A dated check, not a badge
What a license check means on Couch Commons
A license check means a named clinician's record matched the issuing authority's own register, and the profile prints which register we searched and when. It does not mean Couch Commons guarantees treatment quality, outcomes, availability, insurance coverage, or a clean disciplinary history. Joining starts membership and onboarding; it never purchases a check or a public listing.
Reviewed .
What does the receipt show?
A published profile with a license check shows:
- The clinician's name and professional credential.
- The license number, as the register displays it.
- The state or jurisdiction that issued the license.
- The official register we searched, by name — NYSED for New York.
- The status that register returned.
- The date we searched it.
What is a Couch Commons license check?
A Couch Commons license check is a dated match between a named clinician and the issuing authority's public register. The receipt prints the name, credential, license number as the register shows it, state, register name, status returned, and check date. A later recheck re-dates it.
What does the check not prove?
The check does not prove anything beyond that dated register match. It is not a background check, an endorsement, a paid rank, an availability promise, a disciplinary-history guarantee, or a judgment of therapeutic fit.
Can a clinician pay for a check or a higher position?
No. Membership is $19.99/month or $179.91/year. First 100 therapists: first year free on the monthly plan, applied at checkout, no code, then $19.99/month unless they cancel. Annual billing is 3 months free on renewal. The payment does not publish a profile and does not buy a license-check receipt or a higher position. Publication waits for the official record to match. If best-effort automated and human review still cannot check it, the clinician does not receive a receipt and is not published.
Can a receipt change after it is printed?
Professional records and registrations can change, which is why the date matters. A successful recheck updates the date. If a later result stops matching, the profile pauses and we keep checking daily; it returns when the registry matches again. An unclear result is not published as a negative claim about the clinician.
Is a license check the same as availability or insurance?
The license check, interstate practice authority, availability, insurance participation, fees, specialties, identity and access details, and the clinician's own description of their practice are different facts. Couch Commons labels each by its source and its freshness rather than melting them into one oversized trust badge.
Questions about the license check
Is a Couch Commons license check a background check?
No. The receipt reports a match to an official professional-license source. It should not be read as a universal background check.
Can a clinician pay to receive a license-check receipt?
No. Starting membership starts onboarding. A receipt requires a matching official record.
Does a license check mean a therapist is accepting clients?
No. Availability is a separate clinician statement and needs its own confirmation date.
Does a license check mean Couch Commons recommends the therapist?
No. A check reports official credential evidence. It is not an endorsement, ranking, outcome promise, or statement that the clinician is the right fit for everyone.