The Hidden Psychology Today Problem Costing You Half Your Referrals (And How to Fix It)

Key Takeaways & Action Steps

Do this today:

• Search for yourself on Psychology Today and check for duplicate listings

• If you find duplicates, determine who manages each profile

Do this this week:

• If you're working with a platform, reach out and ask about review access, email access, and analytics access to any profiles they manage

• Ask about opt-out options if you don't want a platform-managed profile

Do this before signing up for any new platform:

• Ask explicitly whether they'll create a Psychology Today profile

• Get clear answers about who controls it, who can access it, and what happens when you leave

• Make sure any agreement about profile removal is in writing

Remember: Your practice, your rules, your timeline. Make decisions that align with the business you're actually trying to build.

Introduction: The Referral Leak You Didn't Know You Had

Picture this: You're trying to fill a bucket with water, but there's a crack right down the middle you can't see. Half the water you pour in just... disappears. You're working twice as hard for half the results, and you have no idea why.

That's exactly what's happening to therapists right now with their Psychology Today listings—and most don't even realize it.

If you've signed up with Grow Therapy or similar platforms in the past year or two, there's a pretty good chance you have two Psychology Today profiles floating around out there. One you created and manage yourself. Another that was created by the platform when you signed up, often without you even realizing it was happening.

At first glance, this might not seem like a big deal. Two profiles means double the visibility, right? More chances for clients to find you?

Not quite. In fact, this duplicate listing situation is quietly sabotaging your marketing efforts, cutting your chances of getting direct clients in half, and creating the exact kind of confusion that makes potential clients click away and never come back.

And in a landscape where therapist referrals are declining across the board—where competition is fiercer than ever and every referral counts—we can't afford these kinds of hidden leaks in our marketing systems.

So let's pull back the curtain on this issue, talk about why it matters more than you might think, and give you a clear action plan to fix it.

What's Actually Happening With Duplicate Psychology Today Listings

Here's the scenario I'm seeing play out more and more often:

A therapist signs up for a platform like Grow Therapy, often as a way to get started or supplement their caseload while they build their independent practice. The platform offers to "optimize" or "create" a Psychology Today profile as part of their service. Sounds helpful, right?

The problem? Many therapists already have their own PT profile that they've been managing themselves. Now they've got two.

The platform doesn't always make it crystal clear that they're creating a second profile. They might frame it as enhancement or optimization. But the end result is the same: duplicate listings for the same provider, both showing up in search results.

And here's where the problems start stacking up.

The Real Cost of Having Duplicate Listings (It's Not What You Think)

Let's break down exactly why this matters to your bottom line and your practice growth.

Your Chances of Direct Referrals Just Got Cut in Half

When someone searches for a therapist in your area and specialty on Psychology Today, they might now see two different profiles for you. One is yours. One belongs to the platform.

There's roughly a 50/50 chance which one they click on.

Here's the thing most therapists don't realize: those platform-managed profiles are backed by serious advertising dollars. Grow Therapy and similar companies are spending money to drive traffic to their listings. They're optimized to convert. They're designed to funnel clients into their system.

So if a potential client clicks on that platform-managed profile instead of yours? That client is now in their pipeline, not yours. Even if they were specifically looking for you, they're going to be routed through the platform's intake process. You'll get the client, sure—but as a platform client, not a direct private practice client.

And if you're trying to build an independent practice—if your long-term goal is to eventually move away from these platforms and have your own full caseload at your full fee—this is a problem.

Confusion Is the Silent Referral Killer

There's a principle in marketing that's been proven over and over again: confused people don't buy.

When a potential client sees two different profiles for the same therapist, questions start popping up:

• Which one is the "real" profile?

• Why are there two?

• Is this even the same person?

• Which one should I contact?

• What's the difference between these?

Most people won't sit there and analyze it. They'll just move on to the next therapist whose situation is clearer and simpler.

You've lost a referral, and you never even knew they were interested.

Inaccurate Information and Loss of Control

Based on what I've been reading in various therapist forums and groups, many of these platform-created profiles aren't being verified by the therapists themselves. Some platforms create the listing and never even ask the provider to review it for accuracy.

That means there could be outdated information, incorrect specialties listed, wrong availability, or other details that don't represent you accurately. And you might not even know it's out there.

Think about that. There's a profile with your name on it, representing you to potential clients, and you have no idea what it says or who's seeing it.

