How to Complete Your Hunhu Provider Profile

Your Hunhu provider profile is how agencies and clients find you and decide whether to reach out. A complete, accurate profile produces better referrals — more specific, more appropriate to your specialty, from clients who are actually ready to work.

Credentials: What to Include

This section is the foundation of your profile. Agencies and insurance networks use it to verify you; clients use it to trust you.

• **License type:** Spell it out fully alongside the abbreviation. "Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)" is clearer than "LPC" alone.
• **License number and state:** Required for directory verification. Include both.
• **NPI number:** Your National Provider Identifier. Required for healthcare network participation even if you are private pay only.
• **Specialized certifications:** EMDRIA certification, Gottman Level I/II/III, IFS certification, DBT-Linehan Board Certification — these are search terms for clients who already know what they need. List them if you have them.
• **Years of experience:** Specific numbers land better than vague phrases. "12 years" tells a client something. "Over a decade" does not.

Specialties and Populations: Be Specific, Not Comprehensive

The instinct is to list everything you can treat. Resist it. A profile that claims to treat anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, trauma, relationship issues, life transitions, grief, and eating disorders does not look thorough — it looks like a ghost profile that will say yes to anyone.

List what you actually prefer to work with and have real training in.

• **Specialties:** "Adult anxiety and OCD" is a specialty. "Anxiety" is not. The more specific you are, the more likely you are to get a referral from a client who actually fits.
• **Populations:** Adults, adolescents (specify age range — "13-17" is clearer than "teens"), couples, LGBTQ+ affirming, neurodivergent-affirming. Be honest about what you do and do not see.
• **Modalities:** CBT, EMDR, DBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Gottman Method, Internal Family Systems. List what you actually use in session, not everything you learned in graduate school.

This section directly determines which client searches surface your profile. Vague listings get skipped. Specific listings get clicked.

Availability: The Most Important Field on Your Profile

Stale availability is the single biggest source of client frustration in provider directories. A 2023 survey on therapist directory experiences found response rates under 50% and multiple reports of therapists listed as accepting clients who had closed their practices months earlier. That frustration lands on you, even when the outdated information is not your fault.

• **Accepting new clients:** Yes or no. Keep this current. Updating it takes 30 seconds.
• **Session format:** In-person, telehealth, or both. Do not leave this blank.
• **In-person location:** Full address, not just city. Clients use proximity as a filter.
• **Telehealth states:** If you offer telehealth and hold licenses in multiple states, list them. A client in a neighboring state may be searching.
• **General availability:** You do not need to publish your full schedule. Morning, afternoon, or evening availability and which days of the week is enough to help a client decide whether you are a realistic fit before they reach out.

Your Bio: Write It Like a Person

Start with the two questions clients are actually asking: who do you help, and how do you work?

Do not start with: "I received my MSW from..." Your credentials are already in the credentials section.

Start with something like: "I work with adults who are exhausted by anxiety — the kind that makes every decision feel like the wrong one. My approach is practical: we figure out what is happening and build toward something different."

That two-sentence opener tells a client more than three paragraphs of credential summary.

Include one specific thing about how you actually work — not a credential, but a quality. Do you prefer to be direct in session? Do you work slowly and relationally? Do you use homework and worksheets, or does your work happen primarily in conversation? One honest, concrete detail builds more trust than a list of theoretical orientations.

Keep your bio under 250 words. Clients are anxious when they are looking for a therapist. A shorter, clearer bio gets read. A long one gets skimmed.

Your Photo: Use a Real One

Your photo is the first signal of trust for a client who is already nervous about reaching out.

• Use a professional-quality headshot. It does not require a photographer. Natural light, a solid background, and looking directly at the camera is enough.
• Make it recent — within the last three years.
• Avoid stock-photo-looking images, group photos, and anything where you are not the clear subject.

A missing or clearly outdated photo is a trust signal in the wrong direction. Clients are making a vulnerable decision. A real, recent photo of you helps them take the next step.

Verification

Depending on your agency's requirements, you may be asked to upload a copy of your license or professional liability insurance documentation. This is standard in any credentialed directory — it is how your agency keeps the network accurate and defensible.

Once your profile is complete, mark it as verified so your agency knows you are ready to go live. Your listing activates when your agency publishes it. You will receive a notification when a client reaches out through the directory.

FAQ

How often should I update my profile?

Update your availability status any time it changes — at minimum, whenever you open or close your caseload to new clients. Everything else (bio, photo, specialties) can be reviewed once or twice a year. The availability field is the one that directly affects whether clients reach out and whether you waste time on mismatched inquiries.

Do I need an NPI number if I am private pay only?

Yes. Your NPI is a standard provider identifier used across healthcare networks, credentialing processes, and directory verification systems regardless of whether you accept insurance. If you do not have one, you can register for free at the NPPES registry through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

What happens if my license information changes?

Update your profile immediately and re-submit for verification. An accurate license record is the baseline requirement for staying active in any credentialed network. Your agency will be notified when you submit an update.

Your profile is live when your agency activates your listing. From there, keeping it accurate is straightforward — the biggest thing you can do is keep your availability current. It takes 30 seconds and prevents your listing from becoming the kind of ghost profile that exhausts clients before they ever find someone who can actually help them.

If you have questions about what your specific agency requires, reach out to them directly. Every Hunhu-powered directory is managed by the agency that built it, and they are your first point of contact for credentialing and listing questions.