As we prepare to launch Clearhead managed payments for public referrals in 2026, we’re making important updates to how services are set up on the platform. These changes will ensure that you have clear, consistent, and easy-to-manage service listings that support both EAP and public bookings.

See more information regarding public payments:
Introducing Invoicing Support for Public / Non - EAP referrals
How do I recognise Public / Non - EAP referrals that are able to be invoiced through Clearhead?

Why we’re making these changes

Currently, many providers have separate EAP and public services with different names and pricing. This has created:

• Duplicate services

• Inconsistent naming

• Confusion for clients

To support the rollout of managed payments and help clients book more easily, we are standardising service categories, naming, and pricing across the platform.

Managed payments for public referrals

From 2 March 2026, Clearhead manages payments for the first public referral you receive.

• A 10% administration fee applies to the first public session which will be similarly to EAP payouts
• Refunds, cancellation and payment issues will be handled by