Google Business Profile for Therapists: The Complete Setup and Optimization Checklist

Someone in your town types “anxiety therapist near me” into Google. A map pops up with three practices pinned on it.

If yours isn’t one of them, most people never scroll far enough to find you.

Your Google Business Profile is what puts you on that map. It’s free, it takes an afternoon to set up, and it’s one of the highest-return things you can do for a local practice.

But most setup guides are written for coffee shops and plumbers. They skip the questions therapists actually run into: Can I list a home office? What about telehealth? Can I ask clients for reviews? How do I reply to a bad review without breaking confidentiality?

This checklist covers all of it. And if you’d rather hand the whole thing off, it’s part of our done-for-you marketing for therapy practices.

Are you eligible? Office, shared suite, home office or telehealth

Google’s rule of thumb is simple: a Business Profile is for a business that either has a location customers visit or travels to customers. Here’s how that plays out for therapists, based on Google’s guidelines for representing your business:

Two of those deserve a closer look.

Home offices. You might be tempted to list as a “service-area business” so your address stays hidden. That option is for businesses that travel to their customers, like plumbers, so it doesn’t fit a therapist whose clients come to them. If showing your home address publicly makes you uneasy (and for a lot of therapists, it should), renting a part-time office a day or two a week is often the cleaner answer.

Telehealth-only practices. This is the one that frustrates people most. Without a place clients visit, Google won’t give you a map listing. You can still rank in regular search results, show up in directories and get recommended by AI tools. Our guide to local SEO for therapists covers what works when the map isn’t an option.

Solo practice, group practice or individual clinicians?

Google treats therapists as “individual practitioners,” the same as doctors and lawyers. That changes how you name things:

• Solo practice with a practice name: use one profile in the format Practice Name: Your Name. For example, “Riverbend Counseling: Jordan Lee.”
• Group practice: the practice gets its own profile. Each clinician who sees clients there can also have a profile, named with just their own name (not the practice name).
• Credentials: Google allows a title or degree in a practitioner’s name, so “Jordan Lee, LPC” is fine.
• One profile per clinician. Don’t create extra profiles for each specialty.

A clinician’s profile is only allowed if they see clients at that location and can be reached there during the listed hours. Support staff don’t get profiles.

Setup and verification, step by step

1. Check whether a profile already exists. Search your practice name in Google Maps. If a listing is already there (sometimes Google creates one automatically), claim it instead of making a duplicate.
2. Use a Google account the practice owns. Sign in at business.google.com with an account tied to your practice email, not a personal Gmail you might lose access to. Add a second owner as a backup.
3. Enter your name exactly as it appears in the real world. Match your signage, website and paperwork. No keywords, no city, no “Best Anxiety Therapist” (more on why below).
4. Pick your primary category. We’ll cover which one in the next section.
5. Add your address, phone and website. Use a local phone number you control and link to your own site, not a directory profile.
6. Verify. Google shows you the verification methods available for your profile, and you can’t pick a different one. Right now that’s most often a short video recorded in the Google Maps app.

For video verification, film one continuous clip that shows the street or building outside, your signage, your office, and something that proves you run the practice (unlocking the door, your business license, a utility bill in the practice name). Reviews of the video typically take a few business days.

One therapy-specific rule: keep clients and client files out of the shot. No faces in the waiting room, no intake forms on the desk, no calendar on the screen. Google also advises keeping faces and sensitive documents out of verification videos.

If Google mails you a code instead, it expires after 30 days. And Google won’t ever call you asking for that code, so treat any call that does as a scam.

Categories and services

Your primary category tells Google what your practice is. It’s one of the strongest signals for which searches you show up in, so pick carefully.

Google’s guidance: choose the most specific category that describes your core business, and use as few as you need. Think “this practice IS a…” rather than “this practice offers…”

Pick one primary, then add one or two secondary categories only if they’re true. A couples-focused LMFT might choose Marriage or relationship counselor as primary and Psychotherapist as secondary. Adding eight categories won’t help, and categories that don’t fit can work against you.

Then fill in the Services section. This is where your specialties go: anxiety therapy, EMDR, couples counseling, teen counseling, telehealth sessions. Add a short, plain description to each one. Services are a much better home for specialties than your business name.

If Google offers attributes for your category, like online appointments or wheelchair accessibility, turn on the ones that apply.

Description, photos, booking link and hours

Your description

You get up to 750 characters. Use the first couple of sentences well, because that’s what people see before they tap “more.”

