Because you’ve asked, here is your 2016 updated list of online counseling directories.
However, therapist beware – not all directories are equally useful.
Some are free, many are not.
And, certainly not all get much traffic or result in you getting much traffic to your website or calls to your office.
Do Your Research
Before you take the time to fill out the profiles or send them your hard earned money, do your research.
Notice if you’ve ever even heard of a specific directory.
Check out the Alexa ranking for each directory.
If the directory requires payment, ask them for a 6-month free trial before committing.
Ask colleagues you trust if they actually get paying clients from their directory listings.
And, if you get recommendations for specific directories from the groups where you hang out on social media, don’t take them at face value.
Most of the groups on social media that I am familiar with are liberally seeded with professionals who have financial incentives to market to you.
That includes online directories, graphic designers, virtual assistants, web developers, marketing coaches, and others.
These individuals may or may not have your best interests at heart but they will likely have financial incentives to point you toward particular businesses.
The 2016 List of Online Directories for Mental Health Professionals
- All About Counseling
- Alternative Therapists Directory
- American Therapy Association
- Associated Relationship & Marriage Counselling Sydney
- Australia Counselling Directory
- The British Psychological Society
- CounselChat
- CounsellingBC.com
- Counselling Directory
- Denver Therapists Network
- Ethnic Counselors
- The Family & Marriage Counseling Directory
- Find-a-Therapist.com
- Gay / Lesbian Medical Association
- GoodTherapy.org
- Google Business Directory
- HelpPro Therapist Finder
- International Therapist Directory
- Integrative Medicine for Mental Health
- Licensed Therapists
- Life Quality Improvement Center
- Marriage Counseling & Therapy Network
- MentalHelp.net
- Metro Atlanta Therapists’ Network (MATN)
- My Therapist Match
- National Directory of Family & Marriage Counseling
- NetworkTherapy.com
- New Jersey Association of Women Therapists (NJAWT)
- PsychDirectory
- Psychology.com
- Psychology Matters Asia
- PsychologyToday.com
- Right Therapist
- Self Growth
- Talking Therapy
- TherapistLocator.net
- The Therapists Directory
- TherapyTribe.com
- Theravive
- Washington [State] Counselor Directory
If you participate in any of these directories, I hope you will take a moment to let us know which ones are working well for you, which ones are not, and what, if anything, you are paying for the listing.
And, of course, if you know of other online directories for mental health providers, please do take a moment to let us know about them so that we can continue to strengthen our practices and our networks as a professional community!
I’ve been using CounselChat for just a short time. I’m not sure whether I have increased my client base at all because of it (because it has not been long), but I do really enjoy the website because I feel like I can give back to people and help them to see what some of the reactions of a mental health professional may be in relation to their question so they can decide whether or not to seek services. It’s also free, run by someone who is a lawyer by trade (and I believe also in the mental health professions, but not entirely sure), and there is a big focus on ethics!
Hi, Lauren! Thanks so much for dropping in today to share this info!
You’re the first person I’ve heard from that is actually involved with CounselChat and I know because you are so generous with your resources and support here that CounselChat must be a perfect fit for you, too!
I use PsychologyToday
and have had great success with it. I pay $29.95 a month (one client’s copay pays for this directory) Most of my calls/emails, about 5-7 contacts a week, come from psychology today. The most important thing is to write a good profile directed at your ideal client.
I’ve had GoodTherapy and liked them too but I used that directory more for the trainings you could take online for CEUs
Hi, Liza! Thank you for sharing your experience and your tip on taking time to write a good profile directed at your ideal clients.
That’s so important!
Your experience is so helpful to other therapists who are considering using Psychology Today’s directory.
Where is it you are located and what is it you do?
You didn’t include a website so I couldn’t go see for myself 🙂
Hello! I am on Psychology Today. The first 6 months were free and then it’s 29.95/month going forward. When I first opened my practice this was my primary referral source, and I still get a good amount of referrals through them. It’s worth the money, in my opinion. If anyone would like a free trial I’m happy to send an invite :-).
Hi, Shannon! Welcome back to Private Practice from the Inside Out!
And, thank you for also sharing your experience and your kind offer!
I, like most other therapists, keep a profile on Psychology Today’s directory for its stronger visibility and popularity with potential clients.
I previously had used GoodTherapy and agree with an earlier commenter, Liza, that I didn’t really get referrals from there, but appreciated the CE opportunities.
I am listed on Gay/Lesbian Medical Association’s directory, as my primary specialty is LGBT+ affirmative counseling. (Plus, it’s free!) You can read more about me at http://www.pacificnorthwell.com/kristen.
I previously was listed on Counseling Washington’s directory (as I practice in Seattle), but didn’t see any referrals come my way. They have since redesigned their site, so perhaps it is ranking a bit better or is easier on clients’ eyes.
