Psychology.com has been helping people understand mental health and find a therapist since 1995. Most people arrive here during a hard moment, searching for words to make sense of what they or someone they love is going through. This policy exists so you can see, in plain terms, the standards that moment deserves and that we hold ourselves to.
This page covers our publishing standards and exactly how every page is made, from first draft to the review label you will see at the top of our content. Two companion pages go deeper: our review methodology explains how we test and rate products like mental health apps and practice software, and how we make money explains our business model, because editorial standards mean little if you cannot see the incentives behind them.
What we publish
We publish educational content about mental health: guides to conditions, therapy approaches, and life challenges; psychological concepts and theories; self-reflection tests and practical tools; career and degree guidance for people entering the field; and reviews of mental health apps and software for practitioners. We also run a therapist directory and a matching service that connects people with licensed professionals.
Just as important is what we do not publish. We do not diagnose, prescribe, or provide treatment plans. Our tests are for self-reflection and education, never diagnosis. Nothing on this site is therapy or a substitute for it, and our matching service exists to connect you with a licensed human professional, not to replace one. Our full disclaimer spells out the boundaries.
The standards every page must meet
- Accuracy, tied to real sources. Factual claims must trace to our approved source list: peer-reviewed research, government health data such as NIMH and the CDC, and professional bodies such as the American Psychological Association, plus established clinical references such as the Mayo Clinic and the NHS. A claim that cannot be matched to an approved source does not ship until a person resolves it.
- Named accountability. Every subject area is overseen by a credentialed member of our Editorial Board, and their name, credentials, and scope are public. Where an expert has personally reviewed a specific page, we mark it "Reviewed" with the date. We will not claim a review that did not happen.
- Plain, respectful language. We write so a stressed reader at 2am can follow us. We use person-first, non-stigmatizing language, and we do not use fear or shame to hold attention.
- Honesty about uncertainty. Where the evidence is early, mixed, or thin, we say so. We would rather tell you a question is unsettled than manufacture confidence.
- Safety first. Content that touches on crisis, self-harm, or suicide includes the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for US readers and points to local emergency services elsewhere. We follow safe-messaging principles and avoid sensationalizing harm.
- Currency. Mental health research, laws, and products change. We revisit content over time, date meaningful updates, and re-verify time-sensitive facts like pricing, availability, and regulation when we update a page.
How a page is made
Every guide moves through the same four steps before it goes live, and stays under review after it publishes.
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Written by experienced writers
Our content is written by people who know how to explain mental health clearly and compassionately, in plain language that respects the reader.
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Built to documented standards
Each subject area has a written editorial standard that defines how a topic should be covered: what to include, which claims need a citation, the tone to use, and the lines we will not cross.
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Checked for accuracy
Before a page is published, an automated accuracy check compares its factual claims against the approved source list above. Anything that cannot be matched to an approved source is flagged for a human to resolve.
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Reviewed and overseen by a board expert
Each subject area has a credentialed Editorial Board member who is the named reviewer responsible for it. The automated check runs first, so their attention goes to judgment and clinical nuance rather than catching typos, and they keep overseeing the section after publication: reading pages, flagging corrections, and refining content over time.
The label you will see
At the top of our content you will see the expert responsible for that section, in this form:
"Clinical review by Dr. X, PhD, Psychology.com Editorial Board"
It means a credentialed member of our Editorial Board is the named reviewer responsible for that page and the section it belongs to, and oversees it on an ongoing basis. Where that expert has personally completed a review of a specific page, we also mark it "Reviewed" with the date. We keep this distinction honest: the byline reflects who is responsible for the section, the dated note reflects when a page was personally checked, and we will not claim a personal review that did not happen.
Editorial independence
Editorial decisions on this site are made by editors and reviewers, not by advertisers, affiliate partners, or the companies we cover. No company can pay to be covered, to change a conclusion, to improve a score, or to remove honest criticism. Commercial relationships never see a page before it publishes.
We keep the money side fully in the open, including affiliate links and an ownership interest our founder holds in one of the products we cover, on how we make money. Where a specific page involves one of those relationships, the disclosure appears on that page too.
Our therapist directory and matching service
Listings in our directory and results from our matching service are not endorsements, and placement is never sold. Search results and matches are ordered by relevance to what you tell us, never by payment. Therapists can verify their license, and the Verified badge reflects that verification, not a fee.
Some rules here are absolute, so we state them publicly:
- Our matching assistant is a matchmaker, never a therapist. It exists to connect you with a licensed human professional. It does not provide therapy, counseling, diagnosis, or treatment, and we will never describe it as if it does.
- Crisis support comes first. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline appears across the site, and crisis-adjacent content always points to real help.
- Your information is not for sale. We do not sell personal information. Our privacy policy has the details.
- Built for adults. Psychology.com is intended for adults and is not directed to children.
Corrections
We get things wrong sometimes. When we do, we fix it quickly and openly. This is how it works:
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Tell us what looks off
Email hello@psychology.com with the page and the claim you believe is wrong. Every message is read by a person.
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We check it against the evidence
We re-verify the claim against our approved sources, involving the responsible Editorial Board member where clinical judgment is needed.
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We fix what is confirmed
Confirmed errors are corrected on the page. Minor fixes like typos happen silently. Where a correction changes the substance of what a page told you, we note the update and the date on the page.
Questions
If anything here is unclear, or you think a page falls short of these standards, we want to hear it. Write to hello@psychology.com.