Expand Psychology

Background

Expand Psychology, formerly known as The Center for Cognitive Therapy and Assessment (CCTA), is a mental health psychology group practice located in Northern Virginia. After two decades of growth, the founder sought to rebrand the business to reflect their expanded services.

As part of their rebrand, they changed the company name. They needed a new brand identity and website to transition from a narrow focus on CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) for children to the comprehensive offerings the practice now provides, including therapy and testing for children, adolescents, and adults.

The Challenge

The existing website was outdated, difficult to navigate, and did not align with the practice’s business goals of attracting more adult clients and showcasing its testing services. The new website needed to present the rebrand effectively, including a comprehensive overhaul of content and visual assets.

The website needed to communicate the shift from CBT-only to a holistic practice in an organized structure across different client groups (children, adolescents, adults, and parents). The redesign aimed to educate about therapy and testing to build trust. It also had to differentiate its practice by emphasizing clinician expertise, client-therapist fit, and collaborative care.

The Approach

Kickoff, Strategy and Sitemap

Since Expand Psychology has been in business for 20 years and had an existing website and online presence, we did a local SEO audit to review their current rankings in the DMV area, which informed the new site architecture. We restructured the website pages and developed a new site map, which guided the content writing.

Content Development

We reviewed all existing written content from the old website. We hired Michelle Zlakowski, a content writer specializing in the health and wellness industry, to write the home and primary service pages based on our site map and content document. We wrote and edited the content for the remaining pages, creating page titles and descriptions for SEO/AIO. The content was rewritten to highlight services by age group and treatment type, infused with relevant keywords, and updated to include helpful content that aligns with the brand strategy.

Visual Direction and Brand Photography

When planning out the visual content for the website, Evelyn suggested a custom photoshoot to showcase their staff and how they interact with clients. Since many of their clients are children, we suggested that they consider hiring models. Often, clients are unaware that this is a viable option when actual clients are unavailable or not amenable.

While the content was getting written, we planned and art-directed a custom brand photoshoot [CAN LINK TO BLOG POST]. We collaborated with photographer Sam Levitan to capture authentic, professional imagery, comprising clinician headshots, team photos, office spaces, and client photos, ensuring the visuals conveyed warmth and professionalism. Using real imagery versus generic stock or AI-generated images makes a significant difference because potential clients can genuinely connect with the actual therapists they will be working with and partnering directly with, both in person and online.

The photoshoot involved extensive pre-planning, a photoshoot guide provided by us for their team, guidance on color, wardrobe, and office location, as well as an in-person office scout meeting. The all-day photoshoot included rearranging furniture, setting up lighting, art directing shots, working with 3 child models and the Expand team, and moving to 4 different offices for variety. We did all post-photoshoot tasks, including selecting the best shots, editing, skin retouching, cropping, and image optimization.

Brand and Website Design

After the final content and photos were in hand, we designed three high-fidelity home page design concepts in tandem with the logo designs [WILL LINK TO CASE STUDY ONCE PUBLISHED]. Each concept featured a modern professional web design. After they chose their favorite concept, we refined the visual direction further, produced the final visual assets and started the website build process.

Website Build and Testing

We built a responsive, SEO/AIO optimized site that's easy to navigate, clarifies their services, audience, hours, locations, and highlights their team. It’s authentic, accessible, has a clean design and organized content. The font, colors, and button styles sync perfectly with the logo, creating a consistent brand experience across all touchpoints (including a business card and tri-fold brochure).

Custom elements include a secondary navigation, rotating word headline, customized icons and optimized brand photography. We helped them set up and embed Google Forms, which are HIPAA compliant, until they are ready to revamp their client CRM portal.

We connected their new and old domains, walked them through setting up their website's legal policy, implemented URL redirects, reformatted their blog, created email mailing lists, and post-launch connected analytics and submitted their sitemap to ensure search engine indexing. We also guided them with a strategy for announcing the rebrand to the world and designed printed collateral for their launch party.

The Outcome

The new brand and website showcase modern design and branded content, which builds trust through clear services, clinician bios, blog content, and FAQs. The improved navigation helps visitors find exactly what they’re looking for. The calls to action provide clear pathways to drive increased inquiries, supporting their growth. Over time, the site will organically grow its local presence in the Falls Church and Alexandria region.

The website serves as both a marketing tool and educational space, positioning Expand Psychology as a trusted, mid-sized, psychologist-led practice in Northern Virginia.