Say you’re looking for a therapist. You decide you want someone just like your mother. Besides the fact that that’s kind of scary, your best bet to find such a person, if she exists, might be at Psychology Today’s “Find a Therapist” directory (at www.psychologytoday.com), a free online re-source that has recently gone nationwide.
“We’ve created a directory that’s intuitive to the consumer,” said Lawrence Rose, president of Psychology Today. “Getting on with your therapist, and having a rapport, is very important.”
Consumers can sort through the directory based on their own needs. Therapists pay $20 a month to be listed, and their online profiles include specialties, training, a summary of philosophy and style, contact info, location and price. Psychology Today verifies their licenses.
The site has more than 3,000 therapists, with about five new ones signing up daily, Rose said.
“This is so much better than the next best option, which is the Yellow Pages or personal referral,” Rose said.
Consumers at least seem to like peeking at the profiles. The directory had 160,000 visitors in all of 2003, Rose said. Last month alone, it had 130,000.