If you run a psychology or allied health practice in Australia, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, also known as AHPRA, governs not just how you practise, but how you advertise.
That includes your website, social media, Google Ads, email newsletters, printed brochures and even your Google Business Profile. If it promotes your services as a registered health practitioner, AHPRA’s advertising guidelines apply.
Getting it wrong can result in formal complaints, investigations and in serious cases, restrictions on registration. Most practices are not deliberately non-compliant. They simply do not know the rules, or have assumed that because a marketing agency wrote the content, someone else checked it.
This guide explains what the rules actually say, which mistakes are most common, and how to market your practice effectively while staying compliant.
What are the AHPRA advertising guidelines?
The AHPRA advertising guidelines were developed jointly by the 15 national health practitioner boards under section 39 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law. They apply to any advertising of a regulated health service, which means any communication intended to attract clients or patients to a health practitioner or health service.
The guidelines apply across all 15 registered health professions, including psychology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, dietetics, podiatry, chiropractic and osteopathy.
They apply whether you are advertising to existing clients or to new ones. And they apply whether the advertising is paid or organic. A social media post promoting your services is advertising under the National Law, even if you did not pay to boost it.
What AHPRA does not allow
1. Testimonials that refer to clinical aspects of treatment
AHPRA prohibits testimonials that refer to treatment, diagnosis, prognosis, clinical techniques or the clinical aspects of a regulated health service. This is the rule most practices misunderstand.
A testimonial from a client saying “the team is incredibly responsive, our admin runs so much smoother” is not prohibited. A testimonial saying “my psychologist helped me overcome my anxiety” is prohibited because it implies a clinical outcome.
The Psychology Board of Australia has been particularly clear on this. Confidentiality is central to the therapeutic relationship, and even general quotes that reference a client’s mental health condition or treatment experience are considered a breach, regardless of whether the client consented.
If clients offer to write testimonials for your practice, thank them and do not use them in advertising.
2. Claims that cannot be substantiated
Any claim in your advertising must be able to be substantiated with acceptable evidence. “Most experienced psychologist in Melbourne” or “best outcomes for anxiety” are examples of claims that cannot be substantiated and therefore cannot be used.
This also applies to statistics. If you publish a statistic about your clinical outcomes, for example, “95% of our clients report improvement”, you must be able to support it with rigorous evidence. Anecdotal data, internal surveys without proper methodology, or informal feedback do not meet the standard.
3. Offers that create unrealistic expectations
Advertising must not create an unrealistic expectation of the results or outcome of a health service. This means phrases like “transform your mental health,” “cure your anxiety,” “achieve lasting relief” or “guaranteed results” are all prohibited.
This applies to all formats, including website copy, social posts, Google Ads headlines and email subject lines.
4. Comparisons that are misleading
Your advertising must not compare your services with other regulated health services in a way that is misleading. Saying your psychology practice provides “better care than other clinics” or positioning yourself as superior to competitors through clinical claims is prohibited.
5. Inducements that may influence clinical decisions
Gifts, discounts or incentives that may encourage a clinical choice, rather than simply facilitating access, require careful handling. A discount on an initial consultation may be acceptable if the terms are clearly stated. An incentive that implies a particular clinical outcome is more likely if a client chooses your service is not.
What AHPRA does allow
The guidelines do not prevent you from marketing your practice effectively. There is a clear distinction between prohibited content and effective, compliant marketing.
You can describe your services. Explaining what a psychology session involves, what conditions you see clients for, and what your appointment process looks like is straightforward factual content that does not breach the guidelines.
You can describe your qualifications and experience. Stating that a practitioner holds certain postgraduate qualifications, has practised for a given number of years or has expertise in specific clinical areas is factual information that can be verified.
You can use client feedback about the service experience, not clinical outcomes. Feedback about responsiveness, communication, ease of booking, professionalism and the administrative experience of your practice is not prohibited. This is distinct from clinical testimonials.
You can describe your fees and billing arrangements. Information about Medicare rebates, Better Access, NDIS and private health fund arrangements is factual and can be published.
You can educate your audience. Blog content that explains how a particular condition is understood, what evidence-based approaches involve, or how psychological assessment works is educational content, not clinical advertising, and does not generally raise AHPRA concerns when written carefully.
Common mistakes psychology and allied health practices make
Reposting Google Reviews that contain clinical claims
Google Reviews are not controlled by the practice. You cannot prevent a client from leaving a review that mentions their mental health condition. However, reposting or highlighting those reviews in your advertising is considered advertising, and if the review refers to clinical outcomes, reposting it would breach the guidelines.
Using “before and after” framing
Any content that implies a client was in a worse state before engaging your services and a better state after, even implicitly, carries clinical outcome language. This includes case study formats that describe a client’s presenting problem and subsequent improvement.
Marketing agency content that has not been reviewed for compliance
Generic marketing agencies are not familiar with AHPRA requirements. Content produced by agencies unfamiliar with healthcare advertising frequently contains phrases like “we help you achieve your goals,” “transform your wellbeing,” or “experience the difference” that appear innocuous but imply clinical effectiveness.
Organic social media posts treated as non-advertising
Many practices assume that regular social media posts are not subject to the guidelines. They are. If a post promotes a health service, it is advertising under the National Law, regardless of whether it is paid.
Does AHPRA apply to business service providers like marketing agencies?
AHPRA’s advertising guidelines apply to advertising a regulated health service, which means they primarily govern how registered practitioners and their practices communicate.
For support businesses, including marketing agencies, virtual receptionists and practice management services working with health practitioners, the practical implication is that content produced for health practices must be created with AHPRA compliance in mind. An agency that produces content containing clinical outcome claims or prohibited testimonials for a practice creates compliance risk for that practice, regardless of who wrote the content.
How to review your existing marketing for compliance
Work through each channel your practice uses, including website, social media profiles, Google Business Profile, email newsletters and printed materials, and check each piece of content against these questions:
- Does this content contain a testimonial that refers to treatment, diagnosis, prognosis or clinical outcomes? If yes, remove it.
- Does this content make a claim about clinical effectiveness or outcomes? If yes, can it be substantiated with rigorous evidence? If not, rewrite or remove it.
- Does this content create an expectation of clinical results? If yes, rewrite it to describe the service without implying outcomes.
- Does this content compare your services to other providers in a way that implies clinical superiority? If yes, rewrite it.
Working with a specialist rather than a generic agency
The difference between AHPRA-compliant marketing and non-compliant marketing is not style. It is knowledge. A specialist with 18 years in psychology and allied health knows what can and cannot be said, which means content is built compliantly from the start rather than reviewed for risk after the fact.
Time Well Spent provides AHPRA-compliant marketing for psychology and allied health practices across Australia. Our marketing team understands the specific obligations that apply to registered practitioners, including testimonial restrictions, clinical claim prohibitions and the distinction between educational content and advertising.
Need your marketing reviewed?
If you would like to discuss your current marketing or have your content reviewed, book a free 20-minute call.
This article provides general information about AHPRA advertising guidelines and is not legal advice. For advice specific to your registration and practice, consult AHPRA’s official advertising guidelines at ahpra.gov.au or seek independent legal advice.