I’ve been asked to review a website called FindCounseling.com, which was first born in 1996 as Mirconnect.com then evolved in 2000 to Therapistfinder.net. When C.J. Newton founded FindCounseling.com, he wanted to create a search engine specific to mental health professionals. This was quite forward-thinking on Newton’s part, as resource websites at the time mainly tried to be generalists trying to cater to as many people as possible (“mass marketing”).
According to FindCounseling.com, Newton’s original template website became the model upon which all therapist directories have been built. So why this continued evolution to FindCounseling.com? FindCounseling.com is reinventing itself to go beyond just a searchable directory. It wants be an intelligent engine that responds to your queries so that your search is more focused to the help you need. Here are my 3 key observations about the website:
1. Mental Health Internet Resources section is organized very well. One trend that I’ve seen is that most mental health websites tried to cram a ton of information on a page. I believe that my website (this one you’re reading) is also guilty of this bad habit. When there’s too many links and sublinks and blurbs on the same page, readers can sometimes get confused. FindCounseling.com has a clean layout that has a sequential link organization: when I clicked on Mental Health Journal, I found links to topical articles that first give an overview of the topic, then at the end listed more resources to other articles. I like this logic a lot. It doesn’t overwhelm me with information, and in a way, act as a research guide.
2. Therapist Directory allows you to search by zipcode. Links to therapists can either open up to that therapist’s website, or open to a template page provided by FindCounseling.com that includes an overview of the therapist’s expertise, practice locations, personal statement, treatment areas, treatment modalities, and affiliations. I looked through various therapist listings and find myself preferring and recommending FindCounseling.com‘s template page listing over link-out to a therapist’s website (there was only 1 in my search result that linked directly to the therapist’s own website). I’d recommend therapists who want to list to use the template page even if they have their own websites; they can always link to their website in their profile. The reason is because this standard format helps me get a better “feel” for the therapists as people by controlling for “creative” factors like unique website designs.
3. One key limitation that FindCounseling.com is quick to point out is that it is a new site, and therefore its roster of therapists is limited. For example, in California, only San Francisco was listed. FindCounseling.com believes that as the site becomes better known, more therapists will enroll in this service and thus prospective patients have more options. Perhaps one way that FindCounseling.com can encourage therapists to sign up is by running a promotion on their annual fee requirements and giving a discount for the first year.
Overall, I like the clean layout, the refinable search concept, and a standard therapist directory page that lets me learn more about each therapist as people. I look forward to this website growing its membership of therapists so that it can serve patients who need mental health help.
Disclosure: This is a commissioned review through ReviewMe
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
How can the site be new and have been around since 1996? The site has not been reviewed by anyone other than this commissioned review that I can see. As a clinician, I’m wary of any directory that asks for this much money and hasn’t got any credibility to being in clients. Lower the price or offer a 30 day free sign up. Psychology Today offered me 6 months free.
If people can’t find a counselor near them, they won’t use the directory and if no one uses the directory, no counselor will sign up. Bite the bullet and offer a sign-up discount of incentive. Otherwise there are plenty of other directories out there doing a much better job for the counselor and client alike.
Thanks for your feedback, Art! Since they asked me to review their site quite some time ago, your assessment may be more current – and of course – from the standpoint of a potential counselor/customer.