Booking for counsellors that protects the time you both set aside
Booking for counsellors: weekly sessions, a card saved at the first session and charged only under the policy you agreed. Session notes stay with you.
No monthly fee for up to three people. 3% when you get paid. No commission on your clients, ever.
A diary with your services in it
| Service | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly session (recurring) | 50 min | £60 |
| Initial session | 60 min | £60 |
| Review session | 50 min | £60 |
Agree it once, at the start
Contracting is where the arrangement is set: the day and time, the fee, and what happens when a session can’t go ahead. After that, it is easier for everyone if the practical side runs by itself.
At the first session, the client reads your policy and saves a card with a link you text them. Their weekly session then goes in the diary, repeating each week at the same time, and the card is charged only under the policy they agreed to.
That means you don’t need to bring up money in a session that is meant for something else. The time you both set aside stays protected, and the conversation about it has already happened.
And the rest, in the order that matters to you
-
Your own booking page
A page with your name and your services that clients book on at any hour. No marketplace, and no commission on your clients.
-
Reminders by text
A reminder goes out before each appointment, so fewer people forget. Texts cost 5p a part on pay as you go and 4p on Pro.
-
Pay links by text
Send a link that takes a deposit, or saves a card, in one tap. Texts cost 5p a part on pay as you go and 4p on Pro.
-
A diary that matches how you work
Services with their own durations and prices, time off, and a day view that stays readable on a phone.
-
A deposit that confirms the booking
The appointment confirms the moment the deposit is paid. You choose the amount, per service if you like.
What it costs at your size
Say your average booking is £60 and you take £2,400 a month by card, about 40 payments.
Pay as you go
£72.00
No monthly fee. 3% of each card payment.
Pro
£79.00
£29 a month, then 1.75% + 20p on each card payment.
Pro costs less from about £3,200 a month in card payments at this average. Below that, pay as you go costs less.
No VAT is charged.
Your cancellation policy
There is no single rule for how much notice counsellors ask. Many private practitioners ask for 24 or 48 hours, and treat a session cancelled inside that as one that took place, charged at the full fee or at half. Many set it out in the contract at the first session, with a line on exceptions such as illness or an emergency. A card saved after that conversation is charged only under what was agreed there, never otherwise.
Hopaby handles your bookings, deposits and payments. It doesn't keep clinical notes, so your session notes stay where you keep them now.
- Read our guide, Can counsellors charge for missed sessions?, for what practitioners' terms typically say and a paragraph you can adapt.
Questions and answers
Can counsellors charge for missed sessions?
Yes, if it is in the contract the client agreed to. It is your policy, agreed with the client at the first session. Check what your own professional body asks of you.
Is 24 or 48 hours' notice better?
Both are common. Twenty-four hours is easier for clients with shifts or children; 48 gives you time to offer the slot to someone else. Choose the one you can say comfortably, and say it the same way to every client.
How should a reminder read?
The reminder text's wording is fixed: "<Business>: see you tomorrow at 9:00. Confirm or change: <link>". You cannot add to it, so choose a discreet business name, because a message on a phone screen can be seen by anyone beside the client.
When is the card charged?
Only under the policy the client agreed to when they booked, and only for a missed session or one cancelled inside your notice period. If you decide to waive it, you don't charge it. Nothing is taken without that agreement.
Does Hopaby keep my session notes?
No. Your session notes stay wherever you keep them now. Hopaby is only the diary, the reminder and the payment.
Get Hopaby
No monthly fee for up to three people. 3% when you get paid. No commission on your clients, ever.