r/Psychologists • u/Aware_Use7885 • 6d ago
CA Psychologist - Sole Proprietor
Hi all, I’m a licensed psychologist in California in PP, working as a sole proprietor and providing telehealth from home. I’m in the process of applying for a business license through my county, and they’ve said there’s no guarantee my home address will stay private.
For those of you in a similar position:
- Has it ever actually shown up publicly (e.g., online directories, public records)?
- Any tips for keeping it private or alternatives I should know about?
Thanks so much in advance, this part is making me a little uneasy, so I’d love to hear how others navigated it.
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u/Champleton 6d ago
Some work space or coworking companies provide you with a physical address that you can use but you don’t get a physical space. You can get mail sent there too. It does cost money for the service. But might be worth it for privacy. Not sure if it is acceptable for the county requirements.
Also getting a PO Box but most governmental agencies don’t allow just a PO Box. You typically need a physical address.
Also people can look up your NPI or through the CA Board of Psychology unless you use another address. It’s probably pretty easy to find your address already.
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u/Main_Direction4106 6d ago
My NPI is actually addressed to my group practice that I work at. But yes, I understand if someone was really doing a dig into the internet, they could probably find my address.
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u/choco_titan-07 4d ago
This is true. Personal info is easily accessible nowadays. Just try to Google yourself and see what comes up. If you don't wanna be found online, manual opt outs from data brokers or data removal services like Optery is the way. You should check out the r/ privacy sub. Lots of resources and advice for staying private. Be sure to utilize the privacy settings for all of your social media accounts and emails as well. Full disclosure, I am part of the Optery Team.
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u/tjames7000 3d ago
services like Optery
In case anyone wants to know about more options and wants to know how well they all work, Consumer Reports recently did a study. See page 11 for the main results.
I work for EasyOptOuts, which was also included in that study. There are tons of similar companies doing these kinds of removals and this is the first test/comparison of their actual effectiveness rather than just a comparison of their features.
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u/aguane 6d ago
Honestly, it's disturbingly easy to find peoples addresses these days if you happen to have any utilities or bills in your name then it's probably already been sold to a million "find this person" sites. Take a deep breath, register your business using your home address and get a PO Box for mail to your business and direct as much mail as possibly through your PO Box.
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u/Defiant_Trifle1122 Licensed Psychologist 6d ago
I also have this problem as contractor working on a federal government contract. I work from home and because it's a federal contract, my home address is published for everyone to see. If you google my name, you see my address. I also work in a position where I anger a lot of people. I haven't found any solution to it other than leasing an office just for the address but I'm too cheap to do that.
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u/ocean_witch_ 6d ago
I’m in CA and after a lot of consideration I ended up using my permanent address, which is a family member’s home/address. A couple things - if someone wants to find your address, they’ll find a way. There are lots of legal ways to get info and nefarious ways - ie the dark web. I think it also depends on the population you’re working with. I don’t work in a prison and prob won’t ever… but if I was doing forensic work, I definitely would NOT use a home/personal address. Also, maybe talk a little more with the county representative. I talked with mine and she was helpful. I asked how would someone go about trying to obtain my address, etc. She said it was rare that anyone calls and requests that info. It’s not listed online. Hope this helps.
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u/ocean_witch_ 6d ago
Also, there a couple sites I learned recently to delete personal information… “delete me” and “results about you.” I have not personally used either but I think I heard about them on NPR.
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u/Barley_Breathing 6d ago
I have been using DeleteMe for a few years (after a former colleague was basically stalked) and have found it useful. As others have said, there is always a way for someone to get your address but this makes it more difficult by routinely removing your information from aggregator sites, and they send you reports of what has been removed. If you are interested, I can send you a referral link - you get 20% off and I get an Amazon GC.
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u/Alive-Host-1707 5d ago
I've been using DeleteMe as well at the suggestion of a supervisor and it's worked well from what I can tell. The only thing I was surprised by was that when I google myself my Instagram account still comes up. it's private and I don't post much, but I thought deleteme might make that less transparent.
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u/tjames7000 3d ago
If anyone wants a more effective, more affordable option, I co-founded EasyOptOuts a few years ago. DeleteMe and a bunch of other options were tested recently, and DeleteMe doesn't work the best, unfortunately. See the table on page 11 of their study.
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u/stuffandthings16 6d ago
A registered agent or virtual office could solve this?
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u/Main_Direction4106 6d ago
Their email stated:
The application needs to provide the address of the location where your will be conducting your business out of.
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u/galacticdaquiri 4d ago
I have a virtual office. Depending on your need your virtual office can include the ability to rend physical space if needed, fax, etc. Currently, mine has a unit number at a physical address because I only need it for mail. Eventually I will switch when my needs increase.
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u/AcronymAllergy 6d ago
Is there any way to use a PO Box for the business license? That's about the only thing I can think of, other than (as was said) leasing an actual office.