Backlinks for Therapists: Which Directories Actually Link to You
Backlinks for therapists are links from other websites to your practice's site. Several guides ranking for this search tell you to start with directories, so we checked which ones actually link to you.
List on directories that pass a followed link (Inclusive Therapists, Mental Health Match, AAMFT's locator), then earn links from mental health publications, local organizations, colleagues and podcasts. Skip bought links and link swaps.
Watch for: Psychology Today and GoodTherapy listings are nofollow.
MentionAgent read 48 public profiles on 16 therapy directories on 13 October 2026. Three gave the therapist's site a followed link. Psychology Today and GoodTherapy, about $30 a month each, mark theirs nofollow.
Which therapy directories link to your site
MentionAgent tried 23 directories on 13 October 2026, 20 of them from the counselling directory list that ranks for this search. We read the link to the therapist's site in the rendered profile (one to four profiles each) and the price on each directory's own pricing page. Seven could not be read: Zocdoc, Clinicians of Color and Theralist showed a bot check, Healthgrades is unavailable from our location, and we reached no profile on TherapyTribe, Network Therapy or Therapy for Black Men.
| Directory | Link to your site | What we saw | Listing price (13 Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inclusive Therapists | Followed | Plain link to the site on 4 of 4 profiles | $29/month, or $22/month billed annually ($264); 90 days free |
| Mental Health Match | Followed | "My Website", plain link, 4 of 4 profiles | $39/month or $375/year after 60 days free |
| Therapist Locator (AAMFT) | Followed | rel="noopener noreferrer" on the 2 of 4 profiles that listed a site | Not checked |
| Therapy for Black Girls | Partly | "Visit My Website" is nofollow; the plain URL also shown is followed (4 of 4) | Not checked |
| Latinx Therapy | Partly | "Website" button is nofollow; other links in the profile text were followed (3 of 3) | Solo Basic from $10/month |
| Theravive | Mixed | Nofollow on 2 profiles, plain on 1 (a treatment center), no site on 1 | Standard $247 to $397/year |
| Psychology Today | Nofollow | "My website" goes to a psychologytoday.com redirect marked nofollow (2 of 2) | $29.95/month |
| GoodTherapy | Nofollow | "Visit Website" marked nofollow on the 3 of 4 profiles that had one | Basic $30.95/month |
| TherapyDen | Nofollow | "WEBSITE" marked nofollow (2 of 2) | Free |
| Asian Mental Health Collective | Nofollow | "Website" marked nofollow (2 of 2) | Not checked |
| Choosing Therapy | No link | None; a banner says the directory closes on October 31 | n/a |
| Headway, Alma, Grow Therapy, Zencare, Open Path Collective | No link | None on any of the 11 profiles | n/a |
Psychology Today's signup page promises "Unparalleled SEO" for $29.95 a month, but its website button goes through its own redirect, marked nofollow.
How to get the followed link
- Fill in the website field. Two of the four AAMFT profiles we read showed no site, so no link.
- Add your URL as text. On Therapy for Black Girls the button is nofollow but the plain URL also shown is followed. On Latinx Therapy, other links in the profile text were followed.
What the difference looks like in the page code (real links from profiles we read, trimmed to href and rel; practice domains replaced with yourpractice.com):
| Where | Link code | Followed? |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology Today | <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/profile/<id>/website" rel="nofollow">My website</a> | No |
| Therapy for Black Girls button | <a href="https://yourpractice.com/" rel="nofollow">Visit My Website</a> | No |
| Therapy for Black Girls URL text | <a href="https://yourpractice.com/">https://yourpractice.com/</a> | Yes |
| Mental Health Match | <a href="https://yourpractice.com/">My Website</a> | Yes |
To check your own listing, right-click your website link in Chrome, choose Inspect and look for rel="nofollow", or paste the profile URL into our nofollow link checker.
Is a nofollow directory listing worth paying for?
Only for the clients it sends. Google says nofollow links "will generally not be followed", so ask new clients where they found you, as our mental health marketing guide suggests. Don't pay for a listing for the link alone: Google's spam policies list "Exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links" as link spam. A listing is also a citation, which is not the same as a backlink.
Links beyond directories
- Mental health publications. Of 24 health publisher contributor pages we read for our healthcare link building guide, 15 asked for sources and 7 wanted credentials or professional review. Start with our health guest posting sites and pitch template.
- Local organizations and press. See chamber of commerce backlinks and getting featured in the news.
- Colleagues. Ask psychiatrists, primary care practices and therapists you refer with if they keep a resources page (how to ask).
- Universities and podcasts. If you teach or supervise trainees, ask the program to list you (edu backlinks). On a podcast, ask for a link in the show notes.
Expect slow replies: in MentionAgent's outreach, therapy and mental health sites replied at less than half the rate of other sites (3.40% vs 7.89%) (figures here).
What to skip
One ranking guide lists "Do ABC Link Exchanges" as a tactic. Google's spam policies name "Excessive link exchanges ("Link to me and I'll link to you")" and "Buying or selling links for ranking purposes" as link spam. More on buying backlinks and link exchanges.
Find the mental health sites worth pitching
MentionAgent finds blogs and articles on your topic, finds the editor's email and drafts the pitch, which you approve or send on auto. From $99/mo, no per-link fees. Every link still depends on an editor saying yes.
See how MentionAgent worksFrequently asked questions
Do therapy directories give you a backlink?
Some do. Of 16 therapy directories we checked on 13 October 2026, Inclusive Therapists, Mental Health Match and AAMFT's Therapist Locator linked to the therapist's site with a followed link. Psychology Today, GoodTherapy, TherapyDen and the Asian Mental Health Collective marked the link nofollow, and 6 showed no link to the therapist's site at all.
Is a Psychology Today profile a dofollow backlink?
No. On the profiles we read, the "My website" button points to a psychologytoday.com redirect, not to your domain, and it carries rel="nofollow". The listing can still send you clients.
Which therapy directory gives a followed link for the least money?
Inclusive Therapists: $22 a month billed annually ($29 monthly). Mental Health Match: $39 a month. Both start with a free trial (checked 13 October 2026). We did not check AAMFT's price. TherapyDen is free but nofollow.
Should therapists buy backlinks?
No. Google's spam policies list "Buying or selling links for ranking purposes" as link spam. Earn them from mental health publications, local organizations and colleagues.