Earlier this month, Dr. Kathryn Ambeau used LinkedIn to reveal a concerning finding: an emotional support platform known as 7 Cups had established and published a profile of her on its website—without her knowledge or approval. The profile, utilizing her maiden name, Lawing, outlined her therapeutic methods and featured a “send message” button, indicating that she was accessible to offer therapy via the platform. However, Ambeau had never encountered 7 Cups, much less consented to being linked with it.
7 Cups purports that its directory assists individuals in locating mental health services, yet Ambeau and various mental health professionals contend that it misrepresents consumers and falsely suggests that listed providers are connected to the platform. Ambeau shared with Mashable a copy of the unauthorized profile, which bore a strong resemblance to an earlier listing she had paid for on Psychology Today.
“This misleading practice not only falsely presents me as being associated with their service (which I am not), but also breaches consumer trust, misleads clients in need of care, and encroaches upon my professional reputation and intellectual property,” Ambeau stated in a LinkedIn post that has since ignited extensive conversation among mental health advocates.
The post sparked an open discussion on LinkedIn, with therapists critiquing 7 Cups for its methods. In defense, 7 Cups upheld its directory, asserting that it would not actively remove unverified profiles and acknowledging that it lacks precise contact information for numerous listed therapists.
Therapists who examined their own unauthorized profiles discovered that 7 Cups frequently redirected potential clients to its “active listening” service—staffed not by licensed professionals, but by volunteers. CEO Glen Moriarty did not provide comment when approached by Mashable.
In a LinkedIn response to the criticism, 7 Cups referred to its directory as a “local support” guide that features therapists alongside community resources like food pantries and shelters. The company contended that eliminating all therapist listings would detract from the value of the resource.
Experts indicate that this scenario underscores a larger problem in mental healthcare: ghost networks. These are directories—often managed by insurers—that showcase outdated or inactive providers, complicating the search for actual, available care. Laura W. Groshong, director of policy and practice for the Clinical Social Work Association (CSWA), emphasizes that ghost networks represent a substantial hurdle in accessing mental health services.
“It creates a significant barrier for individuals seeking assistance,” Groshong noted. “People frequently lose hope after encountering a ghost network.”
A 2024 survey conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) revealed that over half of therapists had no availability for new patients, while a third did not accept insurance. In early 2023, U.S. senators began to urge major insurers to clarify their strategies for addressing ghost networks, as mandated by federal law.
Directories like Psychology Today permit therapists to opt into and pay for listing. These platforms normally require verification of licensure. In contrast, 7 Cups’ directory is distinct: many therapists never agreed to be included, and some suspect their profiles were generated using content taken from Psychology Today.
A software engineer working in the digital mental health field estimated that 7 Cups’ directory encompasses over 130,000 therapist names, with only 67 possessing “verified” listings. The platform provides therapists the opportunity to “claim” their profile for a $30 monthly fee to receive referrals—an offer that some, including Ambeau, have compared to extortion.
The platform’s “send message” button beneath each therapist’s name conveys the impression that users are reaching out to a licensed provider. Nevertheless, 7 Cups has acknowledged that it does not possess verified contact details for all therapists and relies on third-party services to obtain email addresses. If it cannot confirm a connection, it sends a test message in hopes of eliciting a response. If that fails, users are informed that the therapist could not be contacted.
Each profile presents a disclaimer asserting that only therapists who have claimed their listing can be directly contacted. Still, the arrangement has led many to charge 7 Cups with misleading users. Groshong describes the practice as a bait-and-switch, potentially breaching federal regulations.
Some therapists who evaluated their profiles received automated replies encouraging them to subscribe to a premium membership and to engage with a “listener” while waiting for a therapist’s response. These listeners are not licensed professionals, and Mashable’s previous inquiries have uncovered concerning behavior among them, including trolling and abuse.
Despite 7 Cups’ assertions that it forwards referrals, therapists who tested the system report never receiving any. The company has attributed delays to the volume of removal requests.
Groshong believes the directory misleads consumers into believing that listed therapists are linked with 7 Cups, only to direct them to unlicensed volunteers. This not only confuses users but also poses a risk to their well-being.
The controversy surrounding 7 Cups mirrors a similar situation involving CareDash, an online therapy service that in 2022 generated unauthorized profiles utilizing a national database of licensed providers. Users who clicked to