Skip to content
Therapy Marketing Co.
Free Audit

Trusted Without Asking: our ethical review program

Grow your reputation without ever asking a client for a favor.

Google reviews for therapists, done the way your ethics code requires: no asks, no signs, no discharge fliers. Visibility you can defend to a licensing board.

Get My Free Caseload Audit

Most review advice for counselors breaks the rules, even the gentle kind.

The usual advice is to ask every happy client. For a licensed counselor, that's soliciting a testimonial, and your code says no. So the industry moved to softer versions: a QR code sign in the waiting room, a review link in discharge paperwork, an optional survey.

Those feel kinder, but the rule turns on who is being asked, not how hard. A sign in a room only clients sit in, or a flier handed to a client at termination, is still a request aimed at current and former clients. It can also nudge someone toward publicly revealing they're in counseling.

Trusted Without Asking flips the strategy. Instead of asking clients, it makes your practice easy to find and judge, earns reviews from people who aren't clients, and strengthens every other signal Google uses.

The rules this program is built around

Built by a licensed counselor to satisfy every license in a group practice, not just one.

  • ACA Code, C.3.b

    Counselors don't solicit testimonials from current clients, former clients, or anyone vulnerable to undue influence.

    What it means: No time limit on "former." A public review of a counselor is functionally a testimonial.

  • ACA draft revision

    The draft of the revised Code keeps the ban and drops the "who use testimonials" wording.

    What it means: No argument that reviews are exempt because you never "used" them.

  • APA 5.05, NASW 4.07(b)

    Psychologists and social workers also may not solicit testimonials from current clients or others vulnerable to undue influence.

    What it means: In a group practice, one policy has to satisfy every license in the building.

  • HIPAA and confidentiality

    A reply with any client detail can be a disclosure of protected health information.

    What it means: Never confirm that someone is a client, including in a review reply.

  • Google review policy

    Bans incentives, asking only happy customers, pressuring people on premises, and conflict-of-interest reviews.

    What it means: No "happy client" surveys that route to Google; no reviews from staff, partners, or family.

Sources: the Counseling Today on the ACA Code and reviews, the ACA draft revision, Section C, and Google's prohibited and restricted content policy. State boards adopt these codes differently, so confirm with yours.

The five parts of Trusted Without Asking

Each one is something we deliver and you can point to if a board ever asks.

  1. 1

    A foundation built on ethics

    • An audit of your website, Google profile, directories, intake forms, signage, and email signatures, with any client-directed review ask flagged and removed.
    • A review and social media policy for your informed consent paperwork, for your attorney to approve: you don't request reviews, staff won't confirm anyone is a client, and any review a client chooses to post is public and permanent.
    • A front-desk script for the one legitimate case: a client asks, on their own, how to leave a review.
  2. 2

    Easy to find, with no ask attached

    • A full Google Business Profile build-out: categories, services, hours, accessibility details, clinician bios, office photos, weekly posts, and answered questions.
    • A neutral "Find us on Google" link in your website footer and contact page. The word "review" never appears, and it never goes in client-only channels like your portal, reminders, or discharge papers.
    • Your name, address, and phone the same across Psychology Today, insurers, Yelp, Bing, and Apple Maps.
  3. 3

    Reviews earned from people who aren't clients

    • Community workshops, talks at schools, churches, and businesses, and trainings for other professionals: real experiences with your practice, open to the public.
    • A QR code on the closing slide and handout of those events, inviting a review of the event. Always general to the room, never one-on-one, never a condition of anything.
    • If a known client attends, no one asks them personally, and events are never marketed to your client list as a back door.
  4. 4

    Response and protection

    • Every new review checked, and a HIPAA-safe reply drafted: "Thank you for taking time to share. Our privacy obligations mean we never confirm whether someone has received services. If you'd like to talk with us, please call our office." The same reply for positive and negative reviews.
    • A negative-review protocol: no public argument, no client detail, reviews that break Google policy reported, and concerns routed to your clinical director.
  5. 5

    Win without a big review count

    • Reviews are one local ranking signal among many. Service and location pages that match what people search, and local links from churches, schools, and community partners, make up the difference.
    • Monthly reporting on what matters: profile views, calls, direction requests, website clicks, and inquiries. Not star counts.

