Palmetto Counseling
Palmetto Counseling & Consulting is a team of dedicated therapists providing compassionate mental health care to the community in northern South Carolina and the greater Charlotte, N.C., areas. With two locations in Rock Hill, S.C., and Fort Mill, S.C., Palmetto Counseling has created a welcoming space where clients feel supported the moment they walk through the door. Since opening in 2008, the practice has grown to 15 therapists who share the same commitment to making high-quality care accessible for all ages, ethnicities, and life experiences.
The Palmetto Counseling team found us the way so many great discoveries start: via Google search. From the first conversation, we could tell they weren’t just looking for a website; they wanted something that truly represented the warmth and expertise they bring to their clients every day. We were excited to help them create an online presence that felt just as inviting and supportive as their in-person care.
Industry
Health & Wellness
Collaborators
Andi Lucas, Founder & CEO
Julia Giordano, Content Writing & Social
Elizabeth Phillips, Web & Graphic Design
Sarah Fils-Aime, Marketing Content Specialist
Services Provided
(Click to jump to each section)
Web Design
Project Brief
Bird’s Eye View
Before finding Hummingbird Marketing Services, Palmetto Counseling’s website was boring and generic. Beyond listing the counseling services offered and providing a phone number for scheduling, opportunities for engagement and the personality behind the practice were lacking. The Palmetto Counseling team came to us with a solid foundation and an eagerness to transform their website into an inviting, informative, and authentic online experience that mirrored visiting the offices in person.
Ruffled Feathers: Palmetto Counseling’s Pain Points
In addition to feeling disconnected from the true feel of Palmetto Counseling, the practice’s old website had grown cluttered with too much information over time, making it harder for current and future clients to find what they needed. The design also wasn’t quite right. The bold pink and turquoise colors felt more energetic than soothing, and the stock photos, filled with anxious-looking clients and simulated therapy sessions, just didn’t match the real experience of walking into the Palmetto Counseling offices. The team wanted a site that felt as safe and welcoming as the spaces they’ve created in person, one that reassured people they were in the right place.
Our Flight Plan
We wanted to create a website that made life easier for both the Palmetto team and their clients, offering a simple, seamless way for new clients to get started without feeling like they were stuck playing phone tag. Our secondary goal was to immerse visitors into the heart and soul of the practice. This opportunity was exciting for us from all design standpoints — improve navigation and site features for a better user experience, refresh brand elements for cohesion and clarity, and tailor text and imagery for simultaneous soothing and storytelling.
Feathers in Our Cap: Top Accomplishments
We delivered a true website transformation.
One of the biggest wins for Palmetto Counseling was transforming its previously sterile-looking and stock image-heavy website into an elevated, uplifting, and user-friendly online experience that truly embodied the essence of Palmetto Counseling. When we launched the new site, Rich’s response said it all: “You guys knocked it out of the park for us.”
A major part of achieving this homerun came down to imagery. Since privacy is essential, we couldn’t use pictures of real clients, so we meticulously selected stock photography that felt natural and authentic. Instead of the unrealistic “therapist with a clipboard” images, we focused on people who looked happy, well-adjusted, and at ease to showcase the kind of transformation Palmetto Counseling helps their clients achieve. Every photo was purposefully chosen to reflect warmth, trust, and the sense of relief that comes from finding the right support.
Beyond visuals, the content played a huge role in bringing this vision to life. All 17,000+ words on the site were written with intention by our talented content writer, Julia Giordano, who crafted messaging to capture the heart of Palmetto Counseling’s work, making sure the content felt inviting, reassuring, and reflective of the care they provide.
We delivered a true website transformation.
One of the biggest wins for Palmetto Counseling was transforming its previously sterile-looking and stock image-heavy website into an elevated, uplifting, and user-friendly online experience that truly embodied the essence of Palmetto Counseling. When we launched the new site, Rich’s response said it all: “You guys knocked it out of the park for us.”
A major part of achieving this homerun came down to imagery. Since privacy is essential, we couldn’t use pictures of real clients, so we meticulously selected stock photography that felt natural and authentic. Instead of the unrealistic “therapist with a clipboard” images, we focused on people who looked happy, well-adjusted, and at ease to showcase the kind of transformation Palmetto Counseling helps their clients achieve. Every photo was purposefully chosen to reflect warmth, trust, and the sense of relief that comes from finding the right support.
Beyond visuals, the content played a huge role in bringing this vision to life. All 17,000+ words on the site were written with intention by our talented content writer, Julia Giordano, who crafted messaging to capture the heart of Palmetto Counseling’s work, making sure the content felt inviting, reassuring, and reflective of the care they provide.
We dug deep to share the story that started it all.
