The short answer
An AI receptionist for mental health therapists built on HighLevel Voice AI costs about $0.24 per answered call, or $36 a month for 150 calls averaging 3 minutes, phone line included. Roughly 60 of those calls (40%) would come outside office hours, which is where an AI answering service earns its keep. Emergencies, complaints and anything needing judgment should go to a person.
What the AI should handle
Answer availability and fit questions
Explain which clinicians are accepting new clients, their specialties and session formats from the knowledge base, without asking the caller why they want therapy.
Book initial consultations
Collect name, phone, email, insurance or self-pay, and preferred format, then book a short consultation with a suitable clinician or add the caller to the waitlist.
Handle crisis language
If a caller says anything suggesting risk of harm, stop the booking flow, give the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and 911, and transfer to the on-call clinician if the practice has one.
Reschedule sessions
Move a session to another open slot with the same clinician and restate the cancellation policy, without discussing anything clinical.
What to send to a person
- Any caller in crisis or at risk of harm
- Clinical questions and decisions about fit
- Minor clients and consent from parents or guardians
- Insurance authorizations and billing disputes
HighLevel's voice agents can transfer a live call, create a task, or trigger a workflow that texts the owner. Set the handoff rules before the agent goes live.
Cost per call and per month
Assumptions for a typical therapy practice: 150 calls a month answered by the AI, averaging 3 minutes. Phone minutes are billed per call and rounded up, so each call bills 3 phone minutes at $0.01165.
| Setup | AI cost | Phone line | Per month | Per call |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay per use, Standard voice, GPT-4.1 Mini | $30.60 | $5.24 | $36 | $0.24 |
| Pay per use, ElevenLabs voice, GPT-4.1 Mini | $39.60 | $5.24 | $45 | $0.30 |
| Pay per use, speech-to-speech (OpenAI) | $90.00 | $5.24 | $95 | $0.63 |
| AI Employee Unlimited, $97 flat | $97.00 | $5.24 | $102 | $0.68 |
The breakdown of every Voice AI charge is in our Voice AI pricing guide. Agencies can price this as a monthly service with the calculator's Price a client tab, preloaded for a therapy practice.
Compared with staff time
Those 150 calls take about 8 hours of talk time a month. At the US median receptionist wage of $18.27 an hour (May 2025, Bureau of Labor Statistics), that talk time alone is worth about $137, before hold time, breaks, benefits and the calls that come in after hours. An AI receptionist does not replace a good front desk; it catches the overflow and the evenings, and frees staff for the people in front of them.
Sample call
AI AGENTThank you for calling Stillwater Counseling. I'm the practice's AI assistant for scheduling and general questions. If you are in crisis, you can call or text 988 at any time. How can I help?
CALLERI'm looking for a therapist who does telehealth in the evenings. Do you take United?
AI AGENTTwo of our therapists offer evening telehealth, and both are in network with UnitedHealthcare. Would you like to book a free 15 minute phone consultation to see if one is a good fit?
CALLERYes, please.
AI AGENTDana has Thursday at 6:00 p.m. and Marcus has Friday at 5:30 p.m. Which works for you?
CALLERThursday with Dana.
AI AGENTYou're booked. Can I get your full name and the best number for Dana to call?
CALLERSam Rivera, and this number is fine.
AI AGENTThank you, Sam. You'll get a text confirmation now and a reminder the day before.
Prompt tips
- Tip 1Write the crisis path before anything else, with a clinician: the words that trigger it, the exact 988 and 911 wording, and the transfer number.
- Tip 2Tell the agent never to ask why the caller is seeking therapy; it only needs contact details, insurance, format and availability.
- Tip 3Keep confirmation and reminder templates free of clinical detail, and tell the agent not to leave voicemails that mention therapy or counseling.
Rules to watch
Keep clinical records out of HighLevel. HHS notes that records from federally assisted substance use disorder programs carry protections under 42 CFR Part 2 on top of HIPAA. Keep session notes in the EHR and use HighLevel only for scheduling and outreach, with the $297 a month HIPAA package and its business associate agreement in place.
Crisis calls. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day by call, text or chat. Build the AI's crisis path first: recognize risk language, give 988 and 911, and transfer to an on-call clinician where one exists. Have a licensed clinician review the script.
Good faith estimates. Under the No Surprises Act, uninsured and self-pay clients usually must receive a good faith estimate when a service is scheduled at least three business days ahead or when they ask. Self-pay therapy clients fall into this group, so build the estimate into booking.
General information, not legal advice.
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Questions
Is it appropriate to use an AI receptionist for a therapy practice?
What does an AI receptionist cost a small therapy practice?
How should the AI handle a caller in crisis?
Should the AI receptionist leave voicemails for clients?
Sources
- HIPAA and mental and behavioral health information (HHS)
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
- No Surprises Act: understanding costs in advance (CMS)
- HHS FAQ: may health care providers leave messages for patients
- HIPAA compliance with HighLevel (help center)
- HighLevel pricing page
- HighLevel AI product pricing (help center)
- HighLevel AI product pricing (help center)
- AI Voice Agents overview
- HighLevel Phone System pricing and billing guide
- BLS Occupational Outlook: Receptionists (May 2025 pay)