Art Therapists: Appointment and Message Boundaries in BotMarketing

“Can I move my appointment?” and “I made this drawing after our session — what does it mean?” may arrive in the same inbox, but they need different responses. An administrator can handle the first. The second belongs to the therapist’s work and the agreed boundaries for contact. A vague promise of “between-session support” does not explain that difference.

BotMarketing can display a service, receive practical enquiries, manage appointment requests and send confirmations. Below are sample channel rules, two replies and a setup workflow. Session notes and client artwork need a separate system and process selected for the professional practice.

Explain the service and message boundaries before contact

A listing should state the people and formats you work with, your actual qualifications, session length and fee, included materials, and venue or online delivery arrangements. Describe how a meeting works and how the therapist considers whether to offer services. Avoid guaranteed treatment outcomes. Requesting a time does not establish an accepted therapeutic relationship.

Explain what happens to artwork: who keeps originals, how any digital transfer is agreed, where images are stored and who can access them. Consent to attend is not permission to use a drawing in promotional material. The ATCB Code addresses confidential artwork and electronic communication for its credential holders and applicants. Apply the professional and legal requirements relevant to your location and practice; these standards do not establish that a general booking tool meets clinical requirements.

Sample rules for an administrative channel

This example is for an adult practice with an administrator. Replace the hours and response commitment with ones you can maintain.

Use this bot to ask about the session format and fee, request a time, check directions or arrange a change. Messages are read by the administrator, who answers practical questions on working days, 09:00–17:00 UTC, within one working day.

For a new enquiry, send your name, the format you are asking about and convenient times. Please do not send artwork, session recordings or detailed personal history here. Questions about the work itself are discussed with the therapist in a session or through a separately agreed channel. This bot is not monitored continuously and is not an emergency service.

If you handle messages yourself, say so. Where professional between-session contact is offered, agree its channel, scope, response time and any fee separately. “You can message anytime” should not imply an immediate reply. Agree an appropriate local urgent-support route in advance; someone in immediate danger should contact their local emergency service rather than wait for the bot.

Two enquiries: an appointment change and an artwork question

The administrator handles the appointment

I cannot attend on 19 October at 16:00. Could we move it?

I am the administrator. I will check availability; could you attend on 21 October at 17:00 UTC? Your current appointment remains in the schedule until you agree to a change. After your reply, we will confirm the new time and explain how your agreed change policy applies.

The dates are illustrative. Check availability first, then update the booking after agreement and send the final date, time, venue and status of the old appointment. Do not claim to hold both times unless you actually have. If the client wants cancellation instead, follow the agreed cancellation terms.

A question about the work goes to the therapist

I made a drawing after our session. Can you explain what it means?

I am the administrator and do not interpret clients’ artwork. Please do not send the drawing to this bot. If the question can wait, discuss it with your therapist at the next session. If you have an agreed between-session channel, use it under your existing arrangements. I can help you check your appointment date.

This reply identifies the administrator’s role and gives a next step without interpreting the work. If a message indicates possible danger, staff should follow the practice’s urgent-contact procedure involving the therapist and appropriate local help; the ordinary response window does not replace that process. Do not automate an assessment of a client’s state from artwork or messages.

Set up enquiries and appointments in BotMarketing

Begin with one service and an administrative route permitted by your practice arrangements. Decide who needs access and whether the chosen channel is appropriate for scheduling. Even the service name and attendance information may be sensitive.

1. Create the service listing. In the company dashboard, add a service category and a listing with a name, price, duration, terms and message rules. Display it in the bot or Mini App. For a new enquiry, direct the person to bot support with minimal practical information.
2. Review the enquiry. A support message is stored, appears in the company enquiry inbox and notifies staff. The administrator opens it and explains who received it, when the next reply is due and what is needed to arrange a meeting. A therapist decides whether to offer professional services; an enquiry status does not make that decision.
3. Configure available times. Once the appropriate format is agreed, enable bot booking and ordering for the service. Attach an active schedule to the service or a shared category of one therapist’s services. Allow preparation and breaks within working intervals or the full service duration. Check separate schedules and external bookings manually.
4. Receive a reservation request. The client selects a service, date and time in the Mini App. Any comment should be practical, such as a question about the entrance. The service creates a requested reservation and linked order, and stores the comment in both. This is not a clinical intake questionnaire or professional acceptance.
5. Confirm the meeting manually. In Reservations, check the time, agreed format and separately completed payment or documentation steps. Confirm the request or propose another time. The linked order can hold an internal administrative note; do not enter session content.
6. Arrange the next appointment. If continuation is agreed by the therapist and client, the client requests the next date in the same Mini App and staff check and confirm it. There is no automatic series of sessions. For a change, obtain agreement before updating the reservation and sending the final details; edit any scheduled reminders manually.

A discreet confirmation could say: “Your appointment is confirmed for 21 October, 17:00–17:50 UTC, at the agreed venue. Reply to this bot to request a time change.” Check that this contact method suits the client, particularly on a shared device. Do not add a diagnosis, artwork description or subject of a personal discussion. Subscription features and staff permissions determine access to the relevant sections.

The related guide to psychologist enquiries and appointments covers an initial administrative response. This workflow also addresses the specific risk of turning the booking inbox into a place for interpreting artwork.

Keep appointment information separate from session material

Keep necessary administration in BotMarketing: the enquiry, date, agreed contact route, reply and next step. Support text is stored in the message history and may be visible to authorised staff. An “internal note” does not mean “therapist-only”; test message, order and reservation access using an administrator account.

The therapist chooses a separate storage and transfer process for drawings, photographs, recordings and professional notes. BotMarketing does not claim to replace a clinical record system or meet every requirement of a particular practice. A published BAAT account of online art therapy also explains the need for clear communication protocols; it describes practice experience originally published in 2020, rather than a current universal technical standard.

If personal material arrives anyway, do not copy it into an order note, staff group chat or marketing database. The therapist should manage it under the practice’s information-handling process. Redirecting the client does not erase messages or notifications already sent. Before launch, test both enquiries, a date change and the administrator’s view of the history. The client should understand the next step, and staff should understand the boundary of their role.