Can therapists use client testimonials in marketing?

This is one of the most consequential marketing questions in private practice, because it invalidates most standard small-business advice.

Professional ethics codes generally restrict soliciting testimonials from current clients, and frequently place limits on former clients as well. The reasoning is about the power differential inherent in the therapeutic relationship and the difficulty of genuinely voluntary consent.

Confirm your own requirements directly. Provisions differ by license type, by state board, and by professional association. General marketing guidance found online is often written for other industries or for a different jurisdiction. Your licensing board and your association's current code are the authorities, not an article.

What practices build credibility with instead:

• Specialty clarity. Naming the exact situations you work with signals competence more effectively than praise would.
• Credentials and training, stated plainly.
• Content that demonstrates how you think. A short explanation of why avoidance feels like relief tells a prospective client more than a five-star rating.
• Provider referrals, which carry transferred trust without requiring a client statement.

Unsolicited reviews raise separate questions about whether and how you may respond, since even acknowledging one can confirm someone was a client. Have a policy before it happens rather than after.