The Internet has become an important place where potential clients actively search for mental health professionals. The questions I hear over and over again relate to why no referrals seem to come from Internet directories for clinicians. This is a fair question that needs clarification. Probably, you will not find the information I am about to disclose anywhere else because companies that handle significant amounts of Internet traffic also have a monetary incentive for not disclosing it.

Based on my server logs and additional analysis of people’s behavior when searching for a therapist online at www.therapist-psychologist.com, three trends have become apparent: 1. People already have the name of the therapist and try to search it online. 2. People search for therapists in a specific geographical area, based on specific or general therapeutic needs. 3. People search for a mental health condition and click on the name of therapists who are brought up by the search engines.

1. When potential clients already have your name they still browse through your webpage, and most of them leave after gathering your information. About 80% of them DO NOT look at other therapists’ webpages. The most likely reason is that they either heard your name by word of mouth, or were given your name (and 3-4 more names) by an insurance company. These potential clients are doing their homework, trying to know about the therapist(s) they were referred to.  If they find you on the Internet, like what they see, and feel comfortable calling you, you may have added one more client to your practice. If they do not find you on the Internet or if they do not like what they see, you may have lost a client before you even knew it.

If you are lucky (don’t know how to define this word as it applies to clients’ behaviors) to see such client in your office, they may say that an insurance company or an acquaintance gave him/her your name and telephone number. Probably, they will not mention the online search at all. However, what contributed to the visit was probably the online search. So, next time you question whether it is necessary to have an internet presence, think carefully about it.

I will cover the second point, “People search for therapists in a specific geographical area, based on specific or general therapeutic needs” on the next article.