A simple structure that works:

1. Who you help and where (“We help adults in Boise work through anxiety, trauma and burnout”).
2. How you help (your approaches, in plain language).
3. Practical details (in person, telehealth, or both; whether you take insurance).

Google doesn’t allow links, prices or promotions in the description, and it doesn’t reward keyword stuffing. Write it for a nervous person deciding whether to call you, because that’s who’s reading it.

Photos

Profiles with real photos simply look more trustworthy. Add:

• A clear, friendly photo of you (and each clinician, for a group)
• The outside of the building and the entrance, so first-time clients can find you
• Your waiting room and therapy room
• Your logo and a cover photo

The same rule as verification applies here: no clients in any photo, ever, and nothing with client information visible in the background. Skip the stock photos too. People can tell.

Booking link

Add an appointment link that goes to a page on your site where someone can book a consultation or request one. Keep it simple: a few fields at most, and don’t ask for clinical details on a public form. Our list of therapist website must-haves covers what that booking page should include.

Hours

List the hours your office is open and someone can actually answer the phone. If you only work by appointment with no set office hours, Google’s guidelines say appointment-only businesses generally shouldn’t list hours at all, so check the current guidance before you guess.

Whatever you choose, keep it accurate. Use “special hours” for holidays and vacations so nobody shows up to a locked door.

Finally, make sure your name, address and phone number match your website exactly, down to “Suite” versus “Ste.” Our guide on how to rank your therapist website on Google explains why that consistency matters for your site too.

Reviews: the ethics problem, and how to reply safely

This is where generic Google advice can get a therapist into real trouble.

Every marketing guide says “ask happy customers for reviews.” Your ethics code almost certainly says otherwise.

What the codes say

The major codes all restrict soliciting testimonials, and reviews generally count:

• APA (5.05): no soliciting testimonials from current clients or anyone vulnerable to undue influence.
• ACA (C.3.b): goes further, covering current clients, former clients, and anyone else who may be vulnerable to undue influence.
• NASW (4.07b) and AAMFT (3.8): similar limits on soliciting testimonials from current clients and vulnerable people.

Check the current version of your own code and your state board’s rules. The bottom line for most therapists: don’t ask clients for Google reviews. No emails, no cards in the waiting room, no “it would really help me” at the end of a session.

Google has its own rules on top of that. Its Maps content policy bans offering anything in exchange for a review, asking only happy clients (sometimes called review gating), and discouraging negative reviews. Reviews from people with a conflict of interest, like your employees or close colleagues, aren’t allowed either.

So how do you get reviews at all?

Slowly, and that’s okay.

• Let them come on their own. Some clients will find your profile and leave a review without being asked.
• Be easy to find. A complete, active profile gets seen, and seen profiles get reviewed.
• Don’t chase the number. A handful of honest reviews plus a strong profile does more than you’d think. Photos, services, posts and a clear description all build trust without a single review.

How to reply without confirming someone is a client

Here’s the trap. Someone leaves a review, good or bad. You reply “Thank you so much, it was a joy working with you!”

You’ve just confirmed publicly that this person was your client. For a therapist, that alone is a confidentiality problem.

It gets worse with negative reviews. In 2023, a New Jersey psychiatry practice paid HHS $30,000 after responding to Google reviews with details about patients’ diagnoses and treatment. HHS made it clear this kind of disclosure isn’t allowed, whatever the review said.

The safe approach: reply in general terms only, as if you can’t confirm anyone was ever a client. Because you can’t.

A reply you can adapt for any review, positive or negative:

“Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. To protect everyone’s privacy, we never confirm or discuss whether someone has been a client of our practice. If you’d like to talk about your experience, please call our office directly at [phone number].”

A few more rules:

• Never mention a name, a diagnosis, a session, a date or anything about treatment.
• Don’t argue, even when a review is unfair. Future clients read your reply more than the review.
• Wait before replying to a negative review. Write it, sleep on it, then post the generic version.
• Flag reviews that break Google’s policies (fake, offensive, or posted by someone who was never a client) using the report option. Don’t try to prove it in a reply.

Some practices choose not to reply to reviews at all. That’s a reasonable choice too. Just be consistent.

Posts, and what replaced Q&A

Google Posts

Posts are short updates that appear on your profile. They keep it looking active, and they’re a low-effort way to show what you do. Ideas that work for therapists:

• A new clinician joining the practice
• Openings for new clients, or a new group starting
• Telehealth availability
• A short tip with a link to a related article on your website
• Holiday hours

One every week or two is plenty. Keep client stories and testimonials out of posts, the same as everywhere else.

