How we review therapists.

We take no money from listings, so being able to trust what a profile says is the whole point of the directory. Review is done by a person, against sources — and every profile shows exactly what was checked, what the therapist has declared, and the date of the latest review. No blanket "verified" badge.

Checked against authoritative sources

Saudade Therapy does not collect copies of diplomas, licences, identity documents or insurance certificates. Therapists provide the professional details required to locate their records, and we check those details against available registers, regulators, chambers, professional bodies or other authoritative sources. Where a status cannot be independently confirmed, we label it as declared rather than verified.

The verification statuses

1. Identity information reviewed. The submitted name and professional identity are checked against available professional and public sources. No government identification is collected.
2. Registration checked. The submitted registration or licence is checked against the official public register, the relevant regulator or professional body — or confirmed directly with the authority where no public register exists. The profile shows the professional title, the registration body and jurisdiction, the status, the date checked, and the public-source link where one exists.
3. Qualifications confirmed. Qualifications are confirmed through an authoritative source where possible — a register that records recognised qualifications, a licensing authority, the training institution or a recognised professional organisation. We never state that we reviewed a diploma; we state which source confirmed it.
4. Practice information declared. Therapy languages, approaches, services, client groups, practice location, online or in-person availability, the client locations the therapist believes they may serve, and professional liability insurance status. Declared means declared: the profile distinguishes what was independently confirmed from what the therapist stated.

Insurance, where confirmation is part of the pilot, is checked from the insurer name, a policy or verification reference, coverage territory and expiry — never from a policy document. Where reliable confirmation is not available, the profile shows "professional insurance declared by therapist", not "confirmed".

What a profile shows

• Registration checked — with the country and the date.
• Qualification reviewed — the exact professional title held, where it is held, never inflated.
• Declared client locations — where the therapist states they work with clients, as their declaration.
• Insurance — declared, or reviewed, marked as whichever it is.
• Last reviewed — the date of the most recent review.

Modality certifications (for example EMDR) are confirmed with the issuing institute or accrediting body from the certification identifier where possible; where they cannot be confirmed at the source, the profile marks them as declared. Registration identifiers are published on a profile only where that is appropriate and lawful for the register in question. Professional referees may be contacted to confirm the applicant's role, declared scope of practice, and whether any unresolved professional-conduct concerns are known.

Where no public register exists

Legitimate professions and jurisdictions exist without a statutory register. In those cases we record the exact professional and regulatory context, contact the relevant authority or professional body, confirm only what that organisation is permitted to disclose, and label the result exactly: registration confirmed, professional membership confirmed, qualification confirmed through issuing institution, professional status declared — no independent public register available, or confirmation pending. The absence of a public register is never an automatic rejection — and never converted into an unqualified "verified".

About the European Certificate of Psychotherapy

Some therapists hold the European Certificate of Psychotherapy. The ECP indicates that a therapist has met the European Association for Psychotherapy's training standards. It does not replace national licensing, registration or permission to practise, and we display it as a qualification — not as authorisation to work in any particular country.

Cross-border practice

Whether a therapist may work with you can depend on your physical location, the therapist's professional title, their registration, their insurance, and the rules of both jurisdictions — which differ by profession and country. Profiles show where a therapist is registered and where they have declared they work; confirming eligibility before providing a service remains the therapist's responsibility. We do not publish blanket legal conclusions.

Standing over time

• A confidential concern form is always open: report a concern. Every report is read by a person, and credible safety reports are acted on quickly — including suspending a listing while we look.
• Removal follows a published policy: misrepresented credentials, practising outside a valid registration, or serious conduct findings end a listing. Serious matters belong with the therapist's own regulator, which is the body with real power here, and we say so to reporters.
• Reviews are repeated periodically; a profile's "last reviewed" date shows when.

What verification is not

A successful check confirms that the submitted information matched the available source at the time of review. It is not a guarantee of clinical fit, outcome or future conduct, and it is not supervision of care. Choosing whom to work with stays your decision; our job is that what the profile states is accurately labelled — checked, reviewed, or declared.

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