Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is about being cited inside the answer itself. When ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or Google's AI Overviews respond to a question about therapy, they pull from a small number of trusted sources — and those sources are increasingly the only ones that matter.
What to do — practically
1. Make your authorship visible
Every piece of content on your site should have a clear author, ideally with a Person schema entry listing credentials. Google's systems — and AI citation engines — are looking for named, credentialled humans behind the work.
2. Answer questions completely
AI systems extract answers in chunks of 50–150 words. Write content that answers a single question completely within that span, then expands.
3. Cite recognised sources
When you reference research, BACP guidance, NICE recommendations, or other clinical sources — link to them directly.
4. Keep content fresh
AI search engines strongly prefer recent content for YMYL topics. Add visible 'last updated' dates and revisit cornerstone pages at least annually.
The therapy practices that win the next five years won't be the ones that adopt AI fastest. They'll be the ones that build the kind of authority AI systems are forced to cite.
Adam Watters, Founder, Psyche Creative
We build this authority into everything we create for clients — schema, named authorship, and source-citing from the outset. The practices we work with, including Hutchins Psychology and Dr Lorna Robinson, are built to be cited. See our case studies →
We help UK therapy practices and training providers stay visible across both traditional and AI-driven search. Explore our Full-Funnel service →
Adam works with UK therapy practices, EMDR trainers and mental health organisations on websites, social media and digital campaigns. He started Psyche Creative to give clinicians a marketing partner who understands the sector — and won't compromise on professional standards to get results.
