Are Paid or Free Therapist Directories Worth It? A Definitive Guide
From Psychology Today to Therapy Den, here are the Pros, the Cons, and the way to get the most out of Therapist Directories.
Many therapists invest both time and money to list their practices in paid and free therapist directories therapist directories.
But is that investment a smart decision, or is it a waste of your resources?
If you do create a listing for yourself, which directory is most likely to bring you the results that you want?
What kind of results can you expect to get from listing yourself . . . and what are the limitations of the online therapist directories?
All of these questions are ones that we will discuss in this post! We will examine the different therapist directories where therapists can create a profile and list themselves. I’ll also give you all the details about the pros, cons, and costs of these therapists directories, so that you can make an informed decision about what the best approach is for you and your practice.
Section One: What can a listing in paid or free therapist directories do for you?
The Limitations of Gaining Visibility Through a Therapist Directory
The main reason to subscribe to a paid or free therapist directories is to gain visibility and, hopefully to attract more clients. But, many of the general therapist directories are quite oversaturated. You will have to take the time to make your listing stand out, and it would be a mistake to rely on your listing too heavily. It could be a useful *part* of your practice-building strategy – but it should not be the core of that strategy.
It is good to know, however, that more specialized listings can be less saturated and, therefore, more useful. If you have specialized training (for example, if you are a Gottman trained marriage counselor) or are part of a particular group or community (such as a minority or religious group) there may be potential clients specifically seeking out therapists with your expertise or background. In this case, it is crucial to make sure that you are listed on these specialized directories *and* that your website is set up so that it will be included in the search results when someone searches for these topics.
Search Engine Optimization: Using a Therapist Directory to send Visitors to your Therapist Website
The significant benefit of listing your practice on a therapist directory is to get a high-quality link to your website, which boosts your therapist website’s search engine optimization (SEO.)
This increases your online visibility, making it easier for many potential clients to find you. If you sign up to the most respected sites like Psychology Today, your website will get a boost and will rank higher up in relevant search results. A link from here will direct visitors to your website and you may end up getting new clients.
Even when using your profile primarily to drive traffic to your website, it is still important to make the most of that profile. Simple steps, such as making sure that you include a profile picture, listing your specialties and areas of expertise, and having a well-written profile page are crucial.
Remember to make the focus of your page about the client, rather than yourself. And be sure not to over-promise. It can be easy to click the boxed next to many special areas of focus, but make sure that you define clearly exactly what you do and who you serve. Clients will be more attracted to someone who demonstrates that they are a true expert in a specific area, rather than someone who is a jack-of-all-trades.
The Limitations of Paid or Free Therapist Directories
However, even though directories are great tools for helping you, they also have their downsides. You need a place where you can showcase your services in a detailed and authentic way. Besides what you offer, potential clients will want to know how you do it, the procedures, the problems you will help them solve, and more. You can only give such details through a therapist website.
Additionally, it is important to remember that, ultimately, the directory does not belong to you and you do not have control over it. Don’t make the mistake of becoming overly dependent on these directories.
A therapist directory can, at any time, shut down, raise their prices, shift their focus, or demonstrate low ethical standards that make you reluctant to associate your name with them. It is important that you build up a platform for connecting directly with clients that is fully yours, and under your control. Your therapist website is ultimately the “home” that you need online. Directories can be useful, but should never take the place of creating something that is truly your own.
Your therapist website is a great way of showing authority in your field. It increases your credibility as customers are able to get a feel of the what and the why of your private practice. You are able to share crucial information about your business, and also give potential clients a real chance to get to know who you are. On your website, you do not have to compete with other therapists – you are not one listing out of 300. You are able to really speak about what makes you different from other providers, give clients a sense of what it would be like to work with you, and create a real connection with those website visitors who may be the perfect fit.
Section Two: Therapist Directories You Might Want to Check Out
There are hundreds of therapist directories online and picking the right one to list your services can be quite overwhelming. If you have a specific area of specialization, such as art therapy, it is important to look for therapist directories that cater to your specialty, to increase your chances of getting clients.
To help you find the best directories online, here is a list of 10 of the best therapist directories where you can create a profile and list yourself. We have included their pros, cons, and costs to help you make the best decision.
1. The Most Popular Therapist Directory: Psychology Today
Psychology Today is the best-known and most popular therapist directory. It is a well-established directory and has been around for a very long time (the magazine was started in 1967.) In addition to being able to create a profile in their directory, paying for a membership with them also allows you to put a Psychology Today logo on your website. (Although many therapists do this, it is questionable how much seeing that logo on your site will help increase your authority for potential clients.)
Psychology Today has high credibility and once you join it you become part of a trusted brand. They do everything they can to protect you by ensuring that they confirm and verify your license. This means that no unqualified practitioners gain access. Listing your practice with psychology today comes with added benefits like instant tracking of phone calls and emails.
