For years, Psychology Today has been considered the go-to directory for finding a therapist.
Ask nearly any clinician in private practice how clients first found them, and chances are high they’ll say, “Psychology Today.”
But something’s changed. And if you’ve been paying attention, it’s structural. 
Earlier this week, I came across a Reddit post titled “I finally understand the Psychology Today issue.” It stopped me in my tracks.
What followed was a thread of clinicians connecting the dots: fewer referrals, buried listings, increased competition from corporate-backed profiles, and growing unease about the platform’s transparency.
One therapist wrote, “I searched for myself in my three local zip codes… I was buried on page five. The top results? Not even in the area. Video only. Many tied to conglomerates pretending to be local.”
The Quiet Corporate Takeover of the Therapy Directory
What used to be a digital bulletin board for independent therapists now appears to be overrun by listings from VC-backed platforms, telehealth giants, and practice aggregators like Rula, Grow, and others.
In some cases, these companies are allegedly managing therapist profiles, sometimes without the therapist’s knowledge.
There are reports of duplicate listings, shadow profiles, and message rerouting that may prevent clients from ever reaching the actual provider.
“I found out they were running a PT profile on me anyway,” one therapist shared. “A duplicate. They never told me. Where were all those messages going?”
When you stack this with algorithmic favoritism, such as boosting therapists with multi-state licenses or those backed by paid advertising, the independent private practitioner quickly becomes invisible.
Therapy Is Not the Gig Economy
What we’re witnessing is the slow Uber-ization of therapy.
Less autonomy. More middlemen. And a system that rewards scale over relationship.
Therapists aren’t just worried about fewer referrals. They’re worried about the future of care itself.
How do you build trust when clients are routed to profiles they think are private practice, only to discover it’s a doorway into a larger corporate funnel?
How do we preserve the integrity of therapeutic relationships when therapists feel forced to partner with companies they didn’t consent to?
What happens when client choice is shaped by marketing spend instead of meaningful match?
We already know that algorithmic curation warps reality, in newsfeeds, search results, and streaming recommendations. Now it’s happening in mental health care.
Therapists Deserve Better. So Do Clients.
There’s a quiet desperation in the clinical community right now. Not because therapists don’t want to adapt!
They’ve proven they can.
But because the tools meant to support their work are being redesigned in ways that work against them.
One comment put it bluntly:
“They’re trying to make therapy into a gig economy like Uber.”
And when therapists feel disempowered, it affects everyone, especially clients.
We need directories with transparency, filters that reflect real-world needs, and the ability to opt out of being buried beneath corporations disguised as private practice.
We need to protect independent providers not just as a business interest, but as a matter of access, ethics, and public trust.
Most importantly, we need to stop pretending neutrality exists in platforms driven by profit.
A Final Word to Therapists
If you’re wondering why your referrals are down, you’re not imagining it.
If you’re wondering whether clients are being rerouted without your knowledge, you’re not alone.
If you’re afraid that holding the line on quality care will mean being pushed out of visibility, you’re not wrong to be concerned.
But you’re also not powerless.
Speak up. Educate your clients. Demand better directories. Share what’s happening.
Because the more therapists stay silent, the more this trend becomes the new normal.
And the new normal isn’t serving us.
Author’s Note:
If you’ve experienced any of these issues firsthand, duplicate profiles, message rerouting, referral drop-offs, we want to hear from you. foorum Insider is working on an investigative follow-up. You can submit your story confidentially here.
