4 Ways Counselors Connect with Clients on Kounsel

At Kounsel, we believe that it is vital for community members to have a smooth experience when connecting with our counselor network. As a result, we offer a range of methods for starting a counseling session with preferred counselors.

Using any of these methods is straightforward. Ensure that there's a prior agreement with your chosen counselor on using your preferred method. That way, they can be on standby to respond. You can guarantee a session by booking an appointment with your counselor before calling.

Here are the ways counseling happens on Kounsel and how they work:

Video Calling

With video calling, counseling sessions happen in real-time so that the best advice is provided faster. Video counseling allows clients to call a counselor directly from the Kounsel mobile app and connect instantly.

After a client books an appointment with their preferred counselor, they can start a video call with them by going to the counselor's profile on the Kounsel marketplace and initiating a call. When this happens, counselors will get a notification for an incoming video call on their phone, and they have the option to accept or decline the call.

For counselors, incoming video calls display the client's location so they can be aware of compliance laws specific to the client's location. Counselors can configure their app to display location from Settings->Counseling settings.

The counselor determines the cost of each video session, and it is displayed on their profile. That way, clients can choose a counselor with a suitable price point.

The video calling feature requires clients and counselors both on the Kounsel Mobile app. Currently, all Android and iOS versions support this feature.

Phone Calling from the App

This feature works like the video calling feature, except that it happens in audio format and requires both counselor and client to have a verified standard phone number with Kounsel.

Although it is an audio conversation that uses a standard phone line, neither the clients' nor counselors' numbers are displayed to each other. Instead, clients and counselors both see a Kounsel phone number. This is to protect privacy on both sides.

The phone call feature works seamlessly, even when you are traveling internationally. It uses local dial-in, so there are no international outgoing call charges. It is an excellent option for US tourists traveling abroad as calls can be rerouted to a local number to avoid roaming charges.

However, as this feature uses the traditional phone lines, clients are liable for additional telephone charges, depending on their regular phone plan.

Direct Dialing

In direct dialing, every counselor receives a personal phone extension that works like a business system.

To begin, clients will call the Kounsel counseling hotline directly at 1-903-568-6735 and will then be passed to the counselor extension for their session. We require clients to confirm their location to ensure that counselors comply with state license jurisdiction.

Counselors can configure this feature based on availability from  Settings->Counselor ->Counseling settings. Privacy protection is sure as clients call the Kounsel hotline and counselors receive calls from Kounsel on their number.

This feature does not require the Kounsel app, but clients and counselors must have their numbers linked and verified on Kounsel. Clients pay for sessions based on the rates displayed on their preferred counselor's profile.

Group Counseling (Meeting)

This feature is different from others in that it allows a counselor to invite a client to a counseling session. Counselors state their preferred payment method while creating the invite. The session can be paid or unpaid.

Once a client receives an invitation to join the meeting, they can do so by clicking on the provided URL and inputting the passcode provided by the counselor. They can also join from the Kounsel iOS app.

This feature supports group counseling as it can take up to 200 participants simultaneously. With it, you can add your friends, family, or partner to a therapy session. To support this feature, Kounsel uses multiple edge connections across the globe for smooth communication.

Group counseling (Meeting) only works from the Kounsel iOS app or the Kounsel website.