Eligibility first. Rotation second.
How therapist-directory ordering works
Couch Commons first builds the exact set of published therapists who match the search, then orders that set with a deterministic daily rotation. Same search scope, same eligible set, same UTC day, same order. Membership price, clicks, tenure, and boosts are not inputs. One fixed exception: the founder's own profile (Matthew Sexton) is always listed last. Rotation does not prove fit or availability.
Method reviewed . Page updated .
Only profiles allowed into the public snapshot can enter a result.
The search and filters select the exact eligible profiles for that result.
The shared function orders those keys for that scope and UTC day.
Can a therapist pay to rank?
No. Membership price, clicks, tenure, and boosts are not inputs to the order. Membership is $19.99/month or $179.91/year and buys a profile, not a position. Payment does not publish a profile and does not buy a license-check receipt.
What affects the order?
The rotation receives the search scope, the current UTC date, and one consistently sorted identifier for every exact match. Sorting those identifiers first means their incoming order cannot game the result. The output contains every matching profile once: none are invented, and none are silently dropped by the ordering step.
Used
- Search scope
- UTC date
- Exact eligible profile set
Not used
- Payment or membership price
- Clicks, tenure, or popularity
- Sponsored boosts or ad bids
What does a rotation look like?
Suppose three fictional profiles—Avery, Bailey, and Casey—pass the publication gate and all three match the same search. Rotation changes only their display sequence; it cannot add Devon, who did not match, or remove one of the three who did.
Illustration only—not today's live output or a published seed. An identical search on the same UTC day receives the same daily rotation as long as the eligible set is unchanged.
What can change who appears?
Filters can produce a different matching set. A new eligible profile can enter a future set; a paused or no-longer-eligible profile leaves it. Those are eligibility or matching changes, not paid ranking. The public search and API both pass the actual matched keys to the shared rotation function so an old or partial set cannot be resurrected by ordering.
What is proved today, and what is not?
Automated tests prove that the function is deterministic, returns a true permutation, resists input-order gaming, and changes when the scope or UTC date changes. The service also has a separately tested append-only log for the ordering paths that use it.
A public self-service replay interface is not live yet. Couch Commons will not claim that visitors can recompute today's order until that interface exists. The rule is implemented; this site does not expose a public replay tool.
Questions about result ordering
Can a therapist pay to appear first?
No. Membership price, clicks, tenure, and paid boosts are not inputs to the rotation.
Do two identical searches return the same order?
On the same UTC day, the same search scope and same eligible set produce the same order. The date changes the rotation input for the next day.
Does rotation decide who qualifies for a search?
No. Publication eligibility and the seeker's filters determine the matching set first. Rotation orders that exact set; it does not add an ineligible or nonmatching profile.
Can I recompute the order myself?
No. This site does not expose a replay tool. Couch Commons uses the same shared ordering function for its public search and API, and automated tests cover the function's stated properties.