Rate My Therapist
Privacy Policy
How we collect, use, and protect your information
Your reviews are anonymous
When you write a review on Rate My Therapist, your name and identity are never shown to the public. We want you to feel comfortable sharing your honest experience. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and how to get the most out of the platform while keeping your personal details private.
01Scope & who this applies to
This Privacy Policy applies to all individuals who use the Rate My Therapist website, mobile applications, and related services (collectively, the "Platform"), including:
- Visitors who browse the platform without creating an account
- Registered users who create accounts to submit reviews or engage with content
- Mental health professionals who claim or manage profiles on the Platform
This Policy does not govern data practices of any third-party websites or services linked from our Platform. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you access.
02Information we collect
2.1 Information you provide directly
| Data type | Examples | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Account data | Email address, username, password | Yes (to register) |
| Profile data | Display name, avatar (optional) | No |
| Review content | Written reviews, star ratings, comments | To post reviews |
| Professional data | License number, practice name, credentials (therapists only) | To claim profile |
| Communications | Support tickets, emails, feedback forms | When contacting us |
2.2 Information collected automatically
When you visit the Platform, we automatically collect certain technical information, including:
- IP address and approximate geographic location (city/region level)
- Browser type, version, and operating system
- Pages visited, time spent, and navigation patterns
- Referring URL and exit pages
- Device identifiers and screen resolution
- Timestamps of all activity
This data is collected using cookies and similar technologies described in Section 7.
2.3 Information from third parties
We may receive limited information about you from third-party sources, such as social login providers (if you choose to sign in via a third-party service) or fraud-prevention services. We do not purchase data about you from data brokers.
03Keeping your reviews private
Your identity is never shown on your reviews
Reviews are posted anonymously. The public only sees your written content, not who you are. To keep it that way, we recommend sticking to your experience of the therapist (their communication style, professionalism, approach) rather than including personal details about yourself.
You never need to mention your diagnosis, medications, or specific conditions to write a helpful review. Details like those could potentially identify you even in an anonymous post, so it's best to leave them out. The same goes for your real name, workplace, or specific location.
Because review text is publicly visible, anything you do choose to include can be seen by anyone visiting the site. If you ever want to remove a review, you can do so from your account, though we can't control whether it has already been indexed externally by search engines.
A note on HIPAA
Rate My Therapist is not a healthcare provider and is not subject to HIPAA. Your therapist's records and clinical notes remain protected under HIPAA on their end. But content you voluntarily post here is not covered by those protections.
04How we use your information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes only:
- Platform operation: To create and manage your account, display reviews, operate the rating system, and provide core functionality
- Communication: To send transactional emails (password resets, account notices), respond to support requests, and send service updates (you may opt out of non-essential communications)
- Safety & integrity: To detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent reviews, spam, abuse, and Terms violations
- Legal compliance: To comply with applicable legal obligations, court orders, or regulatory requirements
- Analytics: To understand how the Platform is used in aggregate and improve our services (using anonymized or aggregated data where possible)
- Security: To monitor for unauthorized access, vulnerabilities, and protect user data
We do not use your information for automated individual decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you.
06We do not sell your data
Explicit data sale prohibition
Rate My Therapist does not sell, rent, lease, or otherwise commercially transfer your personal information (including your email address, review content, behavioral data, or any mental health information) to any third party for monetary or other consideration. This prohibition applies regardless of any opt-out mechanisms available under applicable law. We make this commitment unconditionally.
This commitment extends to any parent company, subsidiary, or successor entity to the extent legally permissible.
08Data security
Important security limitation
Rate My Therapist does not employ specialized or heightened security measures beyond standard website practices. Do not treat this platform as a secure environment for sensitive information. Any personal or health-related information you share on this site should be considered public.
We apply standard technical measures to protect account and login data, including:
- Encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL)
- Secure password hashing (we never store passwords in plain text)
- Basic access controls for internal systems
No internet transmission or storage system is secure. We cannot and do not guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us or post on this platform. You transmit and post information entirely at your own risk.
We strongly reiterate: do not post mental health diagnoses, protected health information, medication details, or any other sensitive personal information on this platform. Such content is publicly visible and is not protected by any special security controls on our end.
If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us at security@ratemy-therapist.com
09Data retention
We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Specific retention periods:
- Account data: Retained while your account is active and for 2 years after deletion (for fraud prevention and legal compliance)
- Review content: May be retained even after account deletion if required for legal proceedings or platform integrity
- Log and technical data: Generally retained for 12 months
- Support communications: Retained for 3 years
When data is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it.
10Your privacy rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have some or all of the following rights regarding your personal data:
Right to access
Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to correction
Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
Right to deletion
Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal exceptions.
Right to restriction
Request restriction of processing your data in certain circumstances.
Right to portability
Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Right to object
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent
Withdraw consent at any time where processing is consent-based.
Right to complain
Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
To exercise any of these rights, send a request to privacy@ratemy-therapist.com. We process valid requests within the timelines required by applicable law (see Sections 12 and 13). Identity verification may be required before processing. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.
11Children's privacy
Rate My Therapist is not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected data from someone under 18, we will promptly delete it. If you believe we have collected data from a minor, please contact us immediately at privacy@ratemy-therapist.com
12California residents (CCPA/CPRA)
If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) provides you additional rights:
- Right to know: You may request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you in the preceding 12 months
- Right to delete: You may request deletion of personal information we have collected, subject to exceptions
- Right to correct: You may request correction of inaccurate personal information
- Right to opt-out of sale or sharing: We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising
- Right to limit use of sensitive personal information: You may direct us to limit use of sensitive personal information to what is necessary to perform the requested services
- Non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights
To submit a CCPA request, contact: privacy@ratemy-therapist.com or visit our Privacy Request Portal. We will verify your identity and respond within 45 days (extendable by an additional 45 days with notice).
Shine the Light: California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits California residents to request information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for direct marketing purposes. We do not make such disclosures.
13International users & GDPR
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, additional protections apply under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or UK GDPR.
Legal basis for processing
We process your data on the following legal bases:
- Contract performance: to provide the services you request
- Legitimate interests: for security, fraud prevention, and platform improvement (where not overridden by your interests)
- Legal obligation: where required by law
- Consent: for optional features, marketing, and analytics (withdrawable at any time)
Data transfers: If we transfer your data outside the EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.
EEA/UK representative: Rate My Therapist primarily serves United States residents and has not yet appointed an EU/UK representative under GDPR Article 27. If you are based in the EEA or UK and wish to exercise your data rights, contact us directly at legal@ratemy-therapist.com; we will respond within applicable statutory timelines.
To exercise your GDPR rights or lodge a complaint, contact your national supervisory authority. In the EU, find your authority at: edpb.europa.eu
14Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will:
- Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
- Post a prominent notice on our website
- Send an email notification to registered users (where required by law or where changes are significant)
Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Policy. If you do not agree to the updated Policy, you must stop using the Platform and may request deletion of your account.
Contact our privacy team
For all privacy-related questions, requests, or concerns: privacy@ratemy-therapist.com
Statutory requests (CCPA, GDPR) are processed within the timelines required by law. Other inquiries are reviewed on a best-effort basis with no committed response time.