Guide
Directory profiles that help a mental health clinic
Directories are where many patients start, where referrers check, and where AI tools go to confirm facts. A few well kept profiles do more than dozens of neglected ones.
Why directories matter more than they used to
A directory profile used to be a way to get a few extra enquiries. Now it is also a source of facts. When an AI tool is asked which clinics offer a particular therapy in a particular town, it looks for information it can check across several places. Directories and professional registers are some of the most structured, trusted sources available.
That cuts both ways. A complete, accurate profile backs up your website. An old profile with a former clinician, a closed location or last year’s fees can be the reason an AI tool describes your clinic wrongly.
The directories worth your time
These are the main UK directories and registers for mental health services. Eligibility rules, costs and features change, so check each one’s current terms.
Google Business Profile
Who it is for: Clinics that see patients in person at a location, during stated hours.
Why it helps: Feeds Google Maps, local results and often AI answers about clinics near a place.
Watch out for: Online only services are not eligible under Google’s guidelines. If you see patients face to face, list each real location. Do not create profiles for addresses where you do not see patients.
Psychology Today
Who it is for: Therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists and some treatment services. Paid listing.
Why it helps: One of the most visited therapist directories, and often cited by AI tools for therapy questions.
Watch out for: Profiles are usually per clinician. Keep each clinician’s specialisms, fees and availability in line with your website.
Counselling Directory
Who it is for: Counsellors and psychotherapists in the UK, with checks on professional body membership or qualifications. Paid listing.
Why it helps: Widely used by people looking for counselling, with detailed profiles that search engines index.
Watch out for: Check whether an organisation listing suits your centre as well as individual counsellor profiles.
BACP Register and directory
Who it is for: Members of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. The BACP Register is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Why it helps: A trusted way for patients, and AI tools, to check a counsellor’s membership.
Watch out for: Membership is personal to each counsellor. Describe it accurately on your site for each person.
UKCP register and directory
Who it is for: Psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors registered with the UK Council for Psychotherapy.
Why it helps: Lets people check a psychotherapist’s registration and find practitioners by approach.
Watch out for: As with BACP, registration belongs to the individual, not the clinic.
BPS directory of Chartered psychologists
Who it is for: Chartered members of the British Psychological Society.
Why it helps: A recognised listing that supports the credentials on your psychologists’ pages.
Watch out for: Chartered status is not the same as HCPC registration. Show both accurately where they apply.
Doctify
Who it is for: Doctors, clinicians and clinics, including psychiatrists and psychologists, with patient reviews.
Why it helps: Independent reviews from verified patients carry weight with patients and appear in search results.
Watch out for: Reviews must be genuine and unprompted by incentives. Reply professionally and never confirm someone is a patient in a reply.
The HCPC register is not a directory you can market in, but it is where anyone can check a practitioner psychologist’s registration. Linking to it from each psychologist’s page is one of the simplest trust signals you can add.
Google Business Profile: the eligibility rule clinics miss
Google Business Profile is often the most important listing for a clinic with a physical location. Google’s guidelines say a business must make in person contact with customers during its stated hours to be eligible. That has two consequences for mental health services: clinics with premises should list each real location, and entirely online services are not eligible. Our guide to local SEO for therapy practices goes into the detail.
Make every profile agree
Consistency is the quiet strength of directory work. Make a short master record for your clinic and each clinician, then copy from it.
- Clinic name exactly as it appears on your website and signage.
- Address, phone number and opening hours for each location.
- Services, using the same names as your service pages.
- Each clinician’s title, registration, specialisms, age groups and languages.
- Fees and current waiting times, with a date.
- Whether each service is face to face, online or both.
- A link back to the matching page on your website.
A one hour directory audit
Search for your clinic’s name and for each clinician’s name. List every profile you find. For each one, note whether you control it, whether the details match your master record and when it was last updated. Then fix the top five, starting with Google Business Profile and the directory your enquiries most often mention.
Once the profiles agree, your website should be the most complete version of the truth. Our mental health SEO page explains what to put on it, and what patients ask AI shows which facts matter most.
Questions clinic owners ask
Can an online only therapy clinic have a Google Business Profile?
Under Google’s guidelines, businesses must make in person contact with customers during their stated hours to be eligible, so online only services are not eligible. Check Google’s current guidelines before creating or keeping a profile.
Which directory matters most?
The ones your patients and referrers actually use, plus the registers that verify your clinicians. For most UK mental health clinics that means Google Business Profile for each location, Psychology Today or Counselling Directory depending on your services, the relevant professional body registers and a reviews platform such as Doctify.
Should every clinician have their own directory profile?
Often yes, because many directories are built around individual practitioners. Make sure each profile links back to the clinician’s page on your website and uses the same title, specialisms and fees.
Do directory profiles help with AI tools?
They can. AI tools often draw on large directories and registers to check facts and find options. Consistent, complete profiles give them more to work with, while out of date profiles are a common source of wrong answers.
How often should we update our profiles?
Whenever fees, waits, clinicians or locations change, and at least every few months as a check. Put a recurring reminder in the practice manager’s diary.
See where your clinic stands
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