- Do people really look for therapists through ChatGPT?
- Yes, and the privacy of it is exactly why. Asking for a therapist recommendation is hard — people often won't ask friends or family, and even a Google search feels exposed. A chat window feels private, so people ask AI very specific questions: “I have panic attacks, who near me takes Blue Cross?” The engine answers with two or three named practices. For a decision this personal, that first answer carries enormous weight.
- I have a Psychology Today profile. Isn't that enough?
- It's the single most important surface — Psychology Today is the most-cited source in the therapist answers we track — but having a profile and having one that wins are different things. Profiles with clear specialties, stated insurance, current availability, and photo tend to get named; sparse ones don't. And engines also weigh Google reviews, Zencare, and your own site. Tibly shows exactly which sources each engine cited in your area, so you know what to complete first.
- Is tracking this ethical for a therapy practice?
- Yes. Tibly never touches client data, PHI, or anything private — it works entirely on the public side of your practice: the questions prospective clients ask AI engines and the public profiles and pages those engines cite. It's the same ethical ground as maintaining a Psychology Today profile or a website. Making an accurate, findable answer available to someone actively looking for help is good marketing and arguably good care.
- Are platforms like BetterHelp taking these answers from local practices?
- On generic questions like “online therapy,” often yes. But the specific questions — “EMDR therapist in <city> who takes Cigna,” “couples counselor near me with evening availability” — favor local practices with complete profiles, because platforms can't answer them precisely. Tibly shows you which questions in your area the platforms own and which are winnable, so you compete where a solo or group practice actually has the edge.
- What does it cost?
- Start with the free report: we run your area's client questions across the major AI engines and show who's being recommended today — including whether your practice appears at all. Ongoing daily tracking starts at $49/month with no contracts. A single new weekly client covers it many times over; most practice owners run the free report first to see who currently holds their area's answers.