Private counselling has flourished in Canada for over thirty years. Most counsellors, social workers, and psychologists there have offered private services at some point, and it forms an essential part of the social mental health safety net. Many people who cannot access government or NGO services are able to find reliable counselling support as a result.
For every mental health practitioner in Hong Kong
There is a new way to support Hong Kongers
through counselling
Build your own private practice from scratch.
One platform to take on new clients, manage sessions and admin, so you can focus on what matters most.
Founded by a Hong Kong social work team, inspired by the Canadian private practice model.
We genuinely understand what you and your clients need.
Facing a shortage of mental health services, private practice could be the answer
Social Welfare Department and NGO counselling services cannot reach everyone in need, and public psychiatric services have waiting lists measured in years. Many people either have no support at all, or by the time they access it, things have already got much worse.
As mental health professionals, we see this reality every single day.
Private counselling practice could be a new path forward, allowing us to use our passion and skills to walk alongside more people through their counselling journey.
What makes private practice so difficult right now?
Many colleagues have thought about offering private counselling, or are already doing something similar. But these concerns come up again and again:
No one ever taught us how to start a private practice
Where to begin, what documents you need, what services to offer, how to set fees, how to market yourself... every step is guesswork because training programmes simply do not teach any of this.
There is no integrated counselling platform in Hong Kong
Facebook for marketing, a calendar app for scheduling, Zoom for sessions, Excel for accounts, Word for case notes, Drive for documents. Every tool is cobbled together as a temporary fix.
No idea how to find new clients
You spend money on advertising but nobody enquires, and there is no free channel that lets potential clients discover your services.
No support network to turn to
When something goes wrong in a session or a technical issue comes up, it is hard to find a colleague with private practice experience who can help.
Solacare was built to address the challenges of private practice and walk alongside you
Bringing the Canadian private practice model and tools to Hong Kong
Solacare adapts North American private practice experience to ease the challenges facing Hong Kong practitioners
The Solacare team has drawn on the wisdom and tools of the Canadian private counselling industry and redesigned them into an all-in-one private practice platform suited to Hong Kong's social context and its mental health professionals. Our goal is to meaningfully address the challenges currently facing private practitioners here.
Solacare's founder Nicholas Wong is a registered social worker who has provided private counselling in both Hong Kong and Canada. Nicholas also holds a Master's degree in Computer Science and contributed to the system design of Canada's national 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline, giving him the technical expertise to build a platform that truly serves practitioners.
One platform for everything you need in your practice
Just as counselling is centred on people, Solacare is designed around you and your clients
Learn about private counselling
ClientRead articles written by our practitioners and Solacare social workers to learn more about private counselling services and a wide range of mental health topics.
PractitionerIf you are new to private practice, browse our Getting Started with Private Counselling Practice in Hong Kong, which walks you through everything you need to be ready to take on clients within a day.
Prepare
ClientFind the right counsellor in three ways: describe your situation and let AI find a match, browse the directory yourself, or get referred by one of our registered social workers.
PractitionerSet up your professional profile, your services, and your available times in advance. You can also write articles sharing your expertise to help the right clients find and get to know you.
Book
ClientOnce you have chosen a counsellor, select the service and time that works for you, then complete a quick account registration to confirm your booking.
PractitionerWhen a client books, the system automatically sends you a notification by email or WhatsApp (your choice), so you are always in the loop straight away.
Before the session
ClientBased on your settings, the system will automatically send forms, documents, and exercises before your first session or before every session. Reminders will also be sent by email or WhatsApp (your choice).
PractitionerEasily review your client's profile, previous session summaries, and the status of any forms or exercises before the session begins.
During the session
ClientFor online sessions, clients can easily join using the platform's built-in video, voice, or text chat features.
PractitionerFor online sessions, use our built-in online therapy room to deliver video, voice, or text counselling with confidence. For in-person sessions, simply tap to start and end to log the time.
After the session
ClientOnce the session ends, your card is automatically charged (for paid services). The system also automatically sends any follow-up forms, documents, or exercises according to your settings.
PractitionerThe system automatically charges the client (for paid services), and you can then complete your session notes using your own custom template.
No more switching between WhatsApp, Excel, Google Drive, and Zoom.
Every tool you need for your counselling practice lives right here on Solacare.
Use all features for free
We grow with you. No sessions, no charge.
Most popular among practitioners
Growth
Commission-based with no monthly fee.
- Everything starts free
- No sessions, no charge
- Only 10% of each session fee as a platform charge (capped at HK$950 per month)
You can also browse our Getting Started with Private Counselling in Hong Kong guide to learn everything about launching your practice with Solacare.
What's included
- Public professional profile for individuals or organisations
- Three channels to receive new clients
- Appointment management system
- Encrypted online video, voice, and text therapy room
- Automatic email and WhatsApp notifications
- Form and session record management
- Mental health blog writing feature
- Automatic client billing
- Funds transferred to your bank account within five business days
- PDPO, PIPEDA, and PHIPA compliant
Other options that might suit you:
Core
$525/month (additional practitioner accounts at $210/month each)
Fixed monthly fee with no commission
If you or your organisation has a steady client load, the Core plan offers a flat monthly fee with no per-session commission. At HK$800 per session, just 7 sessions a month makes it more cost-effective than Growth.
Community
$375/month (additional practitioner accounts at $150/month each)
Designed for organisations offering only free services
Ideal for NGOs, academic institutions, or other organisations that only offer free counselling. This plan does not support paid services, but includes nearly all other features.
Join us in supporting the mental wellbeing of Hong Kongers
Channel your passion, experience, and skills into hope and momentum through the counselling journey