Anchorage, (GoodTherapy) Aug-25-2009 – Goodtherapy.org is an international directory of around 5000 therapists operating online for around 2 years now. In a recent survey conducted through an email questionnaire sent to around 4350 therapist members, it was asked if respondents favor state licensing programs that require professionals to participate in psychotherapy as clients. A significantly high 85% of respondents replied that they would in fact support such measures, and several of them expressed their desire to help facilitate and promote an initiative to convince state licensing authorities to adopt the idea. On the other hand, 11% respondents did not approve of this and answered negative, while 3.9% gave a vague response choosing ‘it depends’.

“Although the survey was not very scientific with only a 13% response rate, it was an effort to evaluate the scope of this positive change in state licensure requirements”, stated LMFT Noah Rubinstein who is the Executive Director at GoodTherapy.org. “One of the basic and much-lauded principles of healthy psychotherapy, the idea that therapy for mental health care professionals should be available, encouraged, and used may be fairly new on the scene, but it can quickly become de rigueur as a growing number of professionals show their support”.

Following the announcement of the survey’s results, the site has played host to a lengthy discussion of the issue, in which the majority of readers warmly welcomed the idea and expressed their interest in helping bring the issue to a wider audience. Some joining the discussion have added their own twists on the possibilities of requiring that licensed therapists, counselors, and other mental health professionals receive their own therapy, including ideas about making the requirement a part of post-graduate training, and developing a widespread encouragement program rather than a strict licensing prerequisite.

In the coming months, new developments in this initiative are sure to arise as more professionals consider the benefits –both for therapists and their clients– of the proposed requirement and bring their own thoughts and resources to the project. It is worth noting here that GoodTherapy.org is a strong advocate of non-pathologizing psychotherapy and all members have to agree with this stance before they are granted membership. So this bias might have skewed the results slightly and there’s clearly room for more surveys on a broader scale.

About GoodTherapy.org:

Created in 2007 by Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Noah Rubinstein and supported by a network of therapists who all provide collaborative and non-pathologizing therapy, GoodTherapy.org is an online hub for clients, therapists, and anyone interested in positive, effective, and meaningful mental health care. The site has recently achieved a monthly yield of over 120,000 unique visitors.

Anchorage, (GoodTherapy) Aug-10-2009 –The prominence of psychotherapy can make it toilsome for relevant organizations to get a good start. With a few dozen therapist directories battling it out for prominence in a bid to offer users useful incentives and options to increase their practice, the market for linking potential clients with psychotherapists is great. Excepted from the realm of making it to the top by means of throwing the most funds at advertising, a particular site is making the rounds with a mission of caring. GoodTherapy.org, a relatively young directory compared with its major rivals, is reaping the rewards of an increase in popularity among idle browsers and relevant professionals alike, and has recently revealed a stunning 120,000 visitors every month, along with the second highest number of unique visitors for mental health directories on the internet.

A significant step on its path from a small community to an international network, the traffic jump has been received with celebration. The site’s users can retain a detailed profile including interesting new multimedia features and offer their thoughts and perspectives with others via an individual journal and frequently refreshed news headlines at http://www.goodtherapy.org/therapy-news-article.html. A number of therapists and professionals in related fields prefer GoodTherapy.org for the quality of its community and the attractive benefits available through the site, but overwhelmingly, potential clients prefer GoodTherapy.org for its key distinction among online therapy directories: heart.

Popular directories such as Psychology Today, 1-800-Therapist, Therapist Unlimited, Fix My Family, and other large outlets have risen in popularity over the years for the sheer volume of psychotherapists and clients they connect, in tandem with making an effort to provide additional incentives and services too. Even though these websites provide what they claim –a potential client is certain to come across an area psychotherapist whether they’re based in a big metropolis or a distant outpost–, they are all about numbers, rather than meaning, a shortcoming that is proving threatening for business as GoodTherapy.org earns a greater audience.

Focusing on what it holds as the principles of “good therapy,” ranging from the ability of mental health professionals to admit their mistakes and seek counseling of their own to collaborating with clients and treating them as able, whole, and basically good people, the website is committed to ensuring that therapy heals rather than hinders, even in especially difficult situations. As the professionals included at http://www.goodtherapy.org/ are personally committed to these rigorous ideals, people interested in therapy can depend on a therapy opportunity based on a sound, high-potential foundation. While the news might cause some stress among the online industry, it is clear that GoodTherapy.org’s rise in ranking is paying off for the users.

About GoodTherapy.org:

Created in 2007 by Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Noah Rubinstein and sustained by a community of caring and driven psychotherapists, GoodTherapy.org is an internet destination for clients, therapists, and anyone curious about powerful, healing, and meaningful mental health care. The site has recently achieved a monthly visitor yield topping 120,000.