Yes, it is not really different from those other websites except the videos, but it is actually the design of the videos that kinda kill it for me.

Referrals can be fine if it is coming from a reliable source, preferably someone who knows me and my preferences (not just my issues) relatively well. I am quite desensitized to referrals though because I see/hear psych referrals all the time in my professional community. I would rather take them from friends but would still want to do my own research and would be reluctant to contact someone if there was no other info available. I like to see their own websites, including a bit about their personal interests if it sounds genuine.

Probably the most informative, for me, is to see how they communicate, but that can be hard to find unless a professional gives interviews, interactive lectures, is active on social media beyond just formal posting. I also usually take a lot away from seeing how a professional responds to my initial inquiries. Again, if I had paid attention to communication, I would have ruled out my first T very quickly. Communication skills were something I especially liked in the second T and poor/messy/sloppy communication can be very irritating for me in a professional, including if it is too contrived and stuck up, let alone obviously manipulative. I also don't like if a professional gives me the impression that they lack reasonable confidence in themselves, what they do and they come across insecure or are not reasonably articulate. That was the impression I kinda got from some of the T videos on that site and I don't think it is merely because they are talking to a blank camera. Again, these are personal preferences but are important because otherwise I would feel dissatisfied. Communication skills and how I feel about them as a person would not be that important if I hired someone, for example, as a consultant for their specific expertise but, for talk therapy, I would want someone I feel is a good interpersonal match with me and not merely a listener or provider of information. So that sense of individuality and interpersonal fit is what I find very lacking on that website, and not just because the videos are not interactive. For me, it is because they are too generic and uniform design. I think a better balance of professionalism and personal information would be more convincing for me - a bit similar idea to how some professionals use social media, where they include some more personal info/messages occasionally. That way it is not so sterile. It is very hard to do well though, I know from my own personal experiences with media and marketing. As a pro, I definitely prefer some advertising rather than just getting jobs/clients via referrals because that way it is more open to new experiences and types of jobs. It s just challenging to do.