AI for psychology practices in Australia

Who this page is for: For private practices using Halaxy, Cliniko, Coreplus or Zanda, where the waitlist lives in an inbox, referral letters arrive in every format, and intake admin fills the gaps between sessions.

Which parts of a psychology practice can AI safely handle?

It can carry the administration that surrounds therapy and nothing inside it. That means intake and waitlist management, reminders and short-notice backfill, and Better Access and GP letter paperwork, all prepared for a person to approve. A crisis safeguard runs underneath every one of those agents. No agent we build provides counselling, assesses risk or decides who is suitable for which psychologist.

What does AI cost a private psychology practice?

The AI Front Desk, covering intake, waitlist, reminders and backfill, costs $1,500 to set up and $199 a month, and the crisis safeguard is part of it. Better Access tracking and GP letter drafting is a $497 one-off Quick Start. All prices are fixed in AUD, ex GST, month to month, and Claude API usage is included. The practice owns the code, prompts and settings.

Agent	Package and price (ex GST)	Live in
Referral intake, waitlist and first-session booking	AI Front Desk: $1,500 setup + $199 a month	7–10 working days
Crisis safeguard	Included in every agent	From day one
Reminders and late-cancellation backfill	Included in the AI Front Desk	With the front desk
Better Access and GP letter admin	Quick Start: $497 one-off	5–10 working days

Group practices that want both agents watched, tested and tuned each month can use Managed AI Essential, $1,500 a month. Every package is listed on the pricing page.

How the build works with your clinical lead

1. Free 30-minute audit. We map how referrals arrive, who manages the waitlist now, your after-hours arrangement, and which practice system holds the records.
2. Safeguard first. The crisis trigger list and reply are written and tested before any intake logic exists.
3. Consent and notices. Your intake consent and privacy policy are updated to say an AI assistant handles admin, what it sees and where data is stored.
4. Shadow week. Agents draft and your clinical lead approves, including deliberately hard test messages, from vague distress to a parent asking about an adult child’s sessions.
5. First-month review. We read every flagged conversation with you.

Which rules govern AI use by Australian psychologists?

Psychologists are registered with the Psychology Board of Australia, whose code of conduct took effect on 1 December 2025 and replaced the APS Code of Ethics as the regulatory code. AHPRA’s guidance on AI adds expectations about telling clients. The Privacy Act applies in full, and Better Access rules set what the agent may say about Medicare.

• Psychology Board code of conduct. Section 3.3, as the Board’s code FAQ explains, asks psychologists to tell clients the limits of confidentiality and how their information is recorded, stored and used. An AI intake is part of that explanation.
• AHPRA guidance on AI. AHPRA’s principles keep the practitioner accountable for anything AI produces, which is why letters stay drafts and intakes are reviewed.
• Privacy Act 1988. Health service providers are covered whatever their turnover, per the OAIC, and the OAIC’s guidance on AI products warns against feeding sensitive information to public AI tools.
• Better Access. The agent repeats only what health.gov.au publishes about plans, referrals and session limits, and sends eligibility questions to the GP.
• Spam Act 2003. Reminders stay purely about the booked session. A newsletter or event invitation is marketing and needs consent and an opt-out honoured within five working days, as the ACMA requires.

Where must AI stop in psychological care?

Every agent’s instructions forbid it to:

• Provide therapy, counselling or coping advice, even when a client asks for “just one tip”.
• Assess risk or severity, or do safety planning. The safeguard hands over; it does not judge.
• Match clients on clinical grounds. It shortlists by stated focus areas and availability; a person makes the allocation.
• Discuss a client with anyone else, including a parent of an adult, a partner or an employer, without the consent your process requires.
• Decide Medicare or NDIS eligibility, or tell anyone how many sessions they “have left” without a person checking.

Which agent should a psychology practice build first?

If enquiries and referrals pile up unanswered between sessions, start with the AI Front Desk, which brings the crisis safeguard with it. If intake is under control but Better Access paperwork eats your evenings, the $497 Quick Start is the smaller first step. The physio and allied health overview covers clinics with the same practice systems, NDIS providers covers participant admin, and the privacy guide explains what is safe to send to AI. A free 30-minute AI audit for your psychology practice with Jenn will show what to build first, in fixed AUD.