For clients to book with you on their own, without back-and-forth about open slots, you need four things: session types with a duration and price, a working schedule with breaks, a cancellation rule, and a booking link to share. The client opens the link, picks a session type, a date and an available time — and the booking lands straight in your calendar. Below is how to set up each step and which mistakes to avoid.

Why scheduling by message costs more than it seems

"When works for you?" — "I can do Thursday after six." — "Thursday's taken, how about Friday at 17:00?" — "No, then Tuesday." A familiar exchange. One such thread takes a few minutes, but there are dozens a week, and they land at any moment: between sessions, in the evening, on weekends.

There's a less obvious cost too. For someone who has finally worked up the courage to reach out to a therapist, every extra step is a reason to put it off. Being able to see an open time and book right away, with no explaining, often decides whether the first meeting happens at all.

  1. Session types

    The name, duration and price of each format you work in.

  2. Working schedule

    The days and hours when clients can book, your time zone, and the break between sessions.

  3. Time off and blocked hours

    The dates you're away, so no one books them.

  4. Cancellation rule

    How many hours before the start a client can still cancel or reschedule on their own.

  5. The link

    A general one for new people, a personal one for those you already work with.

Step 1. Session types: duration and price

The session type determines how long the booking will take, so that's where online booking begins. For each format, set a name, a duration in minutes and a price. Common examples: "First consultation," “Individual session”, "Couples session."

Write the name the way a client would understand it, not a colleague. "Individual consultation, 50 min" is clearer than "CBT session." If you have formats you don't want to offer to everyone (for instance, special arrangements with particular clients), think about whether to show them on the booking page at all.

Duration affects not only the meeting itself but also how many bookings fit into a day. A 90-minute session takes up more of your schedule than two short consultations, so there will be fewer open slots for longer formats. It's worth stating the price upfront too: someone who sees it before booking doesn't feel awkward asking about money, and you don't spend the first meeting sorting this out.

Step 2. Working schedule: when clients can book

The schedule for online booking isn't your entire working day — only the hours you're willing to open up for clients to book on their own. The rest of the time stays yours: for notes, supervision, training or personal matters.

  • Hours by day. You can have several intervals in one day, for example 10:00–13:00 and 15:00–19:00. A day with no intervals is a day off.
  • Break between sessions. Time to catch your breath and make notes. Without it, clients will book back-to-back.
  • Time zone. Especially important if you and your clients live in different countries.
  • Time off and blocked hours. Add them in advance — otherwise you'll have to reschedule bookings that are already made.

Step 3. The cancellation and rescheduling rule

Online booking gives the client the freedom not only to book but also to change a booking themselves. So that this freedom doesn't turn into cancellations an hour before the session, set a deadline: for example, no later than 24 hours before the start. After that deadline the client can no longer change the booking on their own and has to get in touch with you.

It's handy to have two kinds of links.

  • The general link is for people who aren't yet your clients. You put it on your website, in your social media, send it in reply to a first message. A new person needs to enter their name and phone number so you know who booked.
  • The personal link is for clients you already work with. It already "knows" the person, so there's no need to fill in contacts each time: just the session type, date and time.
  • On your website or public page — as a "Book" button next to a description of your approach.
  • In your social media bio.
  • In your reply to a first message from a new person — together with a short explanation.
  • In your email signature, if you correspond with clients by email.
  • At the end of the first consultation — the personal link, so the client books on their own from then on.
Thank you for reaching out. You can pick an available time to book here: [link]. It shows the session types, their duration and price. If none of the times work for you — let me know and we'll try to find an option.
— A sample reply to a new client

What the client sees when booking

It helps to go through the booking yourself at least once, as if you were the client — that way you'll see whether everything is clear. A typical path looks like this:

  1. They pick a session type — and see only the dates where that session fits.
  2. They pick a date and an open time in their own time zone.
  3. A new client enters their name and phone number.
  4. They click "Book" and see a confirmation: date, time, session type, and the option to add the meeting to their own calendar.
  5. They save the link to their booking — from there they can cancel or reschedule it within your rule.

Is online booking right for every client?

It's not equally convenient for everyone. Younger clients usually book through a link without a second thought, while older people or those who rarely use the internet may find it easier to arrange by voice. Online booking shouldn't be the only option: leave room to write or call, and in that case make the booking yourself.

A short explanation helps too. Tell the client that the link only shows open times, that there's nothing to install, and that if anything goes wrong they can simply message you. For many people, that's exactly what takes the anxiety out of "yet another app."

Give the first meeting some separate thought. Some therapists prefer to have a brief chat with the person first and only then share the link. Others, on the contrary, open booking for a first consultation to everyone. Both approaches work — what matters is that the format you show on the booking page matches how you actually work with new people.

Common setup mistakes

  • Opening the whole week from morning to night. Clients will fill the very hours you meant to keep for yourself.
  • Forgetting breaks. Four sessions in a row with no pause isn't productivity — it's burnout and hastily written notes.
  • Not entering your time off. Someone is bound to book that exact week.
  • Unclear session-type names. Someone seeing a therapist for the first time doesn't know how a "session" differs from a "consultation."
  • Not explaining the cancellation rule. If a client only learns about the deadline once they can no longer cancel, it damages the relationship.
  • Not testing the link yourself. Open it in another browser or on your phone and go through the whole path.

How it works in Praxis

In your Praxis account, booking is set up through two menu items. Under "Session types" you add a name, a duration in minutes and a price in hryvnias, dollars or euros; a "Show to clients" checkbox on each type controls what clients see on the booking page. Under "Working schedule" you set working hours by day (several intervals per day), the time zone, the break between sessions and the “Cancelling by the client” deadline. Time off and specific hours of a single day are blocked off there as well.

As soon as the schedule and session types are filled in, a booking link appears with "Copy" and "Open" buttons. A new client using the general link enters their name and phone number and appears right away in your client list. The personal link is copied from the "Clients" list, and a "Book" button also appears on your portfolio. A booking becomes a session in your "Therapy workbook" immediately, and you get a notification for each new booking, reschedule or cancellation.

Frequently asked questions

Can a client book a time when the therapist is away?

No, provided the time off is entered in the schedule: the client simply doesn't see blocked days and hours among the available ones. That's why it's worth entering time off as soon as you know about it.

Can I book a client outside the working schedule?

Yes. The working schedule is the rule for clients booking on their own. If you've arranged a different time with someone, you book them manually into any open time.

What happens if two clients pick the same time at once?

The booking goes to whoever confirms first. The second person sees that the time was just taken and can choose another — there will never be two bookings for the same hour.

Does a client have to register to book?

No. With the general link, a new person only needs to enter their name and phone number; email is optional. A client who already has a personal account can also book from there, using the "Book" button in “My bookings”.