More people now ask an AI assistant for help instead of typing a few words into Google. Someone might ask ChatGPT, “Can you recommend a therapist in Austin who works with couples and takes Blue Cross?” Or they search “therapist near me” on Google and see a written summary at the top of the page that names a few practices before any regular results.
If your practice is mentioned in those answers, you’re on the shortlist. If it isn’t, you may never get the chance.
This guide explains, in plain language, how these assistants decide which practices to mention, and what you can do about it. You don’t need any technical skills for most of it.
How AI assistants choose practices
Nobody outside these companies knows exactly how they work, and they change often. But the general idea is simple enough.
When someone asks a question, the assistant looks at what it can find about practices that might fit: practice websites, Google Business Profiles and Maps, directories like Psychology Today, review sites and articles. Then it tries to write a helpful, confident answer.
It tends to mention a practice when it can clearly tell:
- What the practice does. Which specialties, for whom.
- Where it is. The neighborhood or city, and which states it can see clients in online.
- That it’s real and trustworthy. Licensed clinicians, consistent details, a real address.
- The practical details the person asked about, such as insurance plans, evening hours or telehealth.
If any of these are missing or unclear, the assistant is more likely to mention another practice that spells them out. It’s a lot like a friend recommending someone: they’ll name the therapist they know the most about.
1. Keep your name, address and phone exactly the same everywhere
This sounds small, and it matters a lot. Say your website lists “Lakeside Counseling, Suite 200” (a sample practice), Google says “Lakeside Counseling LLC” with no suite, and an old directory listing has your previous phone number. Now assistants can’t be sure these are the same practice. Doubt makes them less likely to mention you.
Try this:
- Write down your practice’s name, address and phone number exactly as you want them to appear.
- Search your practice’s name on Google and look at your Google Business Profile, Psychology Today profile, insurance directories, your booking system’s public page and any other listings.
- Fix anything that doesn’t match, especially old addresses and phone numbers.
2. Fill in your Google Business Profile completely
Your Google Business Profile is the box that appears on Google and Google Maps with your hours, photos and directions. Google’s own AI answers lean heavily on it, and other assistants see it too. (New to it? Follow our Google Business Profile guide for therapists.)
Make sure you have:
- The right category (for example, “Psychotherapist”, “Counselor”, “Marriage counselor” or “Physical therapy clinic”).
- Accurate hours, including holidays.
- Your services listed, with short descriptions.
- Real photos of your office, entrance and team.
- Your website and booking link.
- Accessibility details, like a ramp or elevator.
If you only see clients online, Google has options for service-area and online-only businesses. Check it every few months. Anyone can suggest edits to your profile, and sometimes wrong details sneak in.
3. Complete your Psychology Today profile, and make it match
For therapists, Psychology Today is often the first directory people and assistants look at. (Wondering whether you still need a website? Here’s how the two work together.) Treat your profile as part of your website:
- Use the same practice name, address and phone as everywhere else.
- List the same specialties, in the same everyday words.
- List the same insurance plans you show on your website, and keep them current.
- Name the states you’re licensed in.
- Link to your website.
The same goes for any other directories you’re on, and for your listings in insurance companies’ provider directories.
4. Show every clinician’s license and states
Assistants try to recommend trustworthy people, and in health care, trust comes from licensed, qualified clinicians.
Every clinician should have a bio on your website with:
- Their full name and license type (LPC, LCSW, LMFT, PsyD, PhD, DPT and so on).
- The states they’re licensed in.
- Whether they’re an associate or supervised clinician, if that applies.
- Their training and the kinds of clients they help, in plain words.
- A real photo.
This helps clients choose, too. Many people book the therapist, not the practice.
5. Say clearly which states you see clients in online
“We offer telehealth” isn’t enough. An assistant answering “online therapist in Ohio” needs to know whether you can see someone there.
Say it plainly on your homepage, your fees page and each bio: “In person in Portland, and online anywhere in Oregon and Washington.” If you’re part of an interstate compact that lets you see clients in other states, list the states you actually practice in.
6. Give each specialty its own clear page
A single “Services” page with a list of ten items is hard for anyone to understand, people or assistants. A page for each main specialty works much better.
Each page should answer, in plain words:
- What it is, and who it’s for.
- What it helps with (“anxiety and trouble sleeping”, “couples who keep having the same argument”, “back pain after surgery”).
- Who at your practice provides it, with their license type.
- What the first session is like.
- The fee, and which insurance plans usually cover it.
- How to book.
Write the way your clients talk, not only in clinical terms. (A page for each specialty is part of every Refresh, and you can see how it looks on our page about websites for therapists.)
7. Answer the questions people actually ask
AI assistants are built to answer questions, so websites that answer questions clearly are easy for them to use. Start with the questions you hear every week:
- Are you in network with my insurance? Can I get a superbill?
- Do you have evening or weekend sessions?
- Do you offer telehealth, and in which states?
- Are you taking new clients?
- Is there parking? Is the office accessible?
Put the answers on your website, in short, direct sentences. Bonus: you get fewer calls. Our article on why people call instead of booking has more on this.
8. Reviews, where your ethics code allows them
Reviews on Google are a clear signal that a practice is real and well regarded, and assistants often mention them. But therapists need to be careful. The major ethics codes restrict asking clients for testimonials, and replying to a review can reveal that someone is your client. Read our guide to advertising rules for therapists and check your state board and ethics code before doing anything with reviews.
9. Make your website quick and easy to read
A website that is slow, cluttered or hard to read on a phone is also harder for these assistants to make sense of. Clear headings, short paragraphs and plain words help everyone. If your website is slow on phones, read why that happens and what to do about it.
10. Behind-the-scenes details
There’s one more piece you can’t see on the page. We set up the behind-the-scenes details so Google and AI assistants like ChatGPT know who you are, what you offer and where you are. Most practice owners never need to think about this. If you work with a web person, ask them: “Have you set up the behind-the-scenes details so Google and AI assistants know our services, address, hours and licensed states?” It’s part of every website we build.
Check where you stand
Once a month, ask a couple of AI assistants the kinds of questions your clients ask. Use your city, a specialty you offer and an insurance plan you take. Note:
- Does your practice come up?
- Are the details right?
- Which practices come up instead, and what do their websites do well?
Don’t worry if results vary from one day to the next. That’s normal. Look for the overall pattern.
Where to start this week
If you only do three things:
- Make your name, address and phone match everywhere.
- Complete your Google Business Profile and Psychology Today profile.
- Add clear answers about fees, insurance and telehealth states to your website.
Then work on specialty pages and bios. For a full list of what clients look for, see the therapy website checklist. If you’d like us to look at how easy your practice is to find, our free website check covers it.