Most psychologists and counsellors I talk to feel uneasy about marketing. You trained to help people, not to sell to them. And the people you help are often going through a hard time when they find you.
Here's the reframe that helps. Ethical marketing isn't persuasion. It's making sure the right person can find you, understand what you offer, and decide for themselves whether you're a good fit. When someone has spent weeks working up the courage to search for help, being easy to find is part of good access to care.
I have a psychology degree, and I've spent more than 14 years in SEO. I'm not a clinician, so I won't tell you how to practise. But I know how people search when they're looking for help, and what the rules let you say. This guide covers both, for psychologists and counsellors in Australia.
Why marketing feels different in mental health
Three things make marketing for psychologists harder than marketing a café or a plumbing business.
First, your clients are often vulnerable when they find you. Pressure, urgency or big promises can do real harm. Second, there's a power imbalance in the therapeutic relationship, so anything that blurs boundaries, like asking a client for a public review, needs care. Third, the rules are stricter. Psychologists are regulated health practitioners, and the law limits what their advertising can say.
None of this means you shouldn't market your practice. It means your marketing should look like your practice: honest, calm and focused on the client.
Know which rules apply to you
Psychologists and counsellors sit under different rules. Know which ones are yours before you change anything on your website.
Psychologists: Ahpra and section 133
Psychologists are registered with Ahpra and the Psychology Board of Australia. Section 133 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law sets out how a regulated health service can be advertised. It prohibits advertising that:
- is false, misleading or deceptive
- offers a gift or discount without stating the terms and conditions
- uses testimonials about the clinical aspects of your service
- creates an unreasonable expectation that treatment will help
- encourages people to use health services they don't need
Advertising covers more than ads. It includes your website, social media, Google Business Profile, directory listings and even your email signature.
"Psychologist" is also a protected title. Only people registered with the Psychology Board can use it.
Counsellors: your code, plus Australian Consumer Law
Counselling isn't one of the professions Ahpra regulates, so section 133 doesn't cover a counsellor advertising their own counselling. But you're not rule-free. Your professional body, such as the ACA or PACFA, has a code of ethics that covers how you present yourself. Australian Consumer Law also bans misleading claims for every business.
One catch: if your practice also offers psychology, the Ahpra rules apply to how that service is advertised. Mixed practices are safest writing everything to the stricter standard.
What this means for Google reviews
This is where most practices get caught out. Under Ahpra's guidelines, a testimonial is a positive statement about the clinical side of a service: a symptom, diagnosis, treatment or outcome. A review that says the psychologist helped with someone's anxiety is a testimonial. A review that praises the easy parking and friendly reception isn't.
For psychologists, that means:
- Don't embed or quote reviews that mention clinical care on your website or social media.
- Don't edit a review to remove the clinical part. Ahpra treats selective editing as misleading.
- Reviews clients leave on Google aren't your advertising, but reposting them is.
There's also a confidentiality issue that applies to counsellors too. Replying to a review can confirm that someone is your client. Keep replies short, general and free of any detail, or don't reply at all.
Many psychologists choose not to ask current clients for reviews, because it can blur the therapeutic relationship. That's a reasonable choice. Your search visibility won't rest on reviews alone.
Start with who you help best
Generic marketing brings in generic enquiries. The practices that fill their books fastest are clear about who they help.
Ask yourself:
- Which concerns do you most enjoy working with? Anxiety, trauma, ADHD assessments, perinatal mental health, couples, grief?
- Which age groups do you see? Children, teens, adults or older adults?
- Where are your clients? Within 20 minutes of your rooms, or anywhere in Queensland by telehealth?
- How do they pay? Medicare with a GP referral, privately, through private health, the NDIS or an EAP?
You don't need to turn anyone away. But your website, profiles and listings should speak first to the clients you most want to see. Someone searching for a trauma psychologist in Toowoomba wants to know you work with trauma, not that you "support clients with a range of presentations".
Make your website do the quiet work
Your website is where most people decide whether to contact you. Many read it more than once, sometimes over weeks, before they book.
One page for each concern you treat
A single "What we treat" page listing 20 conditions rarely ranks for any of them. A dedicated page for each main area does. Each page should explain the concern in plain language, how you work with it, who it suits and how to book.
This is the heart of SEO for psychologists, and it's where good on-page SEO makes the biggest difference.
A profile that answers "will I feel safe with this person?"
People choose a therapist, not a practice. Give each practitioner a profile with a real photo, qualifications, registration details, the areas they work in and a few lines about their approach. Warmth matters more than a long list of training courses. First person often reads more naturally here.
Be clear about fees, Medicare and the first session
Uncertainty stops people booking. Answer the practical questions up front:
- Fees: what a session costs, and the gap after any rebate.
- Medicare: under Better Access, people with a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan can claim rebates for up to 10 individual sessions a calendar year with an eligible provider, such as a registered psychologist. A referral covers up to six sessions at a time. Counselling isn't covered by Better Access, so counsellors should say so plainly and list other options, such as private health funds that recognise them.
- The first session: what happens, how long it takes and how confidentiality works.
Medicare details change, so check the current rules before you publish and review this page once a year.
