Reviews are absolutely essential to modern referral marketing. If someone Googles "therapist near me," the clinic with forty positive reviews gets chosen over the clinic with only two positive reviews always!
However, there is an inherent conflict here because therapists must be aware that the very guidelines that help to protect your patients prevent you from collecting these precious reviews, and sites such as Google are where you simply have to rank well.
How, then, do you go about building your review profile without risking your license and compromising your patients' confidentiality?
Trust is everything about the product. New clients cannot judge your performance before the way a customer judges a restaurant or a plumber. Reviews become the replacement for this uncertainty they are the closest equivalent of a referral from a stranger.
Reviews drive your local visibility. The number, frequency, and rating of reviews have an impact on the prominence of your Google Business Profile in local search and map results. Reviews are not only a form of social proof but also an element of your visibility.
You need so few clients that small advantages compound. As we worked out in How Many New Clients Does a Therapy Practice Actually Need Per Month? Routine individual training generally requires just two to three additional clients per month. With such an accommodating environment, even a minor change in ranking in your local area or getting two more profile visits each month would make a difference.
Before approaching anyone, familiarise yourself with the guidelines for your field. While these may differ by jurisdiction or professional association, check against yours, but the general pattern applies: Current client testimonials cannot be sought under any circumstances.
A client trying to please their therapist is unlikely to be truly voluntary.
Former clients are problematic as well, but more controversially. Most codes permit seeking testimonials from former clients only with reservations, taking into account dependency and potential therapy resumption.
Some associations consider it as dangerous behaviour, while others allow it, providing certain precautions are taken. It is the crucial guideline for your profession and country.
Confidentiality will always limit everything. An open minded reviewer could easily infringe upon his own confidentiality through the mere act of publicly posting information indicating that you are his client.
It may be true for some clients but many don’t understand what it entails. Never ask them to say what they have done for you.
Offering incentives or doing a quid pro quo is also very unethical. You are bound not to offer discounts, sessions or gifts in return for reviews.
Reviewing other businesses for your own is also considered unethical. Safe way of approaching all these is by making sure that your reviews are those written freely by the people themselves and with no coercion by you.
1. Remove obstacles to leaving a review
You cannot force anyone’s hand, but you can remove obstacles. Complete your Google Business Profile set-up fully, make sure the review link is one tap away, and get the URL ready in case someone compliments you on their own accord. There are many satisfied clients who just do not know where to leave a review – showing them is fine, but persuading them is an ethical issue.
2. Publicly reply to every review, the right way
Replying to reviews is 100% within your control and totally ethical. Respond with gratitude, briefly, and crucially, never confirm the reviewer as your client or disclose any information regarding the clinical relationship, even if the reviewer does so him/herself. The reply such as "Thank you for taking the time to share this" is warm and does not reveal anything. Replying to each and every review also sends a message to potential clients who are reading it silently that you are responsive and professional.
3. Ask the people who are not your clients
This method is greatly underutilised. Colleagues, referring physicians, supervisors or supervises, other professionals who know your work can legitimately review or recommend you.
4. Former client outreach must be done cautiously – with informed consent
If your professional body allows it, some firms ask former clients whether they would be willing to provide public feedback – presented as a request before writing a review, preferably through an impartial medium, with a clear message that declining does not affect anything, and that they should not give out any personal information.
Consult your code of conduct, document your procedure, and if you have doubts, play safe. Violating one boundary will cost you more than a hundred reviews can earn you.
5. Turn positive signals into reviews the ethical way
Sometimes, a client might come forward and say, “you've changed my life – how can I leave a review?” This kind of response is different from solicitation.
Here is what you need to prepare beforehand – thank them, tell them where the reviews can be left, and remind them to stay general. Responsiveness to an unprompted compliment is almost always compliant; fabrication is not.
thics aren’t the only danger – there are some peculiarities of the platforms themselves, and therapists fall victim to them all the time.
The best example is Yelp. The automated filter removes reviews that it considers unreliable often precisely those very fresh and enthusiastic reviews that businesses need the most leading to numerous lawsuits and complaints from users.
On top of that, taking into account that therapists can’t ethically ask clients to write a review, Yelp’s paid advertising doesn’t seem to be a good choice for this profession; we evaluate the pros and cons of Yelp Advertising for Therapists: ROI, Reviews, and Red Flags. Read it before any Yelp salesperson talks you into a term commitment.
