Launching Psychology Connect

“I’m moving across the country, and my anxiety is completely out of control. I need your help to find a new psychologist.”

I’ve heard these words, or something close to it, about a hundred times from my patients. I always reply the same way: “I’m happy to help you locate a new psychologist, but I can’t guarantee you’ll find a good match.”

As a licensed psychologist, perhaps you’ve seen this movie before. Maybe the clinician fires off a hurried, incomplete referral email before their next session at the top of the hour. Or perhaps they query personal contacts. Turning to the patient, “have you checked with your insurance?” “What about Google?”

Simply stated, it shouldn’t be this hard for psychologists to refer patients. And it shouldn’t be so complicated for patients to access care, either.

That’s why this Mental Health Awareness Month, the National Register of Health Service Psychologists launched Psychology Connect. Psychology Connect is the nation’s first free patient referral system specifically for licensed psychologists to refer patients, including those moving from one state to another.

For too long, for-profit organizations have dominated the patient referral market. It’s a (deeply) flawed system that leaves patients to fend for themselves, exacerbating long-standing inequities that plague access to mental health care services. That’s why I’m so proud that Psychology Connect is a free, public service for all licensed psychologists in the United States – not just credentialed members of the National Register. Your membership makes this public service possible.

To join Psychology Connect:

1. Access your National Register account
2. Click the Psychology Connect tab
3. Complete the required fields 

I hope you’ll find that Psychology Connect brings value to your practice and the patients you serve. I know it will benefit my clinical work.

–Daniel