Online booking for counsellors and therapists
Clients often find you at eleven at night, on a phone, having thought about it for weeks. Whether they can book without speaking to anyone decides whether they become a client.
A 50-minute session event type, paid online, twenty-four hours’ notice, a ten-minute buffer for notes, and a cancellation policy of full refund outside forty-eight hours.
Three things that cost you clients#
- Having to make contact first. An email asking about availability is a step many people will not take. A calendar they can book from is not.
- The late cancellation. Nobody books therapy at two hours’ notice, so a cancelled Tuesday at 15:00 is simply gone.
- Enforcing your own policy. Charging a client who cancelled because they were unwell is a conversation no therapist wants, which is exactly why it should be automatic and stated in advance.
The setup to start from#
The same client at the same hour every week, a free or reduced first consultation, and a late cancellation that cannot be filled because nobody books therapy at two hours’ notice.
| Duration | 50 minutes, the standard therapeutic hour |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 24 hours |
| Buffer | 10 minutes after, to write notes |
| Max bookings per day | Four or five a day is the honest maximum |
| Location | In person or video |
| Payment | Paid online — it settles the cancellation question before it arises |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 48 hours before, none inside 24 |
Worth asking on the booking form: Have you had therapy before? · What would you like to work on? · In person or online?
English-speaking therapy is one of the hardest things to find in Japan, and clients often search in English and book from a phone at night. Fill in both languages so the page reads naturally either way.
The therapeutic hour, with the notes in it#
Fifty minutes as the session, with a ten-minute Buffer after for writing up. The buffer is invisible to the client and cannot be booked into, so back-to-back clients stop eating the notes time.
A policy that applies itself#
Full refund outside forty-eight hours, none inside twenty-four. It is shown on the booking page before they book, and the exact refund is shown before they confirm a cancellation. You never have to send the message. Cancellation policies
In person, online, or both#
A second event type with the location set to Google Meet gives online clients a link created with the calendar entry. Many practices run both and let the client choose, which is worth more than it sounds to somebody who cannot easily travel.
Say that you work in English#
English-speaking therapy is one of the genuinely hard things to find in Japan. Put the languages you work in at the front of the description, and fill in both languages so the page reads naturally either way.
Getting started#
- Sign in at app.marubox.jp with Google or Microsoft. There is no card and no trial clock.
- Create an event type with the settings above. Event types explained
- Connect your calendar so your practice never gets double booked. Google · Outlook
- Set your real hours, and close Japanese public holidays in one tick. Availability
- Put the link in your bio, or the widget on your site. Adding it to your website
Common questions
Can clients book without emailing me first?
Yes, and that is most of the value. They pick a time from your real availability, fill in a short form and are confirmed, without having to introduce themselves to a stranger first.
How do I handle late cancellations fairly?
Set a cancellation policy on the event type — a full refund outside 48 hours and none inside 24 is common. The client agrees to it before booking and sees the exact refund before cancelling, so it applies without you raising it.
Is the booking information private?
Answers to your booking form questions and the client’s details are visible only to you in your account. What you write in an event description is public; what a client writes on the form is not.
Can I offer both in-person and online sessions?
Yes — two event types, one in person and one with a Google Meet or Teams location. The video link is created with the calendar entry and sent to the client automatically.
Set this up in about ten minutes
Business Box is free for as long as you like, with no card required — booking pages, Google and Outlook calendar sync, availability, Japanese public holidays and the website widget. Taking card payment for bookings is ¥1,200 a month, tax included, with no commission on what you sell.
Last reviewed 28 September 2026.