Free · Professional-only · Canada
A practical professional referral-search checklist
By Marilu Cardó, founder of Referral Circle · Reviewed 7 September 2026
Use this checklist to organise a professional search. It contains service criteria only and is not a client record, referral form or substitute for professional judgment. You can use it with Referral Circle or when asking a colleague about a service.
Download the free checklist (plain text). No registration is needed to download it.
1. Clarify the service
- Therapy, assessment or a practical resource?
- Which population and clinical focus must the professional serve?
- For an assessment, what service type and report requirement need confirmation?
2. Separate requirements from preferences
- Jurisdiction and location; virtual or in-person delivery.
- Language needed for the service.
- Fee range and any practical access requirements.
- Essential conditions versus preferences that can appropriately be adjusted.
For example, if language is essential and appointment time is flexible, keep that distinction explicit. A result that misses an essential requirement does not become an exact fit because it meets several preferences.
3. Review the search interpretation
Check the criteria the system understood, then review the recorded match and any differences. Refine a filter when the interpretation is inaccurate. Do not relax a requirement just to make results appear. Resource searches need their own review of location, eligibility and provider details.
4. Confirm the option independently
- Credentials, relevant scope and experience.
- Current availability for the actual service required.
- Fees, format and anticipated timeline.
- Any report or eligibility requirement that matters to the referral.
5. Handle the next steps in your own professional workflow
Referral Circle is for gathering professional information. Do not enter names, contact details, records or identifying client histories. The platform does not contact clients, arrange appointments or request their confirmation. Any optional outcome response should use only the platform's fixed choices and what you already know.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada describes limiting collection to information needed for an identified purpose. This checklist applies that minimisation approach by focusing on service criteria. It does not determine which privacy law applies to your practice.
Reference: Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada: limiting collection.