A psychologist answering service answers your practice phone when you can't: while you're in session, between clients, after hours and on the days you don't work. For a private psychology practice in Australia, a good one does three things well. It answers warmly in your practice name, it takes only the details you need to call back or book, and it never gives clinical advice. If a caller sounds at risk, it points them straight to 000 or a 24/7 crisis line and lets you know. Everything else, including what the service is allowed to say, should be set by you in writing before it answers a single call.
This guide is written for solo psychologists and small group practices. It covers what an answering service should and shouldn't do, the privacy and conduct rules that shape the script, how to handle crisis calls safely, and how a human answering service compares with an AI receptionist. If you run a multi-discipline clinic, our allied health answering service guide covers shared reception across professions, and the physio answering service guide covers physio-only clinics. This post stays on what's different about psychology.
Why psychology practices need a different kind of answering service
Most answering services are built for trades, retail or busy medical clinics, where the goal is speed: take the job, book the slot, move on. Calls to a psychology practice are different in three ways.
- The first call is often hard to make. Someone may have been working up to it for a while. A warm, unhurried answer matters more than a fast one, and a voicemail beep can end the attempt.
- The details are sensitive. Even the fact that someone has contacted a psychologist is personal. What the service asks, writes down and sends you needs to be kept to the minimum.
- Some calls aren't about booking at all. A small number of callers may be distressed or in crisis, including outside business hours. The service needs a clear, non-clinical script for those calls, and it needs it from day one.
You also can't answer the phone yourself for most of the day. Sessions run back to back, and stepping out to take a call isn't an option. That's the gap an answering service fills.
The rules that shape your script
This section is general information, not legal or professional advice. Check your own obligations with your professional association, insurer or a privacy adviser.
Your privacy obligations apply, whatever your size
Many small businesses with an annual turnover of $3 million or less aren't covered by the Privacy Act. Health service providers are an exception. The OAIC's small business guidance says the Act covers any health service provider regardless of turnover, and defines health services to include services in relation to psychological and mental health. So a solo private practice is generally covered.
Health information is also sensitive information. The OAIC lists health information as sensitive information, which generally gets a higher level of privacy protection than other personal information. The OAIC's Guide to health privacy says you should only collect health information when it's reasonably necessary for your activities, generally with consent and directly from the person.
For an answering service, that translates into a few practical rules:
- Collect the minimum. Name, best number, whether they're a new or existing client, and a short reason for the call such as "new appointment" or "reschedule". Not a description of their symptoms or history.
- Be careful with messages back to callers. Before anyone leaves a voicemail or sends an SMS, agree what can be said. "This is a message from [practice name] about your appointment" is very different from naming the type of service.
- Know where the data goes. Ask where call recordings, transcripts and messages are stored, who can access them and for how long. If any of that happens overseas, read our call centre outsourcing guide, which explains APP 8 and offshore providers.
The Psychology Board's code of conduct
Since 1 December 2025, psychologists must practise in line with the Psychology Board of Australia's code of conduct, which replaced the APS Code of Ethics as the Board's regulatory code. Its privacy and confidentiality section expects psychologists to only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary to provide the service, and to make sure all staff and colleagues respect clients' privacy and confidentiality.
An answering service effectively becomes part of your front desk, so treat it the same way. Brief it on your confidentiality expectations, give it a written script, and make sure your privacy policy tells clients that a reception service may answer their calls.
What a psychologist answering service should handle
Keep the job administrative. These are the calls a well-briefed service can handle on your behalf.
New client enquiries. Take the caller's name, number and preferred contact method, whether they have a referral, whether they're after in-person or telehealth sessions, and their general availability. Then tell them when they can expect a call back. If your books are closed, say so kindly and, if you keep a waitlist, offer to add them to it.
Referrals and Medicare questions, at an admin level only. Many new clients will mention a mental health treatment plan from their GP. Healthdirect explains that a plan can help with the cost of up to 10 individual sessions a year through Medicare, and that health professionals set their own fees, so Medicare usually covers only part of the cost. A service can note whether the caller has a plan or referral and read out your fees and rebate information exactly as you've written it. It shouldn't interpret eligibility, estimate someone's out-of-pocket cost beyond what you've approved, or advise on whether they need a plan.
Cancellations and rescheduling. Apply your notice policy using your exact wording, offer the next suitable time if bookings are allowed, and flag late cancellations so you can decide what to do.
Existing clients. Take a message for you, without asking why they're calling beyond what's needed to route it.
Other professionals. GPs, psychiatrists, schools, lawyers and case managers call too. Take their details and the request, and leave any decision about sharing client information to you.
What it must never do
Write these into the script as hard limits:
- No clinical advice, reassurance about symptoms or opinions about treatment.
- No confirming or denying that a particular person is a client, especially to a partner, parent or employer who calls asking.
- No collecting a clinical history over the phone.
- No promising a specific psychologist, session time or rebate amount you haven't approved.
