Therapists: Is a Psychology Today Profile Worth It?
Psychology Today originated as a magazine in 1967. According to Wikipedia, "the magazine focuses on behavior and covers a range of topics including psychology, neuroscience, relationships, sexuality, parenting, health (including from the perspectives of alternative medicine), work, and the psychological aspects of current affairs." It is still published every two months – it is circulated to over 250,000 people, and a subscription costs $39.97 for 18 issues.
In addition to its magazine, Psychology Today has also established itself as a central Internet destination for mental health. On the Internet, Psychology Today is well known for its online therapist directory. The directory is a valuable resource used by thousands of individuals to find a therapist.
A common question SoftwarePundit receives from therapists is: Is a Psychology Today profile worth it?
To get an answer, a group of therapists were surveyed. The key takeaway was that 88% of respondents indicated that a Psychology Today profile is worth the investment.
Read below for a full synthesis of the results.
- What is Psychology Today?
- How Much Does It Cost To Be On Psychology Today?
- Why Create a Psychology Today Profile?
- Is a Psychology Today Profile Worth It?
- How Do I Write A Good Psychology Today Profile?
- What Does It Mean To Be Verified by Psychology Today?
- Psychology Today Alternatives
What is Psychology Today?
Psychology Today is a mental health magazine owned by Sussex Publishers that is published in the United States every two months. Psychology Today was founded in 1967, and had a circulation of over 1 million copies throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It is still one of the top 10 magazines ranked by newsstand sales. Psychology Today's readership increased by over 30% in 2013.
In more recent years, Psychology Today has invested in creating a meaningful Internet presence. Its website includes one of the largest online directories of therapists and features blog articles from leading minds in mental health.
How Much Does It Cost To Be On Psychology Today?
Psychology Today has an online directory that is used by mental health providers to advertise their practices. Having your own listing in the directory costs a flat fee of $29.95 per month. Here's an example of a Psychology Today listing:
If you're interested, you can create a profile on Psychology Today.
Why Create a Psychology Today Profile?
Psychology Today promoted two primary reasons that mental health providers should join:
- Get new clients
- Build credibility
We'll explore if the investment is worth it below, but generally, SoftwarePundit does agree that a subscription with Psychology Today will help your practice establish its brand and acquire new clients. In addition, the provider subscription includes a subscription to the magazine and access to an exclusive forum of therapists.
Psychology Today also advertises its directory as an alternative to building your own website. Having a detailed profile on the Psychology Today directory will undoubtedly help build your online presence – however, we strongly believe that you should not rely on this profile as your primary practice website.
Fortunately, creating a well-designed mental health practice website is becoming more and more simple and cheap. SoftwarePundit recommends using a tool like SquareSpace or Wix to create a high quality website for a reasonable price.
Is a Psychology Today Profile Worth It?
A group of therapists (n=20) were asked if Psychology Today is worth it. Here are the results:
- 88% of therapists said that Psychology today is worth the investment. The other 12% said "it depends." None of the respondents said that Psychology today was not worthwhile.
- 50% of respondents who chose to provide details shared that they get more than 50% of their referrals from Psychology Today.
- 15% of respondents who provided information said performance varies month to month.
- One respondent who responded "it depends" shared that it's important to think about the location of your practice. Her practice is in a particularly saturated area and she did not get new business through Psychology Today.
- One respondent indicated that it's important to test different approaches to writing your profile.
- Other recommendations include being clear about your services and whether or not you accept insurance, as well as giving Psychology Today a few months to begin building traction.
How Do I Write A Good Psychology Today Profile?
The most certain way to create a high-performing Psychology Today profile is to experiment with and optimize your listing over time. With that said, there are some best practices that you should keep in mind when getting started:
- Be sure to complete as much information as possible. Prospective patients will use the search filters to narrow down results – so you want to be sure that your location, insurance, issues, and other information is complete.
- Give the patient as many ways to contact you as possible. Different people have different preferred modes of communication. For example, some profiles on Psychology Today do not include email addresses, so they might miss out on new appointments with clients who prefer to communicate over email.
- Have a professional, clear photo. There aren't many ways to differentiate yourself in the Psych Today profile. The image is one way you can bring your page to life and allow prospective clients to get a sense of your personality. Make sure the photo captures you, and comes across as professional.
- One respondent indicated that it's ideal to make your resume sound more like a story, and less like a resume. That will help you build the connection with the client.
What Does It Mean To Be Verified by Psychology Today?
You might notice that many of the profiles on Psychology Today have a badge that indicates that the therapist listing has been verified by Psychology Today. This badge indicates that Psychology Today has independently verified all of the following:
- The name and contact details of the professional
- That the professional's license, if applicable, is valid within the state in which he or she practices
- That the professional is not subject to any license strictures preventing practice
Psychology Today Alternatives?
While Psychology Today is the most popular online directory for mental health providers, there are alternatives. We recommend exploring these options to see which combination of online directories works best for you:
- Therapy Den: Free to create online profile
- Good Therapy: $29.95 per month
- Theravive: $269 to $299 per year
- TherapyTribe: $20 per month or $199 per year
- Network Therapy: $179 per year