ThinkGroup started as a shared spreadsheet between four therapists in Johannesburg who were tired of sending clients into the unknown. The dates below mark the decisions that shaped what the site is today.
March 2019
Four practices in Rosebank and Melville agreed to publish their consultation style, waiting times and whether they billed medical aid directly. The format was plain: no ratings, no stars, just written answers to the same eight questions.
August 2020
When in-person sessions paused, we added a separate field for video and phone work and asked practitioners to state which platforms they used. Readers could finally see who offered evening slots across a provincial border.
June 2021
Open comment boxes filled up with either praise or grievance and little in between. We rewrote the form around specific prompts: how intake felt, how long the wait was, whether the approach was explained, and whether the practice handled a medical aid claim without chasing.
February 2023
A review that cannot be answered is only half a record. We opened claiming for listings, so a psychologist can correct a factual detail, explain a waiting list, or note that a session approach has since changed. Replies sit under the review, unedited.
October 2024
Reviews alone do not explain the difference between a clinical psychologist and a registered counsellor, or how a GP referral actually moves. We added plain-language explainers and a filter for the language a session is conducted in, which readers in Durban and Pretoria asked for most often.
Our story
The project started in 2019 with a spreadsheet. Two colleagues in Johannesburg were comparing notes on how hard it was to find a therapist who actually matched what a person needed — not just the first name on a medical aid list. They began collecting structured feedback from clients: how long the wait was, whether the practice handled claims cleanly, whether the room felt safe enough to talk in.
That spreadsheet became a public directory. The editorial side followed because reviews alone don't explain the difference between a clinical psychologist and a registered counsellor, or what a GP referral actually sets in motion.
2019
The first review template asked about consultation style, waiting times, medical aid claims and how comfortable the intake felt. Nothing vague — every field had to be answerable by someone who had actually sat in the room.
2021
Readers kept asking the same questions: is there an evening slot, does the therapist speak isiZulu or Afrikaans, do they work with children. We added filters for suburb, language, approach and session times instead of leaving people to phone around.
2023
Practices can now claim a listing and respond to feedback directly. It changed the tone of the directory — reviews stopped being one-sided and started reading like an actual exchange between client and clinician.
These are the spaces behind the listings on ThinkGroup. When we visit a practice or a practitioner sends photographs, we note the same things a client notices in the first five minutes: where you sit, how the door closes, whether the room feels like an office or somewhere you can actually talk.
Johannesburg, Rosebank
A layout we see often in clinical rooms. No barrier, a clock within sight, and a box of tissues placed where you do not have to reach across the room for it.
Cape Town, Claremont
HPCSA numbers displayed where clients can read them. Useful when you are checking whether you are sitting with a clinical psychologist or a registered counsellor.
Durban, Morningside
Practices that run online slots need a room with a stable connection and a door that shuts. We ask about this because background noise is one of the most common complaints in reviews.
Pretoria, Hatfield
Separate entrances, seating that does not force eye contact, and reception staff who do not announce your name across the room. Small things, but they come up again and again in feedback.
Johannesburg, Linden
Low shelves, sand tray, drawing materials at child height. Parents often ask what the room looks like before booking, so we photograph it rather than describe it.
Cape Town, Observatory
Evening and weekend slots only work if you can get in and out safely. We note lighting, parking and how the building is entered after hours.
Photographs are submitted by practices or taken during visits with permission. If a room has changed since the image was taken, tell us through the listing page and we will update it.
ThinkGroup is small on purpose. A handful of us read every submission, check registration numbers against the HPCSA register, and write the explainers that sit beside the listings. Nobody here sells therapy, and no practice pays to rank higher.
Editorial lead
Ten years in health writing, most of it translating clinical language into something a tired person can read at 11pm. She edits the first-session and GP-referral guides and pushes back when a sentence sounds like a brochure.
Clinical advisor
Registered clinical psychologist, still in practice two days a week in Pretoria. He reviews our explainers on scope of practice and medical aid claims, and flags anything that would mislead someone about what a counsellor can or cannot do.
Review moderation
Reads incoming feedback before it goes live. She removes identifying details about third parties, separates a bad fit from bad practice, and contacts practitioners when a response is warranted. Based in Durban.
Directory and data
Keeps the filters working: suburb, session language, approach, evening and weekend availability. He built the claim-a-listing flow so practices can correct their own details instead of emailing us.
Community and referrals
Handles the messages that arrive when someone cannot find a match in their area or language. She keeps a working list of practices with shorter waiting times across Johannesburg, Cape Town and the smaller towns people rarely search.
Telehealth and accessibility
Tracks which practices offer video sessions, what platform they use, and how they handle load-shedding during a call. She also checks that listings state session language honestly rather than assuming English works for everyone.
We are not a clinic and we do not take referrals. What we do is keep the record straight, so the next person comparing two practices in their suburb has something more useful than a search result.