After completing my final exam for full licensure, I updated my Psychology Today profile–highlighting my work with trauma, domestic violence, and OCD. I got new headshots taken, added a video, and then waited for the calls to start pouring in. After a few months of waiting, I got frustrated and started working more hours in a larger private practice clinic to help make ends meet. Although I started private practice years after the Pandemic hit, my colleagues often speak fondly of the ease of finding clients during COVID. These include descriptions of long waiting lists, full practices, and overflowing inboxes that were the norm a few years ago. But lately, something has shifted.
Often, we in private practice get a notification that someone called or left a message while we are in session or on our lunch break. We pause what we’re doing, step away, and return the call. Maybe we reach them. Maybe we schedule a free intake knowing it will inevitably last more than 15 minutes and often won’t turn into an actual client. Or maybe we never hear back. Either way, it’s a far cry from the consistent stream of new clients therapists were seeing during the Pandemic.
And it’s not just you and me. Therapists everywhere are noticing the same thing: referrals are down, clients are harder to reach, and directories like Psychology Today no longer seem to be doing the heavy lifting they once did.
The question becomes: What changed—and what can we do about it?
The Problem with Therapist Directories
Let’s talk about directories. For those of us in private practice, chances are we’ve put significant time (and money) into one. Maybe it’s Psychology Today, TherapyDen, or GoodTherapy. We’ve probably updated our headshots, continue to edit our bios so it gets more visibility, added new specialties, and paid for a premium listing.
And yet, our phones aren’t ringing like they used to.
This is frustrating for many reasons, but most of all because we didn’t become therapists to market ourselves. We didn’t spend years in school, thousands of hours in supervision, and endless energy building our clinical skills to become sales people.
It’s exhausting. We want to focus on helping people, not fighting algorithms.
Worse, many directories are designed in a way that’s overwhelming for potential clients. The average profile is a wall of text. Therapists, myself included, often feel pressure to list every diagnosis or demographic we’ve ever worked with, just to show up in search results. Depression, anxiety, OCD, ADHD, trauma, couples, teens, adults, mood disorders, eating disorders…the list goes on.
The result? Every profile looks the same. Clients are left scrolling endlessly, unsure who to pick or whether they’re even choosing the right person.
As many of us are, I am frequently asked by friends and family members, ‘Who should I see?’ I do my best to help narrow the selection down to a few good options, but when I am overwhelmed with requests, I will often recommend people look at Psychology Today and search for a therapist based on their insurance and their specific concerns. More often than not, people come back to me after searching for a therapist more confused than certain of which therapy to see. Clients today don’t want a general recommendation based on a few basic criteria. What they want is a personalized recommendation from someone they trust.
And for us, all that effort to be “everything to everyone” results in fewer, not more, of the kinds of clients we want to work with.
You’re Not Alone If You’re Feeling Stuck
We feel like we’re doing all the right things—keeping our profile up to date, offering telehealth options, even doing continuing education to stay fresh—and still not getting traction, we’re not imagining things.
Therapists across the country are reporting similar experiences. Waitlists have shrunk. Referral streams have slowed. And competition online feels steeper than ever.
It’s not that the need for mental health services has gone away. It hasn’t. But the landscape has changed—and the way clients are finding therapists is changing, too.
Many are no longer looking at directories. Instead, they’re asking friends, turning to social media, or Googling symptom-based queries like “why do I feel anxious at night?”—and ending up on articles, forums, or TikTok accounts. Traditional directories are getting lost in the noise.
In other words: our therapist directories are no longer the best tool for connecting us with clients.
A New Approach: Introducing NextTherapist
So what’s the alternative?
That’s where NextTherapist comes in—a new platform designed by therapists to cut through the chaos and match clients with the right clinician faster and more effectively.
Think of it like a dating app—but for therapy.
NextTherapist is not just another directory. It’s a completely new model that flips the script on how clients find care.
Here’s how it works:
- Therapists create a profile that includes their top three specialties, specific sub-specialties, location, availability, and appointment format (in-person, virtual, or hybrid).
- Clients create a profile that outlines the issues they want help with, preferences (e.g., therapist gender, modality, insurance), and their availability.
- The platform’s algorithm does the rest—matching clients with therapists who are aligned in focus, schedule, and style.
- Best of all? Clients can book directly from your therapist’s profile—no more phone tag, no back-and-forth emails, no gaps in communication that cause clients to ghost you.
Why NextTherapist Is Different
Let’s be honest: most therapy directories feel outdated. They rely on clients sifting through hundreds of profiles, trying to make sense of jargon and long-winded bios that often sound more like dating profiles than professional profiles.
NextTherapist changes that.
1. Less Is More
Instead of listing every diagnosis we’ve ever treated, therapists on NextTherapist are required to choose their top issue and a limited set of specialties. This forces clarity and helps clients distinguish between clinicians more easily. It also helps us attract clients who are specifically looking for what we love doing.
2. Real Matches, Not Random Clicks
The match-based approach is personalized. It’s not about who has the flashiest headshot or longest list of credentials—it’s about fit. Like any meaningful relationship, the connection between therapist and client starts with compatibility.
3. Easy Scheduling
Once a match is made, clients can book directly on the therapist’s calendar (assuming availability is listed). This removes the friction that causes clients to delay or abandon the process altogether. It also respects our time and avoids endless back-and-forth that often leads nowhere.
4. Built by Clinicians Who Understand the Work
The platform isn’t built by a tech startup guessing what therapists need. It’s been designed by mental health professionals who understand the practical, ethical, and emotional aspects of this work.
For the Therapists Who Are Hesitating
It can sound too good to be true, “This sounds great, but what’s the catch?” Or maybe you’re working in an agency, and going fully independent feels like a stretch.
That’s okay.
NextTherapist is built for all stages of private practice. From a new clinician just starting to build their caseload or looking to shift their current client base toward their ideal niche, the platform helps you take the next step—without wasting hours on marketing, expensive ads, or DIY website design.
We don’t need to be tech wizards. We don’t need fancy business plans. We just need a clear understanding of who we help best—and the willingness to try a new approach that honors our time and training.
The Future of Therapy Is Smarter, Not Harder
Here’s the truth: we therapists are burned out on more than just caseloads. We’re burned out on doing it all—marketing, networking, social media, admin work—on top of our clinical responsibilities.
NextTherapist exists to take one major thing off our plates: finding clients who are the right fit.
It’s a system that respects the therapeutic process and values both client choice and therapist boundaries. It acknowledges that good therapy doesn’t start with a vague Google search—it starts with intentional matching.
The clients are out there. They’re looking for someone like you. They just need a better way to find you.
Final Thoughts
The therapy world is evolving. Clients are savvier, more discerning, and more overwhelmed by options than ever. Traditional directories aren’t meeting their needs—and they’re not meeting ours either.
We deserve to work with people who value our expertise and are ready to do the work. We shouldn’t have to hustle, market ourselves endlessly, or accept every inquiry just to stay afloat.
We became therapists to help people.
Let NextTherapist help us get back to that.
