Starting a practice
Your guide to ethically approaching Google reviews as a therapist
Google reviews can be a powerful tool in marketing your practice, but there are critical ethical considerations to keep in mind. Headway walks you through the process.
Google reviews are a proven tool that significantly impact marketing and referrals for all types of business. This is just as true for your therapy private practice. The difference for your business, however, is that you have to ensure that ethical and legal regulations, namely HIPAA, are strictly followed. Your marketing efforts are governed by the same guidelines as any other aspect of your business. You are allowed to seek the benefits of Google reviews, and they can be useful in helping you be discovered by potential clients. However, it is essential to proceed with caution. You must prioritize the ethical and legal standards above your marketing needs to ensure that you are not putting your clients, your business, or your license at risk.
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How Google reviews can help your practice
Google reviews can play a valuable role in your broader marketing strategy. Here are some of the ways this approach can add value to your practice:
- Building trust and credibility: When potential clients see that you have strong reviews, they can see “proof” that real people have enjoyed (and benefitted from!) working with you. Even if potential clients do not know the reviewer personally, their review is often seen nearly as valuable as a personal recommendation.
- Enhanced online visibility: The number of positive reviews directly affects search engine results. As you appear higher in search results, the more likely you are to receive more referrals.
- Attract new clients: This is the ultimate goal of using Google reviews. Positive feedback can help make that happen. When clients see positive reviews about your practice, they are more likely to reach out and to become new clients.
- Gain helpful feedback: Whether reviews are positive or negative, they can potentially help you to learn and make your business better. You can see what is working that you can enhance and what is not going as well that you need to improve.
Ethical considerations for gathering Google reviews as a therapist
Ethical concerns are supremely important when thinking about Google reviews for your business. There are several key factors to keep in mind when considering reviews.
- Do not solicit reviews from clients: Many ethical codes, including the American Counseling Association (ACA), American Psychological Association (APA), and National Association of Social Workers (NASW) all state that reviews and testimonies should not be solicited from clients. They point out that the power imbalance in the relationship can make matters murky or make clients feel pressured to write a review. This can even cause clients to fear that their continued care is dependent on providing a good review. A major concern is that it can damage the therapeutic relationship which is crucial to the quality of care. Another fear is that it crosses a boundary and creates a dual relationship by involving the client in your marketing. However, it is not unethical to request reviews from colleagues or other providers with whom you have a professional relationship.
- Understand confidentiality concerns: These ethical codes, as well as HIPAA regulations, are concerned with client confidentiality. If reviews are solicited, or responded to, there is concern that it reveals personal health information of the client. Additionally, a therapist needs to obtain consent to share or post any reviews.
- Do not respond to reviews: If a client voluntarily leaves a review, to protect their confidentiality, you should avoid responding to the review directly on Google. A public response to their review is a public acknowledgment that you were their therapist and they were your therapy client. Even if the client has stated this themselves, you are forbidden from confirming or denying that information to others.
- Consider dual relationships beyond soliciting reviews: Even when clients post voluntarily, there's a risk of creating an ongoing dual relationship dynamic, especially once you see the review.
- Be aware of unintended clinical impact: Voluntary reviews can reflect deeper therapeutic material, and you should tread carefully if you read them or become aware of them. For example, a review may alter the therapeutic alliance, affect transference, or lead to clinical concerns, such as the client writing a review to gain approval or retaliate.
- Consult with others: When in doubt, make sure to consult legal counsel, your ethics board, and/or your state-specific licensing board before using reviews for marketing purposes.
Ways to ethically facilitate client Google reviews
Despite the risk considerations, there are some ethical ways you can pursue Google reviews. This can be done by creating space for people to leave reviews and making the option visible — without directly soliciting those reviews.
Set up a Google Business Profile for your practice.
In order to receive Google reviews, you will first need to set up a Google Business Profile. Start by logging in with an existing Google account or creating a new account from Google Business Profile website. Once you have logged in, you will go to your profile and add all relevant information about your business including location, business category, services offered, contact information, and photos. Google will then send a code to verify your business.
Remove friction from the review process.
While you cannot directly solicit reviews from your clients, you can make sure that your website has a visible link to your Google Business Profile along with instructions on how to leave a review. This allows clients to access the information if they choose to leave a review, but you are not individually asking them for a review. If you decide to solicit reviews from colleagues or other professionals in the field, this access will be helpful for them if they decide to leave a review for you.
Consider how to navigate negative reviews.
Opening your business up to receiving reviews means that you also open yourself to negative reviews. When these reviews come, you should have a plan of how you want to respond or not respond. The key is to avoid any acknowledgement, direct or indirect, that the reviewer was your client. You also have to avoid revealing any other forms of their personal information.
“Should I respond publicly?” Some therapists argue that if you choose to respond, you should avoid sounding defensive or retaliatory, and instead provide a general response such as “I’m sorry to hear this. Thank you for your feedback. Please reach out if you would like to discuss this.” However, even this response could be seen as an acknowledgment of a therapeutic relationship, and thus a HIPAA violation. If you are considering responding publicly at all, it would be best to check with legal counsel and your ethics board first.
“Should I reach out individually?” One way that some therapists recommend avoiding a HIPAA violation is to reach out to the client directly and discuss the review with them. However, this approach can violate ethical boundaries about dual relationships, power dynamics, and a client potentially feeling intimidated. Reaching out to speak to a client about their review and your business can cross a boundary since it is not directly focused on their therapeutic care.
“Should I ignore it?” All said, the best and the safest way to respond to negative online reviews from clients and former clients is to not respond at all. That said, if a review is abusive, profane, or otherwise violates Google’s policies, you can go through your Google Business Profile to flag the review and submit a report on why you think it should be removed. Be sure to review Google’s policies, as they will not remove a review simply because it is negative.
How to leverage reviews in your other marketing tactics
Sharing positive reviews in your other marketing channels can be a powerful tool. You can share these reviews on your website or social media marketing to display the benefits of the work you do to other potential clients. There are some key factors to keep in mind if you take this approach:
- Obtain consent: Sharing a client’s review without their permission could be deemed unethical. Obtaining written consent is best practice. This is not the same as soliciting a review, since the client has already written one voluntarily. You are simply asking for permission to repost it anonymously. Still, even with consent, sharing client reviews may not be advisable if it could unintentionally harm the client, the relationship, or your professional integrity.
- De-identify their information: Nothing in the reposted review should include their name or story. You can keep them anonymous and ensure that nothing in their review reveals who they are. This is especially important in small or close-knit communities.
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This content is for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute clinical, legal, financial, or professional advice. All decisions should be made at the discretion of the individual or organization, in consultation with qualified clinical, legal, or other appropriate professionals.
© 2025 Therapymatch, Inc. dba Headway. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.
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