What the agent handles
- Books intake consultations
- Matches clients by focus area
- Explains fees and insurance receipts
- Reschedules ongoing sessions
- Shares the 9-8-8 crisis line
Health and wellness
AI receptionist for counselling and therapy
Answers first calls from people reaching out for help with warmth and discretion, matches them with a suitable therapist, and handles scheduling and fee questions.
CallerI've never done this before. I'm not even sure what kind of therapist I need.
CallerDo you offer sliding scale fees? I'm between jobs right now.
CallerI need to move my Thursday session with Dana, same time next week if possible.
Where calls go
Intake coordinatorTherapistsBillingClinical director
Warm transfer: If a caller says they're thinking about harming themselves, the agent shares the 9-8-8 crisis line and warm-transfers to the clinician on call without putting them on hold.
What it books
Intake consultations and therapy sessions
Why counselling practices miss calls, and what an AI receptionist changes
Reaching out to a therapist is hard, and many people put off the call for weeks. When they finally make it, often in the evening or from a parked car at lunch, they usually reach voicemail, because therapists are in fifty-minute sessions back to back and many group practices have no full-time intake person. Some leave a message. Many hang up, and the moment passes.
A RealVoice AI receptionist answers that first call with a warm, unhurried voice. It explains how your practice works, asks a few gentle questions about what the person is looking for, matches them with a therapist by focus area, such as anxiety, couples work, grief, trauma or child and youth, and books an intake consultation. It explains your fees, any sliding scale spots, and what goes on the receipt for an extended health claim depending on whether the therapist is a psychologist, social worker or registered psychotherapist. Existing clients can move a session without waiting on an email reply.
It is not a crisis service and never acts like one. If a caller says they are thinking about harming themselves, it shares 9-8-8, the suicide crisis helpline, and warm-transfers to the clinician on call without putting them on hold. It doesn't give therapeutic advice, doesn't ask for more than the booking needs, and won't confirm to anyone calling whether a person is a client.
Example call, start to finish
- CallerHi. I've never done this before. I'm not even sure what kind of therapist I need.
- AI receptionistThat's completely okay, and calling is the hard part. In a sentence or two, could you tell me what's been going on? Only share what you're comfortable with.
- CallerMy dad died in the spring and I can't seem to get back to normal. Work's slipping.
- AI receptionistI'm so sorry about your dad. Two of our therapists, Ruth and Samir, focus on grief. Ruth has an intake Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Kingston, and Samir has one Friday at noon by video. Would either suit you?
- CallerWednesday evening. How much is it, though? I'm between jobs right now.
- AI receptionistWe keep some sliding scale spots for people between jobs, and Ruth has one open. I'll note it on your intake so the two of you can settle the fee at the start of the session.
- CallerOkay. Thank you. That's a relief.
- AI receptionistYou're booked with Ruth on Wednesday at 6. I'll text you the address and the intake form now. If things feel much harder before then, you can call or text 9-8-8 at any hour.
After the call: Ruth gets a text and email with the caller's first name, the reason in their own words and the sliding scale request, so the intake starts where the call left off. The booking is in the RealVoice schedule, and the summary and recording are kept in the portal.
How it fits your day
- Evenings and lunch hours
- Most first calls come when people have a private moment, after work or at noon. The agent answers then, instead of a therapist calling back at 9 the next morning.
- Between sessions
- Therapists don't have to check voicemail in the ten minutes between clients. Reschedules and new enquiries are handled and summarized for them.
- September and January
- When routines restart and after the holidays, more people reach out. Intake calls are answered and booked, and callers hear honestly when the next opening is.
- Crisis calls
- Someone in distress is never left on hold or sent to voicemail. They hear about 9-8-8 and are put through to the clinician on call.
Your software
Today it books intake consultations and therapy sessions into the RealVoice schedule in the portal, keeps every message and call summary there, and texts clients their appointment details. If your practice runs Jane, Owl Practice, SimplePractice or Practice Better, the team can set up a connection to it; custom integrations are quoted separately.
What a missed call costs
A new counselling client often stays for months of weekly or biweekly sessions. A missed first call, though, is rarely returned: the person who finally worked up the nerve to phone may not try again for a long time, or books with the practice that answered. If three first calls a week end in voicemail and only half of those people leave a message, that's nearly eighty people a year who never reach your intake. At $150 or more a session, that gap shows up quickly once you put your practice's numbers into the homepage missed-call calculator.
Questions counselling practices ask
Can an AI answer calls for a therapy practice without sounding cold?
Yes. You choose a warm voice and the wording of the greeting, and it's set up to go slowly, acknowledge what the caller says and keep its questions to what the booking needs.
What does it do if someone is in crisis?
It shares 9-8-8 and warm-transfers to the clinician you have on call, with no hold music or menu. If nobody picks up, it stays with the caller, repeats the crisis line, tells them to call 911 if they're in immediate danger, and follows the instructions you set.
How does it match clients with a therapist?
From the focus areas, ages, approaches and languages you list for each therapist. It offers the ones that fit and books with whoever the caller chooses, or with the clinician you route new intakes to.
Can it explain insurance receipts?
It tells callers each therapist's designation and what your receipts include, so they can check with their own plan whether sessions are covered. It doesn't confirm anyone's coverage.
Does it keep things discreet?
Yes. It won't confirm whether someone is a client to a caller asking about them, and it only discusses a booking with the person it belongs to, following your instructions.
Can people call in other languages?
Yes. Many people find it easier to talk about something hard in their first language. It handles English, French and many other languages, asks before it switches, and can route to a therapist who speaks that language.
Hear it as your own counselling practice's front desk
Request a free demo call and the agent will phone you, set up as a business like yours.