TherapyGate — the spec

A booking automation tool for solo mental health practitioners that catches every inbound inquiry, responds instantly, qualifies the lead, and lands a confirmed appointment — without the therapist lifting a finger. Built for the solo practice owner who loses clients not from lack of demand but from response lag.

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Decisions locked

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The core loop

1. A prospective client submits an inquiry via web form, SMS, or email.
2. TherapyGate fires a personalized auto-response within seconds, using the therapist's configured SMS or email template.
3. The prospect receives a time-slot picker linked to the therapist's live calendar (Google or Outlook).
4. Before confirming, the prospect completes a short intake questionnaire and payment/insurance form.
5. Appointment is written to the calendar; therapist gets a silent notification. No action required unless they want to intervene.

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v1 scope

SMS/Email Auto-Response Templates
Customizable message library the therapist configures once. On any new inquiry, the correct template fires automatically — channel-matched (SMS if inquiry came via SMS, email otherwise) — from the Practitioner Settings screen.

Availability Calendar Sync
Two-way sync with Google Calendar and Outlook. Blocked times, existing appointments, and buffer windows all respected. Managed from the Calendar screen; the prospect never sees a slot that isn't genuinely open.

Automated Callback Scheduling
A branded, mobile-friendly time-slot picker sent inside the auto-response. Prospect picks, confirms, and receives a calendar invite — no back-and-forth. Rendered as a standalone booking link screen.

Lead Qualification Questionnaire (Intake Lite)
A short, configurable gate before the slot is locked. Captures presenting concerns, prior therapy history, and preferred session format. Keeps the therapist's caseload matched to their specialty. Lives inline on the Booking Flow screen.

Payment and Insurance Intake Forms
Pre-appointment collection of billing method, insurance details, and card authorization. Integrates with payment processor; forms are completed before the first session, eliminating day-of admin. Lives as the final step of the Booking Flow screen.

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Deliberately later

• Warm lead digest — weekly ranked intent report adds real value once there's enough booking history to make the ranking meaningful; premature in week one.
• Two-way messaging (threaded inquiry history) — a full messaging layer requires moderation edge-cases and HIPAA threading decisions; ship after the zero-touch booking loop is proven stable.
• No-show reminders with auto-reschedule — depends on a mature booking dataset to set smart timing; a v2 feature once the calendar sync layer is battle-tested.

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Data model sketch

• practitioners — id, name, email, phone, calendar_token, stripe_account_id, settings_json
• inquiries — id, practitioner_id, prospect_name, contact_channel, contact_value, received_at, status
• templates — id, practitioner_id, channel (sms | email), trigger_event, body_text, last_edited_at
• availability_slots — id, practitioner_id, start_time, end_time, is_blocked, source (calendar | manual)
• bookings — id, inquiry_id, slot_id, confirmed_at, calendar_event_id, status
• intake_responses — id, booking_id, questionnaire_version, answers_json, submitted_at
• payment_intake — id, booking_id, billing_method, insurance_details_json, card_authorized, submitted_at
• file_uploads — id, booking_id, file_type, storage_url, uploaded_at

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Screens

• Dashboard — real-time view of today's confirmed bookings and any inquiries awaiting system action.
• Calendar — visual availability manager; connect Google/Outlook, set buffers, block dates.
• Template Editor — create and edit SMS/email auto-response templates per trigger event.
• Booking Flow (prospect-facing) — time-slot picker → intake questionnaire → payment/insurance form → confirmation.
• Inquiry Log — list of all inbound inquiries with status, channel, and booking outcome.
• Practitioner Settings — account details, calendar credentials, payment processor connection, notification preferences.

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How to use this document

• Bring it into Mind Palace, where the guided platform and its AI coach pick up from exactly this document and build the product with you step by step.
• Hand it to a developer as the complete v1 brief — scope, data model, and screen list are all here.
• Pin it as the single source of truth while you build, so every decision stays anchored to the success metric: bookings that close themselves.