Google Business Profile for therapists: setup, privacy and reviews

Do therapists need a Google Business Profile?

If clients come to your office, yes. The profile shows your name, location, phone, website link and reviews in Maps and local results, and it's free. Without one, a nearby searcher sees other practices on the map and directory listings instead of you.

It isn't for everyone. Telehealth-only practices usually can't qualify, and a therapist working from home may not want the address public. The next section covers both. If you're mapping all your channels, start with the therapist marketing hub.

Eligibility: home offices, shared suites and telehealth-only practices

Google's rules turn on in-person contact. Its eligibility guidelines (opens in a new tab) say: "To qualify for a Business Profile, a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours." They list "online-only businesses" among those that aren't eligible.

How that applies to common therapy setups:

The representation guidelines (opens in a new tab) add that service-area businesses "should hide your business address", using a plumber working from home as the example. A therapist who only sees clients at their own home doesn't fit that model, so if your address can't be public, a Business Profile at that address isn't the right tool. Directories, your website and ads targeted to your licensed states still work. For the full rules, see Google's listing guidelines.

Hours. The guidelines also say businesses that "operate only by appointment" shouldn't provide hours. A group with a staffed front desk can list those hours; a solo therapist seeing clients only by appointment can leave them off.

Choosing categories and services

Google asks you to "use as few categories as possible" and to pick ones that complete the sentence "This business IS a", not "this business HAS a".

1. Open the category picker in your Business Profile and type the terms that describe what you are, such as psychotherapist, counselor, psychologist, or marriage or family counselor.
2. Pick the most specific option Google offers for your main work as the primary category. Category names change, so use what the picker shows today rather than a list from an old guide.
3. Add a secondary category only if it describes the whole business, for example a group with both counselors and psychologists.
4. Don't use categories as keywords ("anxiety", "EMDR"); Google's guidelines say not to.
5. Add services for what you offer: individual therapy, couples counseling, child and teen therapy, telehealth sessions.

Practice vs individual-therapist listings in a group

Google's guidelines treat therapists as individual practitioners: public-facing professionals with their own client base. Per the guidelines (opens in a new tab):

• A practitioner may have their own profile if they "operate in a public-facing role" and "can be contacted directly at the verified location during stated hours". Support staff should not.
• With several practitioners at one location, the practice gets its own profile, separate from each practitioner's, and a practitioner's profile title "should include only the name of the practitioner".
• A solo practitioner under a practice brand should share one profile named "[brand/company]: [practitioner name]".
• A practitioner "shouldn't have multiple Business Profiles to cover all of their specializations."

Whether to create individual profiles is a choice, not a requirement. They suit established clinicians with their own reputation. They also split reviews across listings and need a plan for when someone leaves. An alternative is one strong practice profile plus Psychology Today profiles for each clinician. For more on structure, see Google Business Profile for practices.

Photos, descriptions and attributes that respect privacy

Photos. Use the building exterior and entrance (it helps a nervous first-time client find you), the waiting area and therapy room empty, and clinician headshots. Never post photos that include clients, client artwork or anything on a screen or desk.

Description. Say who you help, how and where, in plain language. Google's guidelines don't allow links in the description or a focus on promotions and prices. Don't promise outcomes.

Attributes. Add only those that are true and that you're comfortable showing. The options vary by category.

Q&A and messages. Don't invite people to share clinical details in public questions or chat; point them to call or use your secure form.

Replying to reviews without confirming someone is a client

Under HIPAA, confirming that someone is your client is itself a disclosure of protected health information. A public reply can't mention treatment, diagnoses, attendance or dates, even when the reviewer has shared them first.

HHS has enforced this. In 2023 its Office for Civil Rights announced a settlement with Manasa Health Center, LLC (opens in a new tab), a New Jersey provider of adult and child psychiatric services, after a complaint that the practice "impermissibly disclosed the protected health information of a patient" in a response to a negative online review. Manasa paid $30,000 and agreed to a corrective action plan.

Generic templates you can adapt (illustrative):

• Positive review: "Thank you for taking the time to write this. We're grateful for the trust people place in our team."
• Negative review: "We take feedback seriously. Our privacy obligations mean we can't discuss anyone's care or confirm whether someone has worked with us. If you'd like to talk, please call our office manager at [office number]."
• Review you don't recognize: Use the same reply, then flag the review through Google if it breaks Google's policies.

Two more rules: don't solicit reviews from current clients in ways that conflict with your ethics code, and don't argue publicly. More detail in replying to reviews safely and HIPAA for therapy practices.

This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm how it applies to your practice with a qualified advisor.

Tracking calls, website clicks and directions

Business Profile reports its own performance metrics (opens in a new tab), including searches, profile views, calls (clicks on the call button), website clicks and direction requests. To see what happens after the click:

1. Tag the website link with a tracking parameter, such as ?utm_source=google&utm_medium=gbp, so your analytics separate profile visits from other Google traffic.
2. Ask every new client how they found you, with "Google Maps" as an option.
3. Review monthly: views, calls, website clicks, and consult requests from the profile.

Where Medfy fits: Medfy's Google reporting brings Search Console, Google Analytics and Business Profile into one view, and its first-party analytics counts calls, forms, bookings and directions from your website. Medfy does not send review requests. To see where your listing stands, the free audit of your Google listing scores your rating, reviews and whether your name, address and phone match your website.

Frequently asked questions

Can a therapist hide their home address on Google?

Only if you don't see clients there. Google lets service-area businesses, which travel to customers, hide their address. If clients come to your home office, it's a location customers visit, so the address shows, and Google expects businesses that show an address to have permanent signage. If that's not acceptable, consider a rented office for your listing, or skip a Business Profile and rely on directories and your website.

Can a telehealth-only therapist have a Google Business Profile?

Generally no. Google's eligibility rules say a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours, and they list online-only businesses as ineligible. A virtual office or a mailing address you don't work from doesn't qualify either. Telehealth-only practices are better served by a strong website, directory profiles such as Psychology Today, and search ads targeted to the states where they're licensed.

Should each therapist in a group practice have their own listing?

Google allows it: public-facing practitioners who can be reached at the location during stated hours may have their own profiles, alongside a separate profile for the practice. The practitioner's profile title should be only their name. It suits established clinicians who want their own visibility. Decide in advance who controls each profile and what happens to it if a clinician leaves.

How should a therapist respond to a Google review?

Briefly, warmly and without confirming the person is or was a client. Thank them for the feedback, say your privacy obligations prevent you from discussing anyone's care, and invite them to call the office. Never mention treatment, diagnoses, attendance or dates. HHS settled with a New Jersey psychiatric practice, Manasa Health Center, for $30,000 in 2023 over alleged disclosures of patient information in replies to negative reviews.