Rooms and messages

Your rooms in “My workspace”

Under “Rooms” there is a card for each counselling case. Open rooms are at the top, with the most recently active first. The card shows the pseudonym or the title, new messages, the keyword from the booking, the number of sessions and the next appointment.

A room is created when someone books or writes to you. It is also created when you take someone from the waiting list or create an in-person case. Rooms in which you are co-counsellor are listed here too. Their card says “Co-counselling with” and the name of the responsible counsellor. You also find them at the top under “Case notes”.

The room at a glance

Clicking the card opens the room. On the left are the messages, the case notes and the whiteboards. On the right you find:

• Appointments: the next appointment shown large, the others below. More in Adding and cancelling appointments.
• Case and people involved: if you like, a title, the counselling field and other people involved. Without a title, the room shows the pseudonym.
• Access to the room: who is in the room, the code for a second person and new access if someone can no longer get in.
• Note: what helps you recognise the person.
• Close: when the counselling has ended.

If your centre charges fees, the “Fee” card is added.

Writing messages

Write below the messages and click “Send”. It is quicker with Ctrl and Enter, on a Mac with Cmd and Enter. New messages appear by themselves, without you reloading the page. Under your last message it says “read” as soon as the messages have been opened in the room.

If the client has turned on emails, they get a notification without content. If they use the “Beratungsraum” app, they get a notification there, also without content. Messages are stored encrypted.

Do not send payment links or amounts in the chat. Many people read their room in the app, and under Apple's rules nothing may be sold there. More on this under If your centre charges a fee.

If a co-counsellor has been added, you both write in the same room. Each message shows who wrote it. The client sees at the top of their room and under the input field that the co-counsellor is reading along. When a co-counsellor joins, the client also gets an email notification, if they have turned on emails.

The note

In the “Note” card, click “Write”. There you record what helps you recognise the person, for example “Mr S., first contact by phone”. The client never sees the note. A co-counsellor sees it and can change it. It also appears on the card in “My workspace”. Before an AI draft, onlineberatung.digital removes the note from your key points.

A second person in the room

In couples counselling, a second person can get their own account in the same room. In “Access to the room”, open “Second person, for example in couples counselling”. Click “Code for a second person”.

The code is only shown on the page now. Pass it on, on paper, by phone or as a message in the room. Below it, it says where the person redeems it and until when it is valid. A new code replaces the old one.

The person chooses their own pseudonym and password. They then see everything in the room: messages, appointments, video and whiteboard. They never see the case notes. Each message shows who wrote it.

“Remove” takes the person out again. Their account remains, but they no longer see the room. If someone only joins a single appointment, use “Invite another person” on the video appointment instead.

When someone can no longer get in

If a client has lost their password and recovery code, you give them new access to their account. They do not need a second account for this.

1. In “Access to the room”, click “New access” next to their pseudonym and confirm.
2. Give them the code and, if needed, their pseudonym. Ideally in a session, by phone or on paper. A message in the room does not help, because they cannot read it right now.
3. They go to “Sign in”, then “Forgot your password?”, and enter their pseudonym, the code and a new password.

The code is only shown on the page now. It is valid for 14 days and only once, and a new one replaces the old one. After that they are back in their room, with all messages. Their old password no longer works, and they get a new recovery code.

Important: The code gives access to the whole account, including rooms with other counsellors. Only pass it on if you are sure who you are talking to. Only the responsible counsellor sees “New access”, not the co-counsellor.

Closing and reopening

When the counselling has ended, click “Close room” in the “Close” card. Then:

• Open appointments are cancelled.
• The client can still read and download the room for a while. They can no longer write.
• After your centre's retention period the room is deleted, with messages, appointments and case notes. The lead of your centre sets the period.

The exact dates are shown in the card. “Reopen room” lifts the retention period. If the person later books with you again or writes to you via your counsellor profile, the room reopens by itself.

If the person has deleted their account, the room is already closed and cannot be reopened. You can keep reading the messages and case notes until the end of the period, and you get an email about it.

Deleting earlier

You can also delete a closed room before the end of the period, for example if the person asks for it. To do this, open the “Delete room now” card, tick the box and confirm. Messages, appointments, whiteboards and case notes then disappear immediately. This cannot be undone. The row in the statistics remains, without names.

Check first whether your centre has to keep anything. Only the responsible counsellor can delete, not the co-counsellor.