Pro tip: If you sign up for a profile with Psychology today, make sure to monitor how often people are viewing your profile and compare that with how many people are then contacting you through your website. If you have a high number of people clicking through to see your website but then *not* requesting an appointment – that is a good sign that you need to evaluate what needs to be done better on your therapist website to convert those visitors!
When creating your profile on Psychology today, don’t forget to include your picture in your profile. You can look at other people’s profiles to get a feel of what is working, and how to write a description that is going to actually attract clients.
Psychology today charges a flat fee of $29.95 per month. If you are not sure if this is for you, you can create a profile, give it a chance to see how it goes, and then you can always cancel if you feel like you’re not getting results from it.
The main downside of this directory is that it is flooded. Almost every licensed practitioner is listed here. That isn’t a reason to *not* create a profile, but it is a reason to not rely on it too heavily.
Pros:
- Well known and popular
- Verification of your license adds credibility
Cost: $29.95
Cons:
- Oversaturated, therefore hard to be seen
- Adding a psychology today logo to your website may not mean much to potential clients
2. An Up and Coming Therapist Directory: Therapy Den
Therapy Den is an online directory where you can create a comprehensive and personal profile to help your potential clients find you. It promises inclusivity and representation at all levels. It provides more than 140 search filters for both you and the clients for a better experience.
Signing up at Therapy Den is free. After a trial period, there are different options that range between $20 and $30 per month. You will be expected to define your unique offerings, experiences, values, and beliefs. Your profile should specify your niche services, specialty, value proposition, and set clear expectations.
This is aimed at helping you get the right clients for you. Once you join this directory, you get access to an exclusive community of supportive therapists. Here, you can share your expertise, read and listen to helpful content, and learn how to create an open practice.
Therapy Den makes the clients’ experience pleasant by providing a detailed, map-based search and can toggle between in-person and online counseling. They can also use the scheduling and contact functionality to make work easier for them. This means that it’s easy for clients to contact you and schedule meetings without leaving the page.
Pros:
- Less saturated market
- Map based search is available
- Includes a community with helpful content
Cost: Free to start, with options from $20-$30 per month after a trial period
Cons:
- Less well-known and established
- The process of creating a profile is more time consuming
3. A Well-Designed, User Friendly Therapist Directory: Therapy Tribe
Therapy Tribe is an attractive and well designed therapist directory, that is much more user friendly than many of its competitors. This alone makes it stand out. Therapy Tribe offers two membership options, a monthly and an annual listing. The monthly listing costs $29.95 with the first month free and you can cancel anytime. The annual listing costs $299 per year with a 30-day money-back guarantee. This is their best value as you get to save $60.
Once you select your membership plan, it’s time to submit your listing. Therapy tribe allows you to give in-depth practice information, two searchable office locations, and unlimited practice specialties. You can also link to your website, your personal therapy tribe blogs as well as feature a video. By joining Therapy Tribe, you will benefit from a well-designed profile page, a direct email contact form, and a smart search that shows your profile in nearby towns.
Pros:
- User-Friendly and Attractive Design
- Less saturated market
- Allows you to upload a video intro
Cost:$29.95 per month or $299 per year
Cons:
- Less well-known and established
4. Options for Rehab and Treatment Centers: Good therapy
If you are looking to get more clients and grow your private practice, then Good Therapy is a good place to start from. This directory has been in the market for over a decade and has helped hundreds of mental health professionals reach their practice goals. You will gain a great return on investment, continuing content education, and promoting workshops.
To get started, you need to sign up following the few steps that are required, create and customize your profile and provide all the necessary information and tools that customers can use to schedule an appointment with you. Once someone searches for services in your area of expertise, your profile and practice information will appear making it easier for you to find clients.
You can choose from three membership plans, that is, Basic, Premium, and Pro. The basic membership plan costs $323 per year, while the premium membership costs $430 per year and the pro plan costs $537 per year. These costs are on the higher side compared to the previous listings. You can also get group membership where you can list your group’s clinicians using Good Therapy’s Basic Membership. In addition, you have the option to advertise your facilities in GoodTherapy’s Rehab and Treatment Center Directory where you can connect with potential clients.
