Most therapist directories let anyone with a credit card create a listing, then show a badge that means little more than "paid." We do it the other way around. Verification on Psychology.com is tied to the federal NPI Registry, the official record the U.S. government keeps of licensed healthcare providers, and every matched profile is dated so you know how current the check is.
What the two badges mean
License verified means we looked the therapist up on their state licensing board's public lookup, saw an active license in their name, and recorded the board, the status, the expiry the board shows and the day we looked. An NPI registry match means we matched the therapist to their entry in the National Provider Identifier (NPI) Registry, confirmed their licensed profession, and stamped the date we did it. Both describe professional standing on the day of the check; neither is an endorsement of a particular therapist for your particular situation. That fit decision is always yours.
The steps behind every verified profile
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We match the therapist to the federal NPI Registry
The National Provider Identifier is a unique 10-digit number the U.S. government assigns to licensed healthcare providers through NPPES, the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System. We match the therapist's name and credentials to their official NPI record.
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We confirm the licensed profession
The registry records each provider's taxonomy, their licensed profession, such as Clinical Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist, or Professional Counselor. We confirm it matches what the profile claims, so the credentials you see are the credentials the government has on record.
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We check the license with the state board
Where the state board offers a public lookup, we search it for the therapist, confirm the license is active, and record the board, the status, the expiry date and the day we looked. A profile whose license we could not confirm keeps the registry match only.
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We date-stamp the check
Every profile shows the exact date of each check. A trust signal with no date is just a sticker; ours tells you how fresh the check actually is.
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You can verify it yourself
Each profile links to that therapist's public entry in the federal NPI Registry, and a License verified profile also links to the state board's lookup page. You never have to take our word for it, the source is one click away.
Why this is different from a paid badge
- It is official, not internal. Verification points to a U.S. government registry and to the state licensing board, not a private seal only we can see.
- It cannot be bought. The checks are the same for every member and reflect what the registry and the board show, nothing else.
- The check has no separate fee. It is part of membership, and correcting or removing an older listing never costs anything.
- It is dated and independently checkable. You see when we checked, and you can confirm it at the source yourself.
What the badges do not mean
Verification confirms professional standing on the day of the check. It is not a recommendation for your specific needs, and a listing in our directory is not an endorsement. For the single most authoritative and current record of a therapist's licensure and standing, you can also check the licensing board in the state where they practice. If anything on a profile looks out of date, tell us and we will look into it.
For therapists
If this is your listing, you can claim it; publishing requires membership, and correcting or removing an older listing is free. The registry match runs when you submit, the board check follows, and there is no way to buy either badge. Keeping your details current takes a minute and helps the right clients reach you.
Coaches are not licensed, so the board check does not apply to them. Coaches on Psychology.com go through the Verified Coach Standard instead: an independent review of training, supervision hours and ethics commitments.