Abstract
Therapist-Targeted Googling (TTG) involves a client seeking out information about their therapists online. Little research exists exploring TTG despite it being a common behaviour. The aim of this study was to investigate therapist perspectives on TTG and to determine whether TTG is sufficiently addressed under the framework of the broader self-disclosure literature. Ten self-identifying practicing psychotherapists were interviewed. Analysis using a grounded theory methodology revealed that therapists could experience TTG as an opportunity or a concern. How they perceived it was shaped by their therapeutic modality, practice, experience which included their own TTG behaviour, familiarity with social and technological norms, setting, and whether the therapist placed an emphasis on action, motive, or consequence. A model was proposed reflecting the influence therapeutic modality originally has in shaping perspectives, whilst also recognising the longer-term shift triggered by experience alongside familiarity with changing social and technological norms. The findings provide a framework for understanding how therapist perspectives on TTG are formed and maintained. It provides support for the growing discourse that TTG cannot simply be understood as an extension of Therapist Self-Disclosure (TSD), through highlighting the unique considerations that TTG poses for therapists.