CounSol is an online practice management software designed for Therapists, Psychologists, and Counselors to attempt to streamline their workflow.
So why are you looking for an alternative?
Well, let us put it this way for you... while CounSol is better than not using mental health software, it's clunky and outdated.
And for a pricing model that starts at $44.95 per user per month, you'd be expecting something that presents with a functioning video tool.
CounSol offers a broad range of functionality, and that's cool! But as a healthcare practitioner, what you're probably looking for in a management tool is quality and not quantity.
In CounSol's case, it's more of a one-size-fits-all, meaning you'll be paying for a lot for features you don't necessarily want or need at the expense of ease of use.
We get it- that's why we've written this article, for health providers like yourself looking for the best alternative, something that can solve all of these issues, and the other user reviews like your experience.
So What Are The Best CounSol Alternatives?
Carepatron
At the top of the list of alternatives is Carepatron. There are heaps of reasons why- but we'll come to that later.
Carepatron was designed as an all-in-one practice management solution specifically for behavioral health clinicians to help them live their best work life. Forget clunky and inconvenient, Carepatron is an optimization SaaS that you can use anytime, anywhere...
Carepatron's key features
This is important to mention first because it's something you shouldn't compromise on. If you take one piece of advice from this article, any practice management system, you select needs to comply with privacy and confidentiality regulations online. Don't risk your reputation and business by using software that hasn't taken the time to get the HIPAA compliance certification. While this won't be the most exciting part of Carepatron's features, it is the most important.
2. Functioning Telehealth
Carepatron's telehealth tool not only works, but we've found its video quality is better than any other options on the market. So unlike CounSol, you don't have to worry about the call dropping off halfway through a session. This means you can meet with clients, colleagues, or other people within the healthcare community online, anytime, despite what's happening in your community.
Nearly all the practice management platforms on the market today have essential scheduling tools. Carepatron offers more, which is fantastic. The tool is an end-to-end workflow tool, which utilizes the freshest technology to automate and streamline the work you're doing. You can use your iPad, iPhone, and android to get onto EMRs, and templates and talk to clients in real-time.
Here are some of Carepatron's powerful workflow tools:
- EHR
- Share and manage tasks
- Automation of Reminders
- A Patient Portal
- Team Meeting Capabilities
4. AI-Powered Voice to text transcription
Oh yeah, this is a cool one! So basically, you'll be able to talk into your phone or computer instead of painstakingly typing out all your client notes and assessments. This is probably one of the main reasons Carepatron is at the top of our list.
This is a big winner for us and was one of the significant reasons Carepatron ranks so highly on our list. Carepatron understands that as a practitioner, time is scarce. Therefore, you need to take down notes in a succinct way that doesn't negatively impact your workflow. Voice-to-text transcription does just that, and better yet, it's not your stock standard transcription. It's AI-Powered!
4. Client relationships
Managing Client relationships is difficult, especially when there's only one of you and 30 people on your caseload, but Carepatron enables you to directly contact, manage and allocate within each client's profile. Making everything more efficient for both parties!
Here are some other excellent Carepatron capabilities:
- Note and clinical report software
- Fully functional free version is available
- Unlimited 24/7 support
- Intuitive, user-friendly interface
- Client relationship capability
In addition to all of these great tools for your therapy notes and electronic medical records, Carepatron's pricing plan is not only easy to understand, but it's also free...
Carepatron Pricing
Free - Good for individuals or small teams just starting. With the option to upgrade at any time.
1GB storage
Unlimited client & staff
Unlimited appointments
Unlimited 1-on-1 video calling
Free appointment reminders
Professional ($12 per practitioner, per month) - For those looking to boost productivity and grow their practice.
All carepatron features
Unlimited storage
Unlimited group video calls
Concierge customer support
99.99% guaranteed uptime
Go ahead, sign up for free with Carepatron. 🎉
TheraNest
TheraNest is a mental health software for clinicians who have specialized in the mental health area. TheraNest has HIPAA authentication, and they have all the basic features you'd expect. These include things like billing software, a client portal, and a mobile app.
We do like TheraNest, but there are definitely some limitations to its billing and invoicing capabilities as well as its booking portal.
Unfortunately, the holes start to appear when looking at the billing and invoicing booking portal, and customer service. There are a concerning number of customer reviews from practitioners claiming to experience waiting several weeks for a response from TheraNest's customer support team. As a software solution that sells itself under the guise of improving connectivity between client and clinician, you'd hope they would have the capacity to connect with you as a user.
TheraNest's pricing plan is based on the number of clients on your caseload, which is a bit strange and can mean you might get to 31 clients in total but have 9 who are relatively inactive and are paying almost double the fee. Who wants to do that??
- $39 monthly for under 30 clients
- $60 monthly for under 50 clients
- $91 monthly for under 80 clients
TherapyNotes
Another software we think could be a viable option is TherapyNotes. It's designed for behavioral health and medical practices and offers a range of standard features like a sign-on client portal, appointment scheduling, and client record management.
TherapyNotes have a few drawbacks that make healthcare providers concerned about the ease of use of the software. It isn't what you'd refer to as intuitive. It does not autosave your important documents, so unlike software like Carepatron, you'll risk losing your work. Payment processing with TherapyNotes is expensive and complex, which isn't what any private practice is after.
TherapyNotes pricing starts at $59 per month. Unfortunately, in this case, the price reflects the software's capabilities.
As far as SAAS software solutions on the market today, TherapyNotes is good... but they aren't anything to write home about.
SimplePractice
SimplePractice is another popular CounSol alternative. The other software we've mentioned is specifically designed for behavioral health practitioners. SimplePractice offers EMR, messaging, insurance claim filing and credit card payment capabilities, and appointment reminders.
Despite all these great features, we need to mention that client reviews repeatedly reveal that not being able to speak to SimplePractice's customer help team over the phone can be time-consuming and frustrating. SimplePractice also still uses some archaic billing software in comparison to other platforms. At $29 per month per user for a simple starter pack, you'd really be hoping for more!
Cliniko
Lastly, Cliniko. Cliniko has developed practice management software that is integrated with clinical patient documents, scheduling options, telehealth solutions, and finance management. Additionally, practitioners can access customer support 24/7 through free online or email chat, a particularly useful feature considering the importance of having a functioning management system!
However, despite Cliniko’s strong suits, there are a couple of drawbacks to be wary of. The system doesn’t offer online payment options, which can cause difficulties for both patients and providers and means you won’t get paid in a very timely manner.
Cliniko also doesn’t have a patient portal, which not only makes accessibility and transparency hard but could also negatively impact the development of strong patient/provider relationships!
So what is the best CounSol alternative for you?
To help you visualize your different options, here’s a table that outlines each alternative system’s features and pricing:
We think Carepatron offers the best deal, not only in a financial sense but also feeling like you really are a part of the practitioner community. It's definitely worth a try, go on! You've got nothing to lose. 🎉
Learn more: Manage your practice, Best scheduling tools, and save 2 hours per day.
Sign up for Carepatron for free today.
Interested in looking at some other comparisons? Check out these links:
- Top 10 Alternatives to SimplePractice in 2022
- Best Power Diary Alternatives (Features and Pricing)
- Best Cliniko Alternatives (Features and Pricing)
- Best Theranest Alternatives (Features and Pricing)
- Best Therapy Notes Alternatives (Features and Pricing)
- Best Nookal Alternatives (Features and Pricing)
- Best My Clients Plus Alternatives (Features and Pricing)
- Best Halaxy Alternatives (Features and Pricing)
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