Before working together, Palmetto Counseling therapists had never really shared their stories on who they are as individuals or a practice as a whole. The previous website listed their services, but it didn’t give site visitors a sense of who these people were or why they did this work. We knew that had to change.
To bring their story to life, we went straight to the center of the practice: the people. We conducted individual interviews with each clinician and staff member, diving into their backgrounds, their approaches, and, most importantly, why they chose this field. Palmetto Counseling is built on the belief that therapy isn’t just a job; it’s a calling. Their team is made up of people who feel deeply compelled to do this work. That passion needed to come through in every bio.
Through these conversations, we were able to create personal, thoughtful introductions that went beyond credentials and experience. Each bio now reflects the warmth, dedication, and unique approach that every therapist brings to clients. The result is a website that doesn’t just list names and qualifications but gives visitors a real sense of the people they will be trusting with their care. For the first time, Palmetto Counseling had a space to tell their story, and it made all the difference.
We streamlined information for clarity and accessibility.
An impactful transition for Palmetto Counseling was taking the overwhelming website and turning it into something that felt clear, intentional, and easy to navigate. The previous site was packed with information that made it feel cluttered and difficult to find what really mattered. It was functional, but it wasn’t user-friendly, and it certainly didn’t reflect the warmth and professionalism of the practice.
We didn’t just cut pages; we restructured everything to make it more intuitive. We organized the content in a way that made sense, guiding visitors naturally to the information they needed without feeling lost in a sea of text. Every section was refined to be clear, welcoming, and engaging. The result? The site is still big, but it doesn’t feel big. It feels streamlined, purposeful, and thoughtfully designed. Now, when someone visits, they aren’t overwhelmed. They can easily find a therapist, learn about services, and start the intake process (via form vs. phone call) without frustration.
We streamlined information for clarity and accessibility.
An impactful transition for Palmetto Counseling was taking the overwhelming website and turning it into something that felt clear, intentional, and easy to navigate. The previous site was packed with information that made it feel cluttered and difficult to find what really mattered. It was functional, but it wasn’t user-friendly, and it certainly didn’t reflect the warmth and professionalism of the practice.
We didn’t just cut pages; we restructured everything to make it more intuitive. We organized the content in a way that made sense, guiding visitors naturally to the information they needed without feeling lost in a sea of text. Every section was refined to be clear, welcoming, and engaging. The result? The site is still big, but it doesn’t feel big. It feels streamlined, purposeful, and thoughtfully designed. Now, when someone visits, they aren’t overwhelmed. They can easily find a therapist, learn about services, and start the intake process (via form vs. phone call) without frustration.
The Final Product
Other Flutterworthy Features
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Professional Photography
We encouraged Palmetto to bring in a professional photographer to capture consistent-looking headshots of the therapists and the inviting office spaces, giving potential clients a sense of comfort and familiarity before they even walk through the door.
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Smart, User-Friendly Navigation
We organized the site so that services and therapists are easily searchable, tagging clinicians by specialty so visitors can quickly find the right therapist for their needs.
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Streamlined Forms & Applications
One of the team’s biggest frustrations was how long it took for new clients to get scheduled. The website needed to convey that emailing was the fastest way to schedule an appointment. Still, people would call, leave messages, and wait for a callback from the very overwhelmed reception team. The process wasn’t working, and it was starting to show in Palmetto Counseling’s reviews. We converted key documents into fillable PDFs, making it easier for new clients to complete forms and for therapists to apply without unnecessary printing and scanning.
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A Design That Truly Captured Their Essence
In one of our early conversations, Palmetto Counseling’s Founder and Executive Director, Rich Schlauch, pulled up an album cover: Bright Size Life by Pat Metheny. Rich said, “When I think about the vibe of the website, this is what I picture.” It was clean, uncluttered, and full of open space, simple but intentional. That moment shaped our entire design approach. We used Rich’s inspiration to deliver a subtle coastal feel that reflected the calm and warmth of the practice’s South Carolina roots. The result was not only a better working website but one exuding life and personality.
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Photo Gallery
Love Notes
Rich Schlauch
Founder, President & CEO, Palmetto Counseling
“We couldn’t be happier with the website Hummingbird Marketing Services built for us! Their expertise and creativity far exceeded our expectations. From the very beginning, Andi and the team at Hummingbird were professional, responsive, and truly understood our vision. They created a modern, user-friendly website that perfectly represents our brand and engages our clients. Since launching the new site, we’ve seen a significant increase in traffic and client engagement. The seamless design and optimized performance have helped us generate more leads than ever before. We highly recommend Hummingbird Marketing Services to any business looking for a top-notch website and digital marketing expertise. Their dedication and skill made all the difference!”