The Profile That Won't Die

Here's maybe the most insidious part: what happens when you leave the platform?

I've heard multiple accounts of providers leaving these platforms only to find their Psychology Today profile is still active—managed by the company, not by them. They can't get it taken down. The company isn't responsive to their requests.

Now, inquiries that come to that profile get routed to other providers in the platform's network. Those could have been your clients, coming to your private practice. Instead, they're being redirected to support someone else's practice.

Making an Informed Decision (Not All Situations Are the Same)

Look, I'm not here to tell you what to do with your practice. Every therapist's situation is different, and what makes sense for one person's business might not make sense for another.

But what I am here for is making sure you're making this decision with your eyes wide open.

Know Your Numbers and Your Timeline

If you're okay with filling your caseload entirely through platform clients, then having a platform-managed PT profile might not bother you. The duplicate listing isn't as much of an issue if you're not trying to build direct referral streams anyway.

But if your goal is to eventually have your own independent practice—to be building your own brand, your own direct referral sources, and your own client base at your full fee—then you need to think carefully about the opportunity cost here.

Run the numbers:

• What's your income with a full caseload of platform clients? (Factor in their commission)

• What's your income with a full caseload of direct private practice clients?

• How much longer will it take you to fill with direct clients if half your Psychology Today traffic is being diverted?

• What's that time difference worth to you?

These aren't hypothetical questions. This is your business, and these decisions directly impact your income and your timeline to the practice you actually want.

Your Action Plan: What to Do Right Now

Alright, enough doom and gloom. Let's talk about what you can actually do about this.

Step 1: Check for Duplicate Listings

First things first—you need to know if you even have this problem.

Go to Psychology Today and search for yourself. Search by your name, search by your location and specialty, see what comes up. Do you have one listing or two? If you have two, who manages each one?

Just know. Even if you decide the trade-off is worth it, you need to be making that decision from a place of full awareness, not from ignorance.

Step 2: Advocate for Control and Access

If you're working with a platform that manages a PT profile for you, here's what you should be asking for:

Review access: Can you review the profile before it goes live? Can you verify the information is accurate?

Email access: Are you able to see the inquiries that come into that profile? Or are they all being filtered through the platform without you seeing them?

Analytics access: This is huge. Can you see how many people are viewing that profile? What if it's getting significantly more traffic than your personal profile? That's valuable information that tells you where your visibility is actually coming from.

Opt-out options: Some therapists don't even want the duplicate listing. Can you opt out of having the platform create or manage a PT profile for you at all?

These are reasonable questions to ask. You're not being difficult—you're being a business owner who wants to understand what's happening with your marketing.

Step 3: Plan Your Exit Strategy

If you do decide to leave a platform at some point, make sure you have a clear plan for getting that profile removed.

Get it in writing if possible. Before you sign up, ask what the process is for profile removal when you leave. During your exit, document your requests to have the profile taken down. Follow up multiple times if needed.

Don't assume it'll just happen automatically. Protect your brand and your referral sources.

The Bigger Picture: Own Your Marketing

Here's the metaphor I want to leave you with:

Building a private practice is like building a house. Platforms like Grow Therapy, insurance panels, directory listings—those are useful tools and materials. But you wouldn't let the lumber company decide where your walls go, right?

Your marketing is your foundation. The referrals you generate, the brand you build, the relationships you develop with referral sources—that's your house. You get to decide how it's built.

These duplicate listing situations happen when we hand over too much control without fully understanding what we're giving up. Not because we're naive, but because we're busy, we're overwhelmed, and we just want help getting clients in the door.

I get it. I've been there.

But the most sustainable path to the practice you want is the one where you're in the driver's seat. Where you know what's happening with your marketing, where your referrals are coming from, and what you're trading off when you make decisions.

Conclusion: You Deserve Full Visibility Into Your Marketing

The private practice landscape is getting more competitive. Referrals are declining. Every single marketing channel matters.

You can't afford hidden leaks in your system—especially ones you don't even know exist.

The good news? This is fixable. It starts with awareness, continues with advocacy, and ends with you making informed decisions that serve your practice goals, not someone else's business model.

Ready to take control of your private practice marketing? If you're tired of feeling confused about what's working and what's not, or if you want a clear roadmap to building the sustainable practice you've been dreaming about, let's talk. Book a free consultation call here and let's create a marketing plan that actually serves your goals.

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