Every year, Verywell Mind helps 150 million people find answers to their mental health questions. That’s why, as part of our mission, we aim to provide you with thorough, data-driven, and unbiased reviews of services that can improve your health and well-being, such as online therapist directories—websites that aim to make it easier for therapy seekers and therapists to connect, both in-person and online.
Since 2020, more and more people are seeking mental health care, especially for anxiety or depression—and this has made it increasingly difficult for people to find a therapist that is both available and appropriate for their needs.This is especially true if you live in a therapy desert (i.e., a place where there is, even pre-pandemic, a shortage of mental health professionals), such as Mississippi and South Carolina. These two states have the lowest representation of licensed therapists in the United States with only 11.9 and 13 per 100,000 people, respectively. (For comparison, Washington, D.C. had 173.3 and Vermont had 100.5 per 100,000 people).
We wanted to evaluate whether some of the most popular therapist directories were actually achieving their main goals of making it easier for therapy seekers to find appropriate care and locating therapists to fill their practice. To accomplish this, we evaluated 27 different companies (though two eventually didn’t make the cut for us to review fully) in order to determine whether they really are helpful. Here is how we researched these directories.
User Testing
Companies may have great mission statements to combat inequities in mental health care, but the best of intentions cannot compensate for a poorly designed search function. When you’re already not feeling your best and looking for therapy, small setbacks like result pages that don’t load, limited search filters, and confusing website navigation can be all the more frustrating.
Directories might also be intuitive to certain types of therapy seekers, but difficult for others due to their limited focus or lack of accessibility features. Thus, we decided that user testing must be a fundamental part of our research.
As a result, we devised a series of steps our testers could undertake in order to test the search functionality, website navigation, and usefulness for a range of therapy seekers.
Testing Directories Ourselves
In both 2023 and 2024, we had testers try out our top-performing directories out of the 27 we identified as major players in the online therapy field, including:
We selected these specific directories to test because of the specialized services they provide: these are companies focused on connecting people with marginalized identities - such as BIPOC folks, LGBTQIA+ folks, and people with low socioeconomic status - with quality mental health care. This list also consists of directories that work with their therapiststo allow them to accept insurance(a rarity in the therapy world) and directories that feature specialists, such as couples therapists or psychiatrists.
Both rounds of testing involved using the directory’s search features to find a therapist (or therapists) who would be appropriate for the kind of care we were seeking. We made sure to try out different kinds of searches, using the filters available on each directory, in order to understand the process of searching on the directory and testing how detailed and personalized we could make the search.
Hypothetical Therapy Seeker Scenarios
Once these scenarios were finalized, they were grouped into six main categories relating to specific techniques, specific conditions, relationship-related issues, parenting-relating problems, cultural sensibility, and accessibility.
The Hypothetical Therapy Seeker Scenarios We Used for User Testing
Specific technique-related:
Specific condition-related:
Relationship-related:
Parenting-related:
Cultural Sensibility:
Accessibility:
Regions to Test
In an ideal world, we would have the time to test all 50 states for all 27 directories, but due to limited resources and time, we decided instead to test 18 different ZIP codes that represent a wide range of demographics, incomes, education levels, and therapist availability.
These ZIP codes we tested, based on demographic research and health professional shortage areas (HPSAs), included the following:
Once we had finalized our ZIP codes and hypothetical therapy seeker scenarios, we began user testing. To do this, a combination of Verywell Mind editors and independent contractors searched each directory for therapists who might fit each of the 37 hypothetical scenarios in all 18 ZIP codes, choosing the therapist they thought to be the best fit for the scenario in 10 minutes or less using the site’s navigation and search function. Once they found their therapist, they noted the link to the therapist’s bio, which search filters they were able to find and use, and any other issues they ran into (such as errors using the search function, lack of therapists available, etc.).
Once this data had been collected, our three subject matter experts,Hannah Owens, LMSW,Dr. Amy Marschall, andDr. Nic Hardyscored each result on a scale of 0 to 5 based on how well the tester was able to find a therapist who matched the hypothetical scenario. To be clear, our experts were not scoring the therapists themselves—we scored the user’s ability to find a suitable therapist in their ZIP code for each scenario. For example, if the tester wasn’t able to find any therapist at all (i.e., because there were very limited or no therapists in that ZIP code or the therapists didn’t specialize in the condition they were seeking treatment for), the score was low. But if the therapy seeker was able to find a highly specialized therapist who matched the hypothetical scenario well, the score was high.
In general, the most useful directories offered a variety of filters relevant to the target user/demographic, allowing the user to quickly and effectively find a therapist who met the needs of the scenario with few or no issues with design or programming; lower-scoring directories offered few or irrelevant filters and/or had bugs or other issues.
Once the scores for each of the 37 scenarios across all 18 ZIP codes had been determined, we calculated averages based on the six results. Here is the ranking of each company for each category after this scoring was complete:
Our subject matter experts also took notes explaining their scoring, which we shared with our writers to incorporate into the reviews.