Pros:
- Options for Group Practices
- Options for Rehab and Treatment centers
Cost: Free to start, with options from $20-$30 per month after a trial period
Cons:
- Less well-known and established
- More Expensive than some other options
- The process of creating a profile is more time consuming
5. Most Progressive Therapist Directory: Inclusive Therapists
Inclusive Therapists is a directory that is specifically focusing on creating a listing of therapists who are especially sensitive to or members of minority communities and creating a place to find therapists who are oriented toward social justice issues and who are eager to work with people who want therapists who are very tuned in to a variety of social and cultural issues. They support therapists who are focused on marginalized groups including indigenous, black and people of color, people living with disabilities as well as the LGBTQ+
They offer three membership plans with the simple plan going for $19 monthly. This includes 30 days of free listing and you can cancel at any time. The Expand plan costs $89 monthly and you can link to multiple websites. They also have a Scholars plan which is absolutely free. It offers simple, safe, and more transparent services. This directory is not open to therapists who are not dealing with sensitive groups.
Pros:
- Less saturated market
- Appeals to a niche market and helps you stand out
Cost: Free to start, with options from $19-$89 per month after a trial period
Cons:
- Less well-known and established
- Not a good fit for every therapist
6. Therapist Directory for Marriage Counselors: Family and Marriage Counseling Directory
This directory focuses on therapists that help marriages and families. It not only focuses on local therapists but also on online service providers. They support online counseling and have included a messaging or “chat” type of interface, where you can use it with or without a webcam. Therefore, you can opt to list yourself on the online counseling page instead of the local therapist page. The Family and Marriage Counselling Directory lists different types of therapists including clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, counseling psychologists, marriage and family therapists, among
This directory is hard to navigate through and can easily discourage a potential client. Finding your way around it will take a lot of guessing, which most people don’t have time for. If you need a Help Guide, you will need to submit your email through their online form so that they can get back to you with the guide.
Pros:
- Focus on a particular niche helps you stand out
- Supports Online Therapy Options
Cost: Their service offers a few different options – visit their website for more information.
Cons:
- The directory is hard to navigate and not user friendly
- There seem to be frequent errors when using their site
- It is difficult to get support
- They allow advertising on their site, which some may view as problematic
7. Therapist Directory with Lots of Upgrade Options: Theravive
Theravive is a directory that guarantees its members at least one paying client once they sign up. Listing your profile with this directory earns you individualized customized marketing tailored to you. Your practice is also SEO optimized for all major search engines. Once you sign up, proceed to create an attractive and professional profile. To ensure that you stand out, all cities in Theravive are given limited space, making your membership exclusive. This directory allows you to create and post seminars, workshops, and group counseling sessions in your area.
The standard cost of listing with this directory is $247-$397 per year. If you need the Enhanced and VIP plans, you will need to call them. The rates are on the higher side and if you’re just starting out, you may find it quite expensive to list your services here.
Pros:
- Less saturated market
- Options for sharing content and posting blogs
Cost: $247 – $397 for basic options, call for info about more advanced options
Cons:
- More expensive than many other options
- Less well-known and established
- The process of creating a profile is more time consuming
8. Niche Market Therapist Directory: OK Clarity
This is a great directory that is specifically focused on the Jewish community and helping people in that Community to find therapists. It’s free to sign up and create a profile making it one of the best options especially when starting out on your practice.
In addition to the directory listing, you can also benefit from their blogs and articles. This up-and-coming directory is very active and one of the fastest growing online. OK Clarity is mainly for the Jewish community, so if you’re not from this community, you may not benefit.
Pros:
- Niche Market = Less saturated market
- Fast Growing Directory
- Includes a community with helpful content
Cost: Free to community members.
Cons:
- Less well-known and established
- Only a fit if you are part of their niche community
9. Educational Focused Therapist Directory: Find a Therapist
Find A Therapist is a forum that focuses on education. They describe themselves as, “compassionate community providing education, resources, and support to those facing mental health concerns.”
Find a Therapist is a directory that is dedicated to helping therapists grow their practice while giving them maximum ability to focus on helping people. This directory allows you to create a complete professional profile that will include your license, treatment options that you provide, your certifications, and any associations that you belong to.
As a member of this directory, you will get a dedicated customer support that is available five days a week. Your listing is placed in your state so that you have more targeted clients. It also allows you to share your social profiles and get a link to your website. You can sign up for the professional plan which costs $9.95 per month or a Premium plan which costs $99.95 per year.
Pros:
- They have an educational focus that seeks to provide resources to potential clients
- Less saturated market
- Attractive and User-Friendly Design
Cons:
- Less well-known and established
Cost: $9.95 per month or a Premium plan which costs $99.95 per year.
9. 10. A Focus on SEO: Being Seen
This directory is very modern and quite user-friendly. It’s designed in a really attractive way and it’s smaller. They have a real focus on creating an SEO benefit when you link your therapist website to their directory. This makes it easier for a therapist to get visible both in this directory and through their own websites. Lots of therapists who have used this directory have only good things to say about it and they have highly recommended it.
