Reviewing therapists on Yelp

Additionally in the pseudo-anonymous nature of the Internet, it is socially safer to post things that would not normally be stated in person. So in addition to the issue of self-selection, there is also negative response bias (The only things worth taking the time to post are the negatives).

In looking at my local area, I see a slew of negative reports about my therapist on Yelp. He happens to charge a high fee, and in looking at the reviews not one person mentions his therapeutic skill. It's all about the fee for these reviewers.

I truly don't mean to be argumentative, but what if you're someone who is really interested in the issue of finances? If I was a person like that, I'd immediately hone in on this review and say, "Well, that's not the person for me! I don't care how good they are they are waaaaay out of my league!" If the cost of therapy is an issue for me, then that's what I'd focus on and that means that the person's review related to the cost of therapy with this therapist is right on the money for me! If my issue is, does this therapist have great skills and in the review the person states that the therapist is up-to-date and keen on the latest coping skills, then I might decide I'd check this therapist out. So what I'm saying is that what you might not find as a good review might speak to someone else. I never get when people read a review and dismiss it because it isn't about something they're interested in. I read the review, decide if it applies to me personally and what I'm looking for in a professional, and then I make a decision. Just my take on things.

It's a really bad night for me and I really can't read all the replies, so I'm sorry if this is repetition, but...

You're absolutely right about the process being rigged.

Yelp stinks. Years ago I got an account because I wanted to warn people about a local business. But Yelp hid the review in it's "untrustworthy" section, because I hadn't established a history of posting. So I posted tons of reviews, mostly positive. Still that review (and the others, if I remember correctly) stayed hidden. I experimented with other accounts, and it was clear that Yelp would hide bad reviews for businesses. (When I read criticisms of Yelp, the focus seemed to be in defense of businesses whose reputations were harmed by unfairly negative reviews. That was the opposite of what I observed.)

My advice? Post criticisms in the many doctor review sites. Create a (free) website. Be clear, fair, and detailed. This will be found via Google. True, your review is only one vote, but if details match what patients experience themselves, it will have an impact. And of course the more people who do this for a horrible T, the more impact it will have.

Audio record a session that illustrates the problems, do it secretly, and post the audio file on your website. Eleven states require both parties to consent to the recording. So I suppose I should advise you not to take that step in those states.

This is not what I have noticed, in reviews of people or goods. People tend to be like me, and post reviews when they are either extremely pleased or displeased. And tend not to post reviews when they have middling opinions. As long as you keep this in mind, there is plenty of good information to be mined from reviews.

Exactly. I don't understand why so many people here seem to distrust reviews about therapists.
I reviewed my ex-T on yelp and tried to be as honest as possible, stating that she had been somewhat competent but a bad a fit for me nonetheless.
Why would reviewers be more subjective or prone to extremes while reviewing therapists than when they review bars or restaurants?
Sure sometimes you had a terrible experience and you want to vent but most of the reviews I read on Yelp are well-written, informative and the people who wrote them seem to only want others to avoid bad experiences/recommend a great place.
Am I too optimistic? I don't think so.

I do not think posters on this thread are dismissing negative reviews and recommending they be ignored. Likewise, they are not embracing positive reviews and recommending that they be taken as gospel. They are simply saying, online reviews must be taken with a grain of salt. Well-written or not (and frankly they often are not), they do not give you the full picture.

And lolagrace is right - the best way to be sure you're hiring someone with whom you'll click is personal word of mouth. My best relationships with any professional have come from personal referrals.

I have not had particularly good luck with word of mouth referrals for any sort of md or therapist, but perhaps I have gone for such different reasons than the person referring that is was bound to be a mismatch.
I also think sometimes the sites put constraints on the reviewer(number of words or slots to fill in sorts of things) as to leave the reviews badly written or odd.

I don't follow. Isn't it best to have as complete a picture of the professional as possible? Besides, if the all the glowing reviews were thin on substance and not particularly convincing, but yours was well written and compelling, wouldn't it potentially carry weight?

Here's a few:

The Yelp Dilemma: Clients Reviewing Their Therapists on Review Sites - Dr. Keely Kolmes

One-star therapy?

2-star therapist? Why online reviews give psychiatrists anxiety - SFGate

Jeez that is hostile.

I have an axe to grind. I am also fairly bitter about what my ex T did to me. I think she got away with murder in a way, made a good chunk of cash, and is possibly tweaking other people's heads with her incompetence and emotional instability. And what happened between us is so far invisible. No oversight, no reporting. So I think using Yelp to document all this, publicly, is possibly entirely appropriate (assuming appropriate restraint and protection of privacy). Warn others, and allow me some means to restore autonomy and correct the extreme power imbalance.

You got a problem with that?

I don't know how anyone could have a problem with that. When you say no reporting or oversight, are you saying that the therapist was unlicensed? Or did you make a claim to her licensing body and get mistreated by them as well?

I've no problem with therapists being reviewed on Yelp. I'm another one who wouldn't personally give online reviews much credence, though.

I think you're forgetting an important factor: people want to believe what they want to believe, and most people want to make decisions quickly. So, yes, if they're already leaning towards a practitioner, they will say, "12 positive reviews to 1 negative one, that person clearly just has a problem." And if they're in a hurry, 12 positve reviews looks pretty good - heck, 3 looks pretty good.