- No handling a crisis call as a booking.
After-hours and crisis calls: route, don't counsel
This is the part of the script that matters most, and it should be simple. The answering service is not a crisis service, and it shouldn't try to act like one. Its job is to make sure a distressed caller is pointed to the right help quickly, then let you know.
Here's an example of a configurable message a practice might approve for any caller who says they're in danger or at risk:
> "If you or someone else is in immediate danger, please hang up and call triple zero, 000. If you need to talk to someone now, Lifeline is available 24 hours a day on 13 11 14. I'll also let [practice name] know you called."
Only use numbers you've checked on official sites. As at 28 October 2026, these were current:
- 000 for emergencies, as stated on Healthdirect's mental health helplines page.
- Lifeline: 13 11 14, 24/7, or text 0477 13 11 14, according to Lifeline.
- Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467, 24/7 phone and online counselling, according to the Suicide Call Back Service.
- Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636, 24/7, according to Beyond Blue.
- 13YARN: 13 92 76, 24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, according to 13YARN.
Decide in advance how you want to be told. That might be an immediate SMS to your mobile during set hours and a flagged email overnight. Your clinical response to that call is a professional decision for you, not the answering service.
It also helps to mention these numbers in your after-hours greeting, so callers hear them even if nobody picks up. Our voicemail greeting examples show how to keep a greeting short and clear.
Human answering service or AI receptionist?
Both can work for a psychology practice. The right choice depends on your call volume, budget and how much you want handled.
| Human answering service | AI receptionist | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | A shared team of receptionists | Software, using your practice name and script |
| Hours | Depends on the plan, often with after-hours charges | Answers whenever you route calls to it |
| Busy periods | Depends on how many staff are on | Can answer more than one call at once |
| Consistency | Varies between receptionists | Follows the same approved script on every call |
| Crisis calls | Follows your written script | Plays your set crisis message and flags the call |
| Complex conversations | Better at nuance and unusual requests | Best for routine enquiries, bookings and messages |
Some practices use both: a person during business hours and an AI receptionist for overflow, lunch breaks and after hours. If you're still weighing up a part-time receptionist, our AI receptionist for clinics page covers how practices combine the two.
Questions to ask any provider
Before you sign with a human service or an AI provider, ask:
- Who will answer my calls, and what training do they have for sensitive calls?
- Can I write and approve the full script, including the crisis message?
- Where are calls, recordings and messages stored, and for how long?
- Is any part of the service handled overseas or by subcontractors?
- How will I be notified about urgent calls, and how fast?
- Can I limit what's collected to name, number and reason for calling?
- What happens if a caller asks whether someone is a client?
- How do I change the script when my availability or fees change?
- What does it cost each month, and are there per-call or after-hours charges?
How Miyai answers your practice phone
Miyai is an AI receptionist built for Australian small businesses, including health practices. When a call comes through, it:
- Answers in your practice name with the greeting you choose
- Answers common questions, such as fees, location and telehealth, from the information you approve
- Takes the caller's name, number and reason for calling, and reads the details back
- Books appointments into your calendar if you allow it
- Sends you a summary straight away so you can call back
- Plays the crisis message you've set, pointing callers to 000 and Lifeline, and flags the call for you
Miyai doesn't give clinical advice and isn't a crisis service. You stay in control of what it says. As with any provider, check that it fits your privacy obligations before you go live.
The Growth voice plan is $199 AUD/month and website chat is $19 AUD/month, both paid through Stripe before access. See pricing for what's included, or read about AI receptionist Australia and virtual receptionist Australia. For practice phone cover in your city, see our pages for Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, or the allied health answering service page.
FAQ
What does a psychologist answering service do?
It answers your practice calls when you can't, takes the caller's name, number and reason for calling, handles routine bookings and changes if you allow it, and sends you a message. It doesn't give clinical advice.
Is it OK for an answering service to take calls for a psychology practice?
Yes, as long as it handles information in line with your obligations. Health service providers are generally covered by the Privacy Act regardless of turnover, and health information is sensitive information. Keep collection to the minimum and tell clients in your privacy policy that a reception service may answer calls.
What should an answering service say to a caller in crisis?
It should follow a short script you've approved: if anyone is in immediate danger, call 000, and for support now, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. It should then let you know about the call. It shouldn't try to counsel or assess the caller.
Can an answering service answer Medicare or referral questions?
Only at an admin level. It can note whether the caller has a mental health treatment plan or referral and read your published fee and rebate information. Eligibility and clinical questions should go to you.
Can an AI receptionist answer calls for psychologists?
Yes, for routine calls such as new enquiries, bookings, cancellations and messages, and for after-hours cover. It should play a set crisis message for at-risk callers and flag those calls for you.
Next step
Write down what you want callers to hear, what you want collected, and how you want to be told about urgent calls. Then choose the service that will follow that script every time. When you're ready to put Miyai on your practice line, Get started.