Selecting Our Directories
In order to determine which directories we wanted to evaluate, we first created a list of all the companies we’d either heard of through word-of-mouth or discovered while conducting our research, either through internet ads, news articles, or google keyword searches.
From there, we narrowed down the list of companies to those that had higher traffic, the most news coverage, and the best word-of-mouth or social media presence. We also sought out those that work to help connect underserved or marginalized communities with therapists that look like them or share a similar gender identity, sexual orientation, or cultural background.
Companies that prioritize underserved communities stood out to us in particular because the mental health field has long had a diversity problem. Only about 4% of mental health providers identify as Black in the U.S., 4% as Asian, and 6% as Latinx.We wanted to ensure that we were reviewing the companies that would be most useful to our readers, regardless of where they live or how they identify.
Two of the directories we researched, Therapy for Muslims and All About Counseling, we were initially unable to test because of technical issues on the websites. However, as of 2024, these companies no longer function as online therapy directories; instead, they provide information and guidance about therapy.
Our final list of companies included the following:National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color NetworkTherapy for Black GirlsTherapy for Black MenChoosing TherapyInnoPsychTherapy for LatinxOpenPath CollectiveHeadwayAlmaPsychology TodayGood TherapyNetworkTherapy.comFindatherapist.comTherapyTribeInclusive TherapistsFinancial Therapy AssociationZencareZocDocOKClarityMelanin & Mental HealthMental Health MatchGottman Referral NetworkMeet MonarchTherapyDenClinicians of Color
Our final list of companies included the following:
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color NetworkTherapy for Black GirlsTherapy for Black MenChoosing TherapyInnoPsychTherapy for LatinxOpenPath CollectiveHeadwayAlmaPsychology TodayGood TherapyNetworkTherapy.comFindatherapist.comTherapyTribeInclusive TherapistsFinancial Therapy AssociationZencareZocDocOKClarityMelanin & Mental HealthMental Health MatchGottman Referral NetworkMeet MonarchTherapyDenClinicians of Color
Data Collection
This involved three steps:
States Served
And here are the number of therapists we counted as of April 2022 across all states:
Admittedly, the number is fluid—therapists are likely joining or leaving a company every day—but this number gives us a rough estimate of what a user might be able to find on each website. This count also allowed us to crosscheck the information with the companies that responded to our surveys.
(Note: The Financial Therapist Association is not listed on the map or table above because this was the one company where the states served and the number of therapists per state was unclear from the website alone.)
Our counts also gave us an average number of therapists per state, information we could use to compare against national averages (in order to determine if a company was serving a “therapy desert”) and against its competitors.
Company Questionnaire
Our goal with the company questionnaire was to give each directory the opportunity to tell us about themselves and comment on their offerings. It was their chance to tell us their story, pitch us about why they were helpful to therapy seekers, and how they stood out from the competition. It was also an opportunity for us to get clarification on certain aspects of their company that we had questions about.
Our questionnaire was 43 questions long, and focused on these areas:
If any answers were unclear or we had additional questions, we followed up with the companies afterward.
We reached out to all 25 companies we wrote about via their media contact (if they had one), customer service, and social media sites, such as LinkedIn. We originally tried to get all the answers within a month, but due to lower response rates, we extended our deadline. However, despite repeated outreach attempts, only 13 of the 25 companies responded.
While the answers mostly revealed information we expected, there were some things that we learned that we hadn’t anticipated. For example, two companies do not have a process for handling user complaints about the therapists on the directory and most companies said they offer guidance to therapists about what information to put in their profiles.
The questionnaire also allowed us to fact-check our manual count of the number of therapists on the site and follow up regarding any discrepancies.
Website Data Collection
Since not all companies responded to our questionnaire, we conducted our own data collection to obtain answers to all the questions we’d asked through our research. In order to also fact-check (or ask clarifying questions to the companies we did hear from), we decided to collect data on all 25, regardless of whether they had responded.
We also found this process to be illuminating: Since our research would always begin on the website, it would give us insight into how easily a potential user could find answers to their questions as well. As a result, we asked our data collectors to gather information not only about the company’s services, but also the site’s general design, user-friendliness, and any potential obtrusive ads or errors they encountered.
This process was exhaustive and comprehensive. We asked our data collectors to answer 86 questions as they conducted their research via the company website, news coverage, customer service calls or messages, and, where necessary, a phone interview with a company representative. (Only one interview was conducted in the end, with Melanin & Mental Health’s founder.)
Our research included a full review of the following areas:
Our researchers compiled this information into a spreadsheet and took documenting screenshots wherever necessary.
User Surveys
In order to try to get an accurate sense of how therapy seekers use and feel about the directories we reviewed, we surveyed 180 users at each of the 27 directories we evaluated. Then, in 2024, we repeated this survey, this time with 100 respondents for each directory.
The surveys included 46 questions about the directory company itself, including:
These answers gave us some idea of how satisfied users were with the directory as a tool to find a therapist.
