# AI Receptionist for Therapists & Counselors Source: https://insertchat.com/industries/therapy > Answer new-client inquiries and book consultations while your therapists are in session. An AI receptionist for therapy and counseling practices answers calls and messages while your clinicians are in session, using your specialties, fees, and new-client process. InsertChat’s assistant explains telehealth and in-person options, books consultation calls, shares the crisis instructions you write with anyone at risk, and leaves every clinical question to a clinician. ## Help a couple find a therapist and book a consultation Example workflow: Website chat. Illustrative scenario. Answers depend on your sources; actions depend on your connected tools and permissions. This is not a customer testimonial or measured result. A prospective client starts a chat on your practice website late on a weeknight. > Do any of your therapists work with couples? We’d need evening sessions, and we’d be paying out of pocket. ## Share who sees couples Name the therapists whose profiles list couples work, along with their evening hours and the self-pay rate you publish. ## Book the consultation Offer consultation times from the chosen therapist’s calendar and book the slot that works for both partners. ## Prepare the therapist The contact keeps the evening preference and self-pay choice, so the therapist starts the consultation already knowing the logistics. ## Your team sets the boundaries Anyone describing a crisis or a risk of harm hears the crisis instructions you wrote, and the conversation is flagged for your team at once. Clinical questions wait for a clinician. ## What it handles for therapy and counseling practices Handled by your assistant: - Consultation calls with new clients, booked into open times - Insurance, out-of-network, and self-pay questions, answered from what you publish - Specialties, approaches, and therapist bios you publish - Telehealth and in-person options, office location, and parking - Intake forms and what to expect at a first session Sent straight to your team: - A caller in crisis or at risk of harm, who hears your crisis instructions - Clinical questions about symptoms, diagnosis, or medication - Session changes and messages for a current client’s therapist - Requests for records, letters, or forms signed by a clinician - Complaints and questions about a bill ## What it asks and what it needs to know Details it collects: - Name and the contact method they prefer - Who the sessions are for, such as an individual, a couple, a family, or a teen - Telehealth or in person, and the state they live in - Insurance plan or self-pay - Therapist or specialty they’re looking for - Days and times that work for a consultation - How they heard about the practice What to add to its knowledge: - Each therapist’s specialties, approaches, and the clients they see - Session fees, sliding-scale options, and the insurance you accept - How out-of-network billing and superbills work at your practice - Telehealth details and the states your clinicians are licensed in - Intake forms, consultation steps, and first-session prep - Crisis instructions and the emergency resources you want shared ## What happens if someone in crisis contacts the practice? The assistant shares your crisis instructions and alerts your team right away. You write those instructions, for example 988 in the US and 911 for emergencies, and it gives them as soon as someone describes a crisis or a risk of harm. The conversation is marked urgent and your chosen teammates are notified. The assistant doesn’t counsel anyone, and your clinicians follow up under your own protocols. ## Can it help new clients find the right therapist? It shares the matching details you publish, and your clinicians decide on fit. Add each therapist’s specialties, the ages and formats they work with, their open hours, and where they’re licensed for telehealth. The assistant answers from those profiles and books a consultation with the therapist the client picks. Questions about symptoms, diagnoses, or medication go to a clinician. ## Does InsertChat offer a BAA for therapy practices? Yes, a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is available on Enterprise. Why someone is seeking therapy, their history, and their insurance details can all be protected health information, so choose Enterprise and sign the BAA before the assistant collects them. Without Enterprise, keep protected health information out of the assistant and out of the calendars and tools it connects to. ## How much does an AI receptionist for therapy and counseling practices cost? Therapy practices that handle protected health information with the assistant need Enterprise, which starts at $998 per month and can sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA). On other plans, such as Pro at $98 a month, keep protected health information out of the assistant. Calls are billed from monthly credits by the whole minute, and texts can carry their own charges. Group practices can give each office its own assistant within the plan’s limit. ## What happens when a current client needs to cancel or move a session? The assistant follows the policy you write. It explains your cancellation window and any late-cancellation fee, records the request, and marks it for a person on your team. It can move or cancel sessions it booked itself, and anything scheduled another way is changed by your staff. Clients can make these requests by phone or text. ## Can the assistant cover the phone only while we’re in session? Yes. Your office line rings first, for anywhere from 5 to 60 seconds, and the assistant steps in when no one is free to pick up. Your therapists stay with their clients, and the call that comes in mid-session still gets answered. US and Canadian practices can forward the number clients already have; elsewhere, use a local or toll-free InsertChat number where available. Porting a number isn’t available. ## Can it see our EHR or practice management system? No. InsertChat doesn’t connect to EHR or practice management systems, so client records and notes stay where they are. For consultations, connect the Calendly, Google Calendar, Outlook, or Cal.com account your clinicians already use, or use InsertChat’s built-in calendar. If you schedule in your practice software, the assistant can collect consultation requests for your intake coordinator to enter. ## Can it help clients who prefer another language? Yes. The assistant replies in whichever language the client uses. Add the languages each therapist offers sessions in, and a client writing in Spanish or Vietnamese can learn which clinicians speak it and book a consultation with one of them. ## Related features - [AI receptionist](https://insertchat.com/product/phone) - [Scheduling](https://insertchat.com/product/scheduling) - [Website chat](https://insertchat.com/product/website) ## Broader industry - [Healthcare](https://insertchat.com/industries/healthcare): Answer the phone while your team is with patients.