Psychology Today profile: is it worth it for therapy clients?

Psychology Today profile cost

The price is flat, month to month:

That is about $360 a year in the US. Psychology Today says there is no way to pay more for a better spot:

"All professionals pay the same for their listings—there are no premium placements or paid ranking." (Psychology Today: About Us)

Each colleague who joins from your invitation earns you a free month (Psychology Today).

Is a Psychology Today profile worth it?

Judge it by your own numbers, not the sales page. Your account shows "how many people have viewed your profile, and who has contacted you" (Psychology Today). Check it every quarter:

1. Count contacts from the profile in the last three months.
2. Count how many became clients.
3. Divide the fee by new clients. At $90 a quarter, one new client is a cost of $90 per client.

If a quarter brings zero clients, fix the profile (below) before cancelling. If two quarters bring zero, the time and money may do more on your own website and Google listing.

Psychology Today says its directory "appears as the top Google search result for therapy-seekers 96.2% of the time" and that about 971,000 people browse the US directory weekly (Psychology Today). These are the company's own figures; it doesn't publish how they were measured.

Psychology Today profile not showing up

Psychology Today doesn't publish its ranking rules. What it does say explains most "I can't find myself" cases:

"Randomized rotations ensure no single listing dominates, so you can discover all your options." (Psychology Today: About Us)

So your position changes from search to search. Check these in order:

• Verification. Psychology Today checks credentials with licensing or credentialing bodies and keeps monitoring them (About Us). Make sure the license details in your profile match your board's record.
• Location. Check that your office address in the profile is current.
• Filters. Clients narrow results with what Psychology Today calls "Comprehensive filters" (Psychology Today). A field you leave blank can't match a client's filter.
• Search as a client would. Search your city in a private browser window, then add one filter at a time.

Psychology Today profile tips

The profile can hold "an intro video, personal statement, and photo gallery" and a link to your own website (Psychology Today). Use all of them:

• Open with the client's problem, in their words: "Can't sleep since the layoff?" beats your list of modalities.
• Fill every filter that is true: issues, ages, insurance, fees, languages, telehealth.
• Add the intro video. It is the closest thing to a first session.
• Link your website, so the reader who wants more can book there.
• Use the protected phone number Psychology Today provides (Psychology Today), so you can tell directory calls from other calls.

Quotes from clients bring ethics rules into play. See therapist testimonials and reviews.

Psychology Today vs Google Business Profile

You can run both. Google lets you manage a Business Profile "at no charge" (Google Business Profile Help), and treats a therapist in private practice as an individual practitioner:

"An individual practitioner is a public-facing professional, typically with their own customer base." (Google Business Profile Help)

The catch is in-person contact:

"To qualify for a Business Profile, a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours." (Google Business Profile Help)

Google lists "online-only businesses" as not eligible, so a telehealth-only practice can't have one (Google). In a group practice, the practice and each public-facing therapist can each have a profile; the therapist's profile carries only their own name (Google).

Example

Solo counselor in Ohio, $120 a session

The profile costs $360 a year. One client who stays 10 sessions brings $1,200. The dashboard shows 6 contacts and 2 new clients last quarter: keep it.

Telehealth-only therapist in British Columbia

No Google Business Profile, since there is no in-person contact. Psychology Today (CAD $34.95 plus tax a month) and her own website carry the load.

Group practice with four therapists

One Google profile for the practice, one per therapist who sees clients there, plus a Psychology Today profile for each therapist.

Different for you?

• Your Google listing doesn't appear. See Google Business Profile not showing up.
• Paying per booking instead. See Zocdoc for dentists and therapists.
• Clients ask ChatGPT for a therapist. See where ChatGPT finds local businesses.
• A client left a review. See responding to patient reviews without breaking HIPAA.
• You want to be found on Google without a directory. See the SEO agent.