Follow safe messaging
Mental health content should follow safe messaging guidelines, such as Mindframe's. Avoid detailed descriptions of self-harm or suicide, and include crisis contacts where relevant, like Lifeline on 13 11 14. Make it clear your practice isn't an emergency service.
Get found on Google Maps in your area
When someone searches "psychologist near me" or "counsellor Toowoomba", the Google Maps results usually appear first. Your Google Business Profile decides whether you're in them.
Set it up properly:
- Choose the most accurate primary category for your profession.
- Use your real practice name, address and phone number, and match them everywhere they appear online.
- List your services and add real photos of your rooms. Clients want to know what they're walking into.
- Mention telehealth if you offer it, and keep your hours current.
In a regional market like Toowoomba, a well-kept profile can reach the map results within a few months. Brisbane is more competitive, so it usually takes longer and needs strong service pages behind it.
Use directories, but don't rely on them
Directories are useful. Psychology Today, Healthshare, the APS Find a Psychologist service and the ACA and PACFA registers all bring in enquiries. They also help Google trust your practice details.
But you don't own them. You compete with every other practitioner on the same page, and fees or rules can change at any time. Treat directories as support for your website, not a replacement. Keep your listings complete, use the same details as your Google Business Profile, and link back to your own site.
Build referral relationships with GPs
For psychologists, GPs are one of the biggest sources of new clients. A GP who writes a Mental Health Treatment Plan often refers to a psychologist they already know and trust.
A few things help:
- Introduce yourself to local GP clinics with a short letter or visit. Say who you work with, your current wait time and how to refer.
- Keep your availability current. GPs refer to people who can see clients soon.
- Send feedback letters promptly, with your client's consent. Reliable communication is the best marketing to a GP.
- Add a short "For referrers" page to your website with your provider details, secure messaging options and areas of focus.
Counsellors can build the same relationships without Medicare. GPs, schools, workplaces and community services all refer to counsellors they trust.
Write content that answers real questions
People research before they reach out. They search for the difference between a psychologist and a counsellor, what happens in a first session, or how to get a mental health plan.
Answering these questions on your website builds trust before the first contact. It also helps you appear in ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews, which now answer many of these questions directly. AI search optimisation is about making your content clear and trustworthy enough to be cited.
Keep it educational, not promotional. One helpful article a month is plenty. Write about what your clients actually ask you.
Marketing to avoid
Some common marketing tactics don't belong in mental health. Skip these:
- Urgency: "Only two spots left this week!" pressures vulnerable people and can breach Ahpra's rules.
- Outcome claims: "Overcome anxiety in six sessions" promises something no one can guarantee.
- Treatment testimonials: even with permission, psychologists can't use them in advertising.
- Discounts without terms: any offer must state its conditions clearly.
- Stock photos of distress: a person with their head in their hands suggests you see clients as problems. Calm, real photos of you and your rooms work better.
- Jargon: "evidence-based modalities" means little to someone who's struggling. Try "I use CBT, a practical and well-researched approach" instead.
A simple monthly marketing routine
You don't need a marketing team. A couple of hours a month keeps things moving:
- Update your availability on your website, Google Business Profile and directories.
- Check your Google Business Profile for new reviews and questions, and respond carefully or not at all.
- Add or improve one page on your website: a service page, a profile or clearer fee information.
- Write one helpful article answering a question clients often ask.
- Contact one new GP clinic or referrer.
Small, steady work beats bursts of effort. Most practices see Google Maps improvements within three to six months, with bigger gains building over the following year.
Good marketing looks like good practice
The best marketing for psychologists and counsellors looks a lot like good clinical work. It's honest, it respects the client's choice and it puts their needs first. Be clear about who you help, make your website easy to understand, follow the rules, and show up where people are searching.
If you'd rather hand the search side to someone else, my managed SEO service covers it month to month. If you just want direction, an SEO consulting session gives you a clear plan to work through yourself.
I work with psychologists, counsellors and therapists in Toowoomba, Brisbane and across Queensland. Book a free SEO strategy call and I'll tell you honestly where your practice stands. Let's talk.
Questions psychologists and counsellors ask about marketing
-
Ahpra doesn't stop clients leaving reviews on Google, and you're not responsible for reviews on sites you don't control. What you can't do is use reviews that mention clinical care in your own advertising. Many psychologists choose not to ask current clients at all, because it can blur the therapeutic relationship.
-
Counselling isn't regulated by Ahpra, so the testimonial ban in section 133 doesn't apply to counselling services. Your professional body's code and Australian Consumer Law still apply, so testimonials must be genuine and unedited. Many counsellors avoid them anyway out of respect for client privacy.
-
Yes. Many clients referred by a GP still look you up before they book, and self-referred clients often find you through Google. A clear website and Google Business Profile support both.
-
Google Business Profile improvements often show within three to six months. Service pages and articles build more slowly, usually over six to twelve months. Toowoomba tends to move faster than Brisbane.
-
Yes, if it fits your budget. It brings in enquiries and supports your local search signals. Just don't rely on it alone, because you don't control the platform and you compete with every other listing.