I can’t help but notice that many of these directories are an eyesore! Ugh.
Hi, Kristen Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and adding the Gay / Lesbian Medical Association’s directory, too!
You’re right – many of these online directories are ugly and therapists should give that fact some weight, too.
If the site is not well-maintained or is an eyesore or looks unprofessional, even if they are free, you should run the other way!
That’s because who you hang out with – both literally and figuratively, online and in person – is a direct reflection on you.
Thank you for this list! I am working on building citations for my website, so this was very helpful. I’m especially looking forward to using CounselChat (thanks for highlighting this one, Lauren).
My website, if you’d like to check it out.
Hi,Sarah! I’m not quite sure what you mean by “building citations” but I’m glad you found this helpful!
By “building citations” just mean that I am working on signing up with various directories in an effort to improve SEO for my site.
Oh, I get it, Sarah! I’ve just never heard that terminology for this!
I do want to caution you though about choosing your directories to list in carefully.
I’ve seen some individuals who tout themselves as “marketing gurus for therapists” who will be happy to sign you up for “50 or 100 directory listings” all supposedly in an attempt to “boost your SEO.”
Search engine optimization doesn’t work like that.
Linking up to a bunch of directories that don’t get much traffic and certainly don’t come up on the first 2-3 pages of Google, are going to damage your ranking with the search engines rather than help it.
Just remember to research the directories before you choose to list with them – yes, even the “free” ones.
If you’ve never heard of a directory and you don’t know anyone else who is listed on it and it doesn’t rank on Alexa and they don’t pop up when you do searches for your town and therapists, don’t waste your time, energy, and money with that one!
Ok, good to know! Do you have a sense for whether therapists need a lot of (good quality) links to show up in high in search engine results? Or do you see therapists getting on the first page with just a couple of backlinks? I am trying to figure out how to best spend my time!
Sarah, I notice that you didn’t include your website URL. Care to share?
Happy to share! http://www.sarahmcintyrelpc.com
Sarah, do you know that when you are commenting on a blog and you are given the opportunity to include your name, URL, and email that if you include your URL your name becomes “clickable” so that those who want to go check out your website can do so?
And, the reason bloggers ask for your email address is to help prevent spam from getting into the comments.
(Your email address is not visible to the general public – just to the host blogger.)
I’ll go check out your website and be back later!
Thanks for sharing it here!
How do I access the rankings on Alexa? I clicked on the hyperlink and found an attractive page, but…
Ana, Alexa.com is invaluable to me.
I can use it to see how the traffic to my website compares to that of my colleagues in mental health.
I can also see how many of my coaching colleagues have created a bold appearance of success online but actually get almost no traffic to their websites.
It’s quite telling for those who want to do their research.
Depending on the browser you use, there may be apps that you can download to access Alexa most easily.
But, even if you don’t have an Alexa app to download, you can go to http://www.Alexa.com.
Then, scroll down until you find the gray bar with the blue lettering that says “Browse Top Sites or . . . .”
Fill in the URL for the site that you wish to see stats for.
The first stats that come up will be your Global Rank and your national rank in the USA.
The smaller your number, the more traffic you are getting to your website (or whatever website you are researching.)
I don’t worry about my rank so much as I compare how I’m doing month after month.
If you aren’t finding ANY rank for the website you are researching, you can assume that website’s traffic is negligible.
There are other stats that Alexa will provide for you at no cost, too, but this is the one that I most attend to.
Then, for a monthly (?) fee, Alexa can provide you with much more detailed information about websites.
I don’t pay for this service but have heard it can also be quite useful.
Thanks Tamara! I’ll give it a try.
Great list, thank you for sharing it.
Hi, David! Thanks for dropping in!
I just want to add that this post was written quite a while ago and SEO algorithms have changed quite a bit since then.
These days, I would never recommend that you “sign up for all 40.”
Instead I would encourage you to check out the 2-3 that you feel are most in line with your potential clients and consider joining them.
That way, the search engines will not view your website as spam and will instead see you more as a serious professional offering a resource.
Best wishes on your journey!
Therapy Den is not on your list and its free… for right now
Aletta Joy! Thanks for the suggestion! Are you in any way affiliated with Therapy Den?
It’s true. I made a conscious choice to omit them from this list based on the standards I hold for my audience here at Private Practice from the Inside Out.
I’m curious why you didn’t include Therapy Den? They are well known in the industry for their commitment to social issues and advocacy. Also, Therapy for Black Girls is a great resource for therapists who specifically want to connect with the BIPOC community.
Hi, Lisa! I do love Therapy for Black Girls and wasn’t aware of the site back when this post was originally written.
I’m not sure if it existed back then or I just didn’t know about them.
Thanks for the reminder!
And, as for TD . . . I am protective of new clinicians and made a judgement call.