Where a QR code belongs

The QR code itself is fine. The audience is what matters. On a community workshop handout, a speaking-event slide, or a training packet, it invites the public to review an event they attended. In a waiting room or a discharge packet, it's a request to your clients.

What we promise, and what we don't

We promise what we control: a complete, compliant, active Google profile and more public visibility. We never promise a number of reviews. A review guarantee is itself a red flag, and it wouldn't hold up to your code's standard for accurate advertising.

Never, under this program

  • Ask current or former clients for a review in any form: signs, fliers, discharge packets, portal messages, appointment reminders, "review us" email signatures, or in person.
  • Send satisfaction surveys that steer happy clients to Google.
  • Offer an incentive, or give staff a review quota.
  • Reply to a review with anything that confirms someone is a client.
  • Post, or encourage, reviews from staff, referral partners, or family.

Which plans include it

Every plan starts with the foundation: the marketing audit, the review and social media policy draft, the front-desk script, the HIPAA-safe reply library, and your Google Business Profile built out as part of your website build.

On Done for You and Group Practice, we run it: weekly profile posts, new reviews checked and replies drafted, help promoting your workshops and talks with an event QR kit, local links, and the monthly report.

See pricing

This is marketing guidance, not legal advice. Each practice stays responsible for its own ethical and legal compliance, so check your state board's rules and have your attorney approve the policy language. We'll re-check the program against the revised ACA Code once it's final.

How it fits the system

Trusted Without Asking is part of your Google Business Profile management in step 1. A complete, honest profile gets you onto the map; your website and its copy are what get you chosen.

  1. Get Found

    Google search, Maps, your Google Business Profile, and AI search, for the clients you most want to see.

    Website Design Local SEO Google Business Profile Google Ads

  2. Get Chosen

    Copy that speaks to the clients you serve, a clear path to reaching out, and a way to contact you always one click away.

    Website Copy & Conversion

  3. Get Referred

    The local doctors, attorneys, and pastors who send people to counselors.

    Referral Marketing

  4. Get Booked

    Instant replies, instant alerts, and reminders until every lead hears back.

    The Platform

  5. Watch It Work

    New clients, where they came from, and how full your caseload is.

    The Platform

Common questions

Can therapists ask clients for Google reviews?

No. The ACA Code of Ethics (C.3.b) says counselors don't solicit testimonials from current clients, former clients, or anyone vulnerable to undue influence, and a public review of a counselor works like a testimonial. APA 5.05 and NASW 4.07(b) have similar rules. There's no time limit on "former."

Is a QR code sign in the waiting room allowed?

We don't recommend it. Nearly everyone who sees it is a client or a client's family member, so it's still an invitation aimed at clients. "Passive" lowers the pressure; it doesn't change who's being asked. The same QR code is fine on materials for the public, like a community workshop handout.

What about a review link in discharge paperwork?

That's the highest-risk version: a request handed to a specific former client at an emotional moment. It also tends to go only to the good discharges, which Google's policy bans as review gating.

What if a client asks me how to leave a review?

Answer the question ("You can find us by searching our name on Google"), add a short privacy reminder, and leave it there. Don't encourage them or thank them for it. We give your front desk a script for exactly this.

Can I reply to my Google reviews?

Yes, carefully. Never confirm or hint that someone is a client, which can be a HIPAA disclosure. We give you one generic reply that works for positive and negative reviews alike.

How many reviews will I get?

We don't promise a number, and you should be wary of anyone who does. We promise what we control: a complete, compliant, active Google profile and more public visibility. Reviews are one local ranking signal among many, and the program strengthens the others.

Can my staff, colleagues, or referral partners review us?

Please don't ask them. Google treats reviews from people with a conflict of interest as policy-violating content and may remove them.

Is this legal advice?

No. It's marketing guidance built around the codes. State boards adopt these codes differently, so confirm with yours, and have your attorney approve the review and social media policy before it goes into your paperwork.

See how your practice shows up today.

Your free Caseload Audit checks your rankings, your website, and what a new client looks for first. Ready in minutes.

Get My Free Caseload Audit Or run your numbers in the Caseload Calculator