Members of a counseling or support group come from different jobs, family schedules and commutes, and most can't take a long conversation about availability. Collecting times by phone or email one person at a time takes days, and the group can lose people before it starts. A short, private way to see which evenings or daytimes work makes the first session easier to schedule.
How Commonhour works for groups
Create a plan with a neutral name. Call it something like "Tuesday group", add the days and times you could meet, and leave off the address. Turn on All day only if you're choosing a day.
Share the link with the group. Send it the way you already reach members. People open it in their browser and tap the times they're free, with no account and no app.
Read the ranked list. The times that work for the most people rise to the top, with a note of who's missing from each, so you can see whether the group can start with the people who have committed.
Pick a time and tell the group. Send the time in your own message, and decide whether to use the calendar invite (see the privacy notes below).
What it works for
Starting a new group. Find the day and time for a first session among the people who have said they're interested.
Peer support and community groups. Pick a time for a volunteer-led or peer-led group whose members have varied schedules.
Extra or make-up sessions. Find one date for a session outside your usual time, such as a workshop or a make-up day.
Staff and training meetings. Schedule a team meeting, supervision group or training day for the people who run groups.
Keep it private
Use a neutral plan name. Skip the group's clinical focus and any names that point to treatment. "Tuesday group" says enough.
Let people use first names or initials. Respondents enter a name, so tell them what to type.
Leave the address off the plan. Give the location in your own message or intake paperwork instead.
Share the link carefully. Anyone with the link can open the plan. Send it only to the people it's meant for.
Think before sending the calendar invite. A calendar invite normally shows its guest list to everyone on it. If members shouldn't see each other, add only yourself and send the time separately.
What it doesn't do
Commonhour finds the time. It isn't a client record or practice-management tool, so keep clinical information out of it. It doesn't book individual appointments, take payments or collect intake forms, and it books one-off events, so repeats go in your own calendar. Without an account a plan takes up to 12 responses; sign in with a free account to go past it, and a free account takes up to 20.
Group counseling scheduling questions
Is Commonhour okay for scheduling a counseling group?
It works for finding a time. It isn't built for client records, so keep clinical information and identifying details out of the plan name, dates and notes. Use a neutral name and let people reply with a first name or initials.
Do group members need an account?
No. They open the link, tap the times they're free and are done, with nothing to install. Without an account a plan takes up to 12 responses; sign in with a free account to go past it.
Can I set up a weekly session with it?
Commonhour finds a time for one event. Once the group has picked its weekly slot, set the repeat in your own calendar.
Who can see the plan?
Anyone with the link can open it, so treat the link like an invitation and share it only with the people who should see it.
Should I send the calendar invite to the whole group?
Think first. A calendar invite normally shows the guest list to everyone on it, which can reveal who attends a group. If members shouldn't see each other, add only yourself to the invite and send the time separately.