If you want your private practice to gain visibility then using this robust platform will help you feature your services and get the support that you really need to get seen. To help you get noticed and reduce the chances of your profile getting lost in a sea of other profiles, they limit the member profiles per given city based on its population size.
Once you sign up with Being Seen, they run a Google AdWords ad in your city 24/7 to direct clients to therapist profiles in that area. This makes your chances of being seen quite high. As a member of Being Seen, you enjoy unique member incentives that enliven and enrich their practices.
To create your profile with Being Seen, you need to pay a one-time fee of $100 if you are an Open Path member, then fill out the form provided. If you are a new registrant, then you will be required to make a one-time payment of $150.
Pros:
- Unique focus on SEO
- Less saturated market
- Attractive and User-Friendly Design
- One-Time Fee
Cost: $100 or $150, depending on whether you are a member of their other organization, One Path.
Cons:
- Charges may come up for other offered services
- Many of the profiles may become out-dated, if they do not require on-going payment and maintenance.
Section Three: Making Your Therapist Directory Profile Stand Out
Creating an attractive and compelling profile is the next step to using therapist directories effectively. While writing your bio, make an effort to be both brief and authentic. Remember to keep the focus on the way you can impact your clients life, rather than talking too much about yourself. Your qualifications / education are important, but will matter less to potential clients than a feeling that you will be compassionate and be able to understand the unique problems they are facing.
Make sure to include a link to your own therapist website in your profile. Many potential clients will use a directory to find therapists in their area, but then will visit your website to decide if they can really feel a connection to you. Not having a website linked to your profile can give the impression that you are less professional or less well established than other therapists listed on the directory.
Don’t skip the basics, such as including a photo of yourself. People want to have a sense of who you are in order to feel that they will be able to trust you. Sharing some pictures of your office can also be very helpful.
Remember to define any terms that you use, and to avoid acronyms. If you refer to DBT without an explanation, you will lose many people who won’t know what that stands for and will feel a disconnect because it will seem that you can’t “speak in their language.”
Don’t forget to include basic details, such as your location, hours of operation, and whether or not you accept insurance.
Don't Forget:
When using paid or free therapist directories, consider these points:
- Identify your client’s pain-point and assure them that you understand what they are going through.
- Assure the clients that they are not struggling alone and that therapy is a viable option.
- Inform your potential clients about your approach including techniques, procedures, and how you work with clients.
- Include a short list of simple frequently asked questions (FAQ) that resonate with your potential clients
Once you have your bio in place, review the directories’ do and don’ts to ensure that you don’t get rejected. Ask a friend or someone you trust to review your listing for errors before submitting it.
The process of evaluating different therapist directories and choosing which you want to be listed on can be overwhelming! I hope this list and the information in this post has helped you and made it possible to make more informed choices. Have I gotten anything wrong, missed something important, or forgotten a directory that you would highly recommend? Leave a comment below and let me know! I plan to keep this post up – to date and to make changes
Don't Miss These Recent Blog Posts!
Pin These!
Did you like this post? Share it!
Related Reads for Starting A Therapy Business
- Counseling Practice Names for Branding and Website
- How to Start a Therapy Practice Online- How To Offer It Successfully
- How to Choose Your Therapy Niche and Get More Clients
- Are Paid or Free Therapist Directories Worth It? A Definitive Guide
- How to Create A Therapist Directory Listing that Gets You Results
- What You Need to Know About Starting a Telehealth Private Practice
- Importance of Getting Professional Design Services for Counseling Websites
- 31 Engaging Content Prompts For Your Therapy Biz
- Branding Your Mental Health Private Practice
- Your Therapist Logo: The Ultimate Guide
- Quotes for Therapists – Inspirational and Uplifting Quotes for Therapists
- 10 Therapist Podcasts You Should Be Listening to in 2024
- Starting a Private Practice in Counseling!
- 12 Things You Should Know Before Starting a Counseling Website
- Finding Joy in Your Practice: 4 Things to Learn from Donald Altman
- Therapist Logo Ideas – Find Inspiration in the World Around You!
- Eight Questions to Ask Yourself When Starting Private Practice in Psychology
- Secure Website Design for Mental Health Professionals
- Best Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Blog
- Is It Worth Making a Website for a Small Business?
Need any of the following? Contact us!
Here are some Sample Websites We’ve Created:
Check out our Portfolio for more!
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Email
Hi! I’m Sarah.
I help counselors and therapists have a bigger impact on the world through better client connection. I do this by creating beautiful visuals and strategically designed websites.
2 thoughts on “Using a Therapist Directory: The Definitive Guide”
Can you add SimplePractice’s new directory: https://meetmonarch.com? Like zocdoc, most providers allow you to request an appointment directly from the site without ever having to pick up a phone. It’s new (launched in May 2021), but already have over 10k therapists listed.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention Daren!