Create a user directory for BuddyPress/bbPress & registration/login forms

Hi, I’m a total newbie and I know just enough about WordPress and coding to be dangerous. I’m trying to create a membership site for fellow therapists using BuddyPress & bbPress. I want a user/member directory where users can search for a therapist using particular criteria. For example, user/members have a profile page with their bio and other information, and their selections on searchable categories. For example, in a parent category “insurance,” a member might select “BC/BS” and “Aetna,” and in parent category “location,” that member might select “south Austin.” So other members can search for all member therapists who take BC/BS and office in south Austin.

My questions:

1. Do I use categories to create the searchable fields?
2. Where do member/users go to select their fields on those categories? Is that in a registration form or on their profile page? I see that I can create a form using Ninja for people to claim a listing, but that isn’t really what I want to do. Do I just customize that form to make it work?
3. How do I create registration and login forms? I saw on someone else’s support question that WPUser and BuddyPress don’t play well together, so I’m not sure what to use instead.

I don’t see any documentation on these specifics. Am I missing it or is it not there?
4. I’ve seen on other
4. How are the profile pages created?