Thanks for these. I had seen one before, but not the other two. I don't understand why the person leading the movement is so concerned - I looked at her Yelp! page and she doesn't even have any reviews that I can see. Instead, she has what would drive me away as a potential client - a big ol' disclaimer about reviews.

If you want to write a review of your ex-therapist, who if I remember your story correctly was pretty bad, go ahead. But I don't think it will right any power imbalance, just because of the reactions to online reviews mentioned here - a complaint against her would do so, however. Even if it were dismissed, I believe it would remain part of her licensing file and possibly available to the public (at least in my state).

But I see a critical review as being targeted not just at consumers, but also at the T's supervisor. Maybe they would never see it, not sure. But the review could be a sort of public reprimand or report card. And its a way to give my T feedback "on the record". The whole experience was kept isolated from the outside world and under her control. Exposing it I think would shift the power some.

Also filing a formal complaint takes a lot of time. And prospective consumers would not know to look, or where to look, for such things. Takes effort. Yelp is quick, easy, and immediate.

I think the articles from T's expressing anxiety about this makes plain that it does have a big impact. I hesitate for precisely that reason -- do I want to make such a public statement that could affect her livelihood. This is also mixed up with unconscious desire to protect the quasi-parent figure, etc.

I would not leave a negative review even for my x therapist who treated me very badly. When i did review her once, i found some positive things to say about her as well. But i was also truthful, although i probably sugar coated things.

Years ago, My current t had her reputation nearly ruined on a rating site. People who did not like her posted negative things and told lies. It upset my t very, very much that people she once trusted would do that to her . I still feel terrible for her.

I mean that a T can can become negligent, manipulative, abusive, or otherwise out of control without any 3rd party involvement and no consequences. Or abandon a vulnerable client in crisis if they choose. All of this and more can be kept a secret, between client and T. Not healthy. Most of the ethics codes are a joke, so vague as to be meaningless. The client is not protected.

I think any time a T imposes termination on a client against their will, it should become part of the T's record or otherwise documented.

This is so true. There is no accountability for therapists. Ethics codes mean nothing and regulatory boards are a joke.

Ethics codes can indeed be vague. State licensing regulations, not so much. They are very specific. Yes, the client has to go through a long process to bring a complaint, and it may be dismissed. Or it may be settled before a hearing. But the therapist has to suffer through that process too - hire a lawyer, prepare responses, pay fees, suffer penalties if that occurs, etc.

I totally agree. I've seen some pretty specific ethics codes, but you're right-- while the intention is to protect the public, its not like there is a video camera and microphone with a monitoring body making sure that the therapist puts the client before themselves. Its not like somebody is going to jump in and tase the therapist if they try to behave like the ways you mention.

While therapists are *supposed* to document a forceful termination, and they're *supposed* to refer that client to someone else, you make a good point that they are policing themselves. Its only when their licensing board gets a complaint with evidence that their license can be yanked. And I doubt that many clients who have been hurt feel confident enough to file a complaint, or want to bother with the lengthy process.

And abandonment is just plain wrong.

Sure, but by then the damage is already done. The focus should be on avoiding client harm in the first place. But that seems to be an afterthought. The greater concern, if you read the codes and other things written by the biz, is protecting the T in the case of conflict.

Yelp at least bypasses all this bulls**t and gives the client the power to speak without any meddling from professionals.

Stumbled across this today and it reminded me of this thread. It's a discussion by therapists for therapists about negative online reviews. I didn't read it and don't really care about the topic, but I thought, "Gee. I bet BudFox would love to (hate)read this."

So, there you go if you're interested:

Modern Day Digital Revenge on sites such as LinkedIn, Google+ and Yelp

I am glad it causes them some concern. I do have to laugh at the suggestion about asking supervisors and professors to rate them. As a consumer, I would think those sorts of reviews worse than bad customer ones.

Okay, but the damage is also already done by the time you know enough to post a Yelp! review.

All I can say is, if a therapist or other professional did me demonstrable, provable damage, I would want to hit them where there is the greatest potential to do them harm and possibly protect others in the future. That to me is not something best done via online review. But to each their own.

Two of the ones I am considering for No. 3 had reviews by fellow therapists on Google+. I immediately crossed them off the list. Such reviews are unethical to me and I don't want to see a therapist who would allow or solicit such reviews. Plus, where there's smoke, there's fire and a reason those reviews were posted.

I found reviews for my current Pdoc and previous Pdoc. The review for my current Pdoc doesn't match with how I know her. One was a complaint about the staff, not her. The other said she was controlling. She has never been controlling with me. They also said she didn't care. I can see how someone might think that if they didn't know her.

Now the reviews for my previous Pdoc were true...mostly. He's a major ***hole. Major!

I think what some posters are doing is what they often do -- reflexively defend therapists. Everyone knows that online reviews in general should be taken with a grain of salt, and that you need to read between the lines. It's not necessary to state it here. And to go further and suggest that negative reviews are frequently driven by a hidden agenda or are the rantings of a nutcase… it's a load of crap. I see Yelp as a sort of complaint tool. If someone bothers to complain, I want to read what they wrote.

So does that automatically make Yelp reviews (or any other source of info) irrelevant? Seems like a logical fallacy.