Testimonials for Therapists in Private Practice: Ethical or Unethical?
Resource - Copy the email I send to my clients asking for testimonials - Let’s dig into a subject that divides opinion…
Do you ever ask clients for testimonials? I know it’s a marketing practice that divides opinion, so let’s get into it…
Are Therapists in Private Practice Allowed to Ask Clients for Testimonials?
For therapists, counsellors and coaches, there are no universal hard-and-fast rules about asking for testimonials.
The ethical position depends on your professional body, how the testimonial is gathered, how it’s used, and whether the client’s autonomy and confidentiality are protected.
Some professional bodies are stricter than others. For example, UKCP’s code says members must not include client testimonials in advertising. Meanwhile, the BACP Ethical Framework is much broader, asking members to work within certain principles such as client autonomy, trust, confidentiality, integrity and avoiding harm.
The Argument for Testimonials
Clients are making a significant decision when choosing a therapist. They often want to know:
Can I trust this person?
Do they understand people like me?
Might they be able to help?
Testimonials, feedback, reviews, and clear service information can help potential clients answer these questions and make a more informed choice.
Feeling aligned with a therapist before the first session may help the client arrive with more trust, hope and confidence, which can support the beginning of the therapeutic relationship.
Feedback can also aid accountability. It helps therapists reflect on their service, notice what clients value, and receive difficult feedback with the support of supervision.
The Ethical Concerns
The main ethical concern is the power imbalance that exists when a therapist seeks a testimonial. The client may feel obliged to say something positive, worry about disappointing the therapist, or fear that refusing could affect the relationship.
There are also issues around confidentiality, consent, identifiability, emotional vulnerability, and whether a testimonial creates unrealistic expectations. A glowing review can imply, even unintentionally, that another client will get the same result.
Google reviews are particularly difficult because they are public, often linked to a person’s name, and not always easy to manage. Anonymous reviews can also raise questions about authenticity, although named reviews may expose clients in ways they later regret.
📌Should Therapists Ask for Google Reviews?
Advertising and Accuracy
Testimonials are a form of advertising. In the UK, the ASA/CAP position is that testimonials must not mislead, and factual claims made in testimonials need to be supported.
For health and therapy-related claims, extra care is needed because a testimonial must not imply guaranteed outcomes or make unsupported claims about treating a condition.
So, a testimonial saying, ‘I felt safe and understood’ is much less risky than, ‘this therapy cured my trauma in six sessions.’
Good Ethical Practice
If you do decide to use testimonials, you need a clear consent process. Good practice would include:
checking the rules of your professional body, insurer and advertising standards
never asking during active therapy in a way that could create pressure
making it clear that giving feedback is optional
separating feedback for service improvement from feedback for marketing
getting explicit written consent before using any words publicly
allowing the client to approve the exact wording
anonymising carefully, while explaining that anonymity can never be fully guaranteed
telling clients they can withdraw or amend their testimonial at any time
avoiding testimonials that make strong clinical claims or promise outcomes
taking any difficult feedback to supervision rather than becoming defensive
My Personal Position on Asking for Testimonials
My view is that testimonials are not automatically unethical, but they do require care. Clients deserve enough information to make an informed choice about who they work with.
In private practice, we are also running businesses, and testimonials can help make our work more visible. But the therapeutic relationship is not the same as an ordinary customer relationship. The power balance, vulnerability, confidentiality and possibility of undue influence mean testimonials should never be treated casually.
I believe the safest position is:
feedback is essential
testimonials are optional
consent, control and transparency are non-negotiable.
3 Ways to Use Testimonials in Your Marketing
Include them in promotional materials like brochures, fliers, Instagram posts, Meta ads etc.
Weave them into your website copy and/or select a specific page or section on your website to place them. Using them to illustrate certain points about your services will add credibility.
Use your blog or mailing list to share case studies. A more in-depth version of a testimonial, this type of content usually includes a description of the specific problem the client faced (or how they were feeling before starting therapy), how you helped them, the results you achieved, and direct quotes from the client validating the experience.
Start Gathering Testimonials for Your Private Practice
Below the paywall, the exact wording I use to ask clients for testimonials. Simply copy, paste, pop it in an email, and start gathering your own testimonials today.
