Frequently Asked Questions

Why did you create this list?

I wanted to be able to refer clients and community members to other great practitioners, beyond just the therapists I knew personally. I hope for this community resource to grow. I’ll aim to update it seasonally, as practitioners details do change. If you have a practitioner who is wonderfully inclusive, please recommend they visit this site and apply to join.

FOR PRACTITIONERS: Can I join the list?

Yes, on 3 main conditions. 1: If you have lived experience or significant expertise in a marginalised group and would like to share this information through the list. Please provide some detail in your email (e.g. ‘Hi, I’m queer and a physiotherapist, and have lived experience of chronic pain and work with those populations’). This isn’t the list for generalists who are solely in majority/privileged identities. If in doubt, provide more detail rather than less, as otherwise it takes extra work on my side to ask or to search through your website.

2: I have a minimum requirement for all practitioners on the list that they have adequate indemnity insurance appropriate to their area of practice, as well as 3: membership of a professional association with a code of ethics and formal complaints/investigation structure. Please see the Complaints page for examples of these. This is to help ensure a minimum standard of care for clients, rather than to exclude practitioners with particular qualifications or backgrounds. If you’re not sure if you/your practitioner meet these requirements, when joining please describe your qualifications and association memberships to see if you’re appropriate for this particular list right now.
*NOTE: If you do not have a formal qualification alongside a recognised professional body (i.e. psychologist, counsellor, dietician, art therapist) and instead have a more alternative training background (i.e. bodywork, coaching, sexual healing), then you may not qualify for this list. It is not that I do not value your work or profession, but rather than I need some safeguards on this list for the general public, which includes some level of standardised recognised qualification, insurance, and a formal place for a client to go should they experience malpractice or abuse, which unfortunately happens in our industry.

Are there other lists like this one?

Many lists exist informally, traded on message boards and in support groups. There are also lists that groups come up with for various purposes, such as those on Curious Creatures. Other lists are professional lists only, shared amongst practitioners, such as through Mental Health Practitioners Networks. There is also a primarily body-based therapist list Queer Therapists Victoria. Go to the Websites page for more.

Are there better ways to find a therapist/doctor/etc.?

There are lots of ways, and it really depends on your specific needs. Common ways include Find a Psychologist service (note if you search by issue, you’ll only find those who have paid an extra subscription fee), Find a Psychiatrist, etc. You might also ask your existing health professionals, your family and friends, or close community.

What if I see a practitioner on here who is really bad/discriminated against me/I think shouldn’t be on this list?

Honestly, the complications of running this list in an ethical, fair, and professional way are considerable, and a lot has to do with how complaints would be managed. At this stage, I am referring all complaints of this nature to authorities with more resources than me. I require all practitioners to confirm that they hold sufficient personal indemnity and public liability insurance before they are approved for the list. Please see Complaints for detail. I will note that as of July 2023, I have removed 2 practitioners from the list, following requests from the general public, supported by evidence of active investigations.

How can I trust that a practitioner on this list who says they have expertise in X, will actually have expertise in X?

This is based on an honesty system, and with positive intentions. Expertise in niche areas can be difficult to assess, and difficult to gain through training. For example, the number of LGBTQIA+ training programs for psychologists is MAYBE 1 or 2 a year, and they’re mostly aimed at basic level, not advanced training. Is someone who has done a 1 day training in the last 3 months equivalent/better/worse to someone with 20 years in the field but no specific training? There is no right answer of where to draw the line, so please use the list as a guide rather than a guarantee. Practitioners are responsible for the information they provide regarding their areas of professional practice. I have listed some trainings, which you might refer your practitioner to in order to skill up in the Trainings tab.

Why have you included lived experience on your survey, and what does that mean?

Practitioners are invited to list how they identify, what their background is, or what they may do in their lives (to the degree they are comfortable with this information being public, which may be limited). This does not necessarily mean they are any better in working with the issue that they themselves have (e.g. a bisexual therapist working with a bisexual client about bisexual things). But getting client-practitioner fit is often important, and sometimes shared identity elements can foster this. Please also note that this section is fully optional, and a practitioner may not feel comfortable putting certain elements on a public list on the internet, so what you see is not exclusive of other identities (i.e. practitioner may have experience being nonmonogamous and not list it, for privacy concerns).

I love my therapist, can I recommend them for the list?

Yes, if you have a great practitioner, I’d encourage you first to introduce them to this website and encourage them to contact me themselves. You are also welcome to contact me through my Contact form.