In fact, overall user satisfaction with the directory became one of our most important ways to evaluate the company. For example, the survey gave us insight into how many users would recommend the company to others like them:
And it gave us insight into how users felt the company compared to other services they’d used:
It also told us what they thought the company could do better:
Who Were the Users We Surveyed?
Before we opened our original survey to respondents, we sought to make our survey data representative of the U.S. population. This meant ensuring that our respondents came from most (if not all) 50 states.
Approximately 46 million Americans (or 14% of the population) live in rural areas of the country.Rural areas also often have inadequate mental health services, forcing therapy seekers to struggle to find providers or making them travel long distances just to get help. For example, one study found that there is only one psychiatrist available for every 30,000 people living in rural America.
So, in order to try to discern whether therapist directories were helping rural residents connect with therapists, we felt it was important to try to survey therapy seekers from those regions. Thus, we originally capped our respondents at 81% from urban and suburban areas.
However, we eventually loosened this restriction a bit when we struggled to find enough respondents to participate in the survey. In the end, 84.3% of our respondents were residents of urban or suburban areas and 15.7% came from rural regions—which was fairly representative of the U.S. population.
Income was also an important variable for us, as it would greatly influence how users felt about the affordability of therapist rates. The median income in the U.S. is $67,521, according to the U.S. Census, so we limited the number of respondents who made over $100,000 to 40% of respondents.Here is the breakdown of our 4,863 respondents:
According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the United States is more racially and ethnically diverse than in the previous 10 years—a trend that has been ongoing with every census since 1980.In fact, a 2020 report suggests that the country is diversifying even faster than previously predicted.
Here is what our final results were:
Since so many companies claim to be serving users of a number of different religions and backgrounds, we also asked users about what languages they spoke and which religion they followed.
Ninety-three percent of the users said they spoke English, but many also spoke other languages, including:
As for religious beliefs, here is how our users responded compared to the national population:
Roughly 7.1% of the U.S. population identifies as LGBTQ+, another number that has been on the rise since 2012.As a result, we wanted to ensure that we were surveying users from this population so we set a number of quotas, including:
Here is our final breakdown of respondents:
In addition, 12% of respondents identified as intersex and 3% preferred not to say.
Finally, roughly 61% of Americans—or 26% of the adult population—have some type of disability.In addition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults with disabilities report experiencing mental health issues at a five times higher rate than people with disabilities, including traumatic stress from the painful treatments they receive as well as depression and anxiety.
As a result, it was clear to us that people with disabilities might be frequent users of online therapist directories, so it was important for our survey to target this demographic. Originally, we set our quota to 26% of people with disabilities, but due to difficulties finding respondents, we were forced to loosen our restrictions.
In the end, only 18.9% of our users said they lived with a disability, though 4.3% said they were unsure and 0.8% said they preferred not to disclose. Nineteen percent of our survey respondents also identified as neurodivergent, meaning they live with autism, ADHD, OCD, dyspraxia, or another condition.
To keep our survey representative of therapy seekers nationwide, we also worked to ensure our respondents represented different ages. Here are our final results:
Therapist Surveys and Interviews
Directories market their services not just to therapy seekers, but also to therapists they want to recruit. After all, the more therapists each company has in each state, the more useful the site is to therapy seekers. Many companies offer therapists a way to advertise, seek legitimacy, and grow their practice. Others offer help scheduling sessions or processing billing.
We were curious about how effective the companies were at delivering on their promises to the therapists who joined, so we designed a 60+ question survey asking them about why they signed up, what they liked and disliked about the directory, and what the sign-up process was. We also asked them if they had tried other services, including other directories or online therapy companies, and how the company compared to those services.
We then reached out to hundreds of therapists at each directory (in batches of 20 at a time) in order to try to receive a minimum of 10 therapists' responses to our survey. We also contacted the companies themselves, asking them to share our survey with their users, and looked for therapists through services such as Help a Reporter Out (HARO) and social media platforms.
However, after a month of outreach, we were still far from our goal of hearing back from a minimum of 10 therapists from each company, so we changed our approach and hired freelance journalists to conduct phone interviews with therapists at the company instead. This method helped us meet (and in some places exceed) our goals of a minimum of 10 therapists per company.
In the end, we interviewed or surveyed a total of 364 therapists across all 25 companies.It is worth noting, though, that OKClarity requested that we stop reaching out to their therapists—so we only spoke with one therapist from that directory (prior to their request to discontinue outreach). This did hamper our ability to get insight into the services this directory offers therapists listed on the platform.
In the end, we interviewed or surveyed a total of 364 therapists across all 25 companies.
It is worth noting, though, that OKClarity requested that we stop reaching out to their therapists—so we only spoke with one therapist from that directory (prior to their request to discontinue outreach). This did hamper our ability to get insight into the services this directory offers therapists listed on the platform.
Analysis
Once all our data was collected, we created a rubric to help us evaluate each company in the following areas:
We created a scoring system based on the answers to these questions to determine star ratings for each company and help compare each directory against its competitors. This allowed us to rank the companies in order to determine not only the best overall directory but also the best for specific therapy seekers’ needs.
Our Team
Hannah Owens, LMSW
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