Q&A is gone

If you’ve read older guides telling you to “seed your Q&A section,” skip that advice. Google retired the Q&A section on Business Profiles starting in late 2025 and replaced it with an AI “Ask” feature. When someone asks a question about your practice, Google’s AI now writes the answer itself, pulling from your profile, your website, your reviews and other mentions of you online.

You can’t type those answers anymore. You can give the AI good material to work with: a complete profile, a detailed services list, and an FAQ page on your website that answers the real questions people ask (cost, insurance, telehealth, what the first session is like). We go deeper on that in our guide on how to show up in ChatGPT and AI search.

Why profiles get suspended, and how to avoid it

Google suspends profiles that look misleading, and therapy practices trip these wires more often than you’d expect:

• Keywords in your business name. “Riverbend Counseling | Anxiety & Trauma Therapist Boise” is the classic one. Use your real name only.
• An address you don’t really practice from. Virtual offices, mailbox addresses and coworking desks without signage or staff all count.
• Duplicate profiles. One for the practice and one for “Riverbend Counseling Telehealth” at the same address is a duplicate.
• A profile for a telehealth-only practice with a borrowed or made-up address.
• Lots of big edits at once. Changing your name, address and category in one go can trigger a re-verification or review. Make major changes one at a time.

If you do get suspended, don’t create a new profile. Gather proof that you’re real (photos of your signage, your lease, your license, a utility bill) and submit an appeal through Google Business Profile support. Keeping a folder of that proof now saves a lot of stress later.

Your printable Google Business Profile checklist

Print this, or work through it with your profile open in another tab.

Eligibility and setup

• Clients visit you at a real address (not a virtual office, mailbox or telehealth-only)
• Permanent signage with your practice name at that address
• Searched Google Maps for an existing listing before creating a new one
• Profile owned by a practice Google account, with a backup owner added
• Business name matches your signage and website exactly, with no keywords
• Solo practice named “Practice Name: Your Name,” or group practice and clinician profiles set up separately
• Verified, with no clients or client files in the verification video

Profile details

• One specific primary category, plus at most one or two accurate secondary categories
• Services list filled in with your specialties and short descriptions
• Description written for a nervous first-time client (no links, prices or keyword stuffing)
• Name, address and phone identical to your website
• Local phone number you control, and a link to your own website
• Booking link to a simple page that doesn’t ask for clinical details
• Hours accurate, with special hours set for holidays
• Attributes turned on where they apply
• Photos of you, your building, entrance and rooms, with no clients anywhere

Reviews and upkeep

• No asking clients for reviews, no incentives, no review gating
• A generic reply template that never confirms anyone is a client
• A plan for negative reviews: wait, reply generically or not at all, report policy violations
• A post every week or two
• An FAQ page on your website for Google’s AI to draw from
• A folder of proof (signage photos, lease, license) in case of suspension

Want a version you can download? Grab our free Google Business Profile checklist from our resources page.

Once your profile is solid, the next step is moving up the map. Our Google Maps ranking guide covers what to do after setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a telehealth-only therapist have a Google Business Profile?

Not under Google’s current guidelines. A profile requires a location clients visit or a business that travels to clients, and telehealth-only practices don’t fit either. Focus on your website, directory profiles and AI search visibility instead, and check Google’s guidelines periodically in case the rules change.

Can I use my home office address on Google?

You can if clients actually come to your home office, but the address will be visible to anyone, and Google expects signage. You can’t hide it by listing as a service-area business, because that option is for businesses that travel to customers. Many therapists rent a part-time office instead.

What category should a therapist choose on Google Business Profile?

Most LPCs, LMFTs and LCSWs do best with Psychotherapist as their primary category. Couples-focused practices may prefer Marriage or relationship counselor, and only licensed psychologists should use Psychologist. Choose the most specific category that describes what your practice is, then add specialties in the Services section.

Can therapists ask clients for Google reviews?

Most professional ethics codes, including the APA, ACA, NASW and AAMFT codes, restrict soliciting testimonials from current clients, and some extend that to former clients. Google also bans incentives and asking only happy clients. For most therapists, the safe answer is not to ask, and to let reviews come on their own.

How should a therapist respond to a negative Google review?

Reply only in general terms, without confirming the person was ever a client or mentioning anything about treatment. Invite them to call the office directly, and don’t argue publicly. HHS has fined a psychiatry practice for disclosing patient information in review replies, so when in doubt, keep it generic or don’t reply.