Many therapist directories cost money for either the therapist or the client to use (and sometimes both).
For example, Psychology Today costs just pennies shy of $30 a month to be listed on as a therapist. That cost adds up quickly. Here are some of the free or less expensive listing sites I have found, that you might want to check out whether you are a therapist or perspective client.
This post was last updated August of 2023.
FREE LISTINGS
Open Path Collective - Open Path is free for therapists to list on, and therapists who refer other therapists to the collective get $50 per colleague referral. To join the collective, you agree to see Open Path clients on an out-of-pocket sliding scale of $40-$80. The collective costs clients a one-time lifetime membership of $65. The sliding scale rates are comparable to many copays, making them affordable for clients without access to mental health insurance.
Choosing Therapy - Choosing Therapy is free for therapists and clients to access. Therapists can link their live calendars, so that prospective clients can book an appointment day and time directly from the site.
Therapy Route - Therapy Route has a free listing option for therapists and is free for clients to use.
Online Therapy - Online Therapy is free for clients and has a free option for therapists who link back to the directory on their own websites by using a site badge.
TherapyDen - As of this post's most recent update, the site benefits page states therapists don't have to pay to "get a full functioning profile and start immediately attracting new clients. You won't be asked to upgrade at a later date. TherapyDen is free because we want to be inclusive." In practice, I and others have not been able to get free profiles to show up in directory searches, no matter how specific the match criteria is.
Marriage.com - Marriage.com is free for both clients and therapists. Marriage.com is specific to providing marriage and relationship therapy services.
TherapyByPro - TherapyByPro is free for both therapists and clients.
MyWellbeing - MyWellbeing has a free listing option for therapists and is free for clients. They also have a $15 colleague referral program.
OutList - Outlist on OutCare is free for both therapists and clients. It is specific to providers who provide LGBTQ+ competent care. OutCare also provides LGBTQ+ care training courses for a fee.
A Therapist Like Me - A Therapist Like Me is free for both therapists and clients, and the upgrade option is very affordable at $25 a year. A Therapist Like Me focuses on connecting minority therapists with minority clients.
HEAVILY DISCOUNTED or INEXPENSIVE LISTINGS
Psychology Today - As of the most recent update of this post, you can also get listed for FREE for 6 months on Psychology Today.
Mental Health Match - As of the most recent update of this post, Mental Health Match provides a free 60 day trial when you sign up. Then if you also enter a colleague referral code at sign up, like my code: CXN1686667D, to stack another 2 free months for a total of 4 FREE months being listed at Mental Health Match.
Neurodivergent Therapists - Neurodivergent Therapists has a one time fee of $25 for both therapists and and is free for clients. Neurodivergent Therapists focuses on connecting neurodivergent therapists with clients.
Being Seen - You can get a discounted lifetime/one-time fee for listing on Being Seen if you are also an Open Path therapist. The normal lifetime fee is $150, and the discounted fee is $100. Being Seen also has a different colleague referral setup, since they cannot leverage free months of being listed, referrals get you a free month as a "featured therapist."
BONUS CATEGORY: FREE Electronic Health Records (EHR) Software
Carepatron - Carepatron has a free tier for their HIPAA compliant EHR software that includes 1GB of storage, access to templates for intake and notes, individual telehealth video calls (paid tier is needed to access group video calls), online booking/scheduling, invoicing (through Stripe), and other things common to EHR.
For clients, some of these may be good ways to find more specified therapist identities. For mental health providers, even the listing directories that don't often garner referrals will still show up on google and other web searches. Leading to an increased professional online presence and footprint.
I have tried to provide links directly to the listing directories or sign up sections of these sites. I receive incentive where noted (i.e., Open Path, Psychology Today, etc). I will do my best to keep this list updated with current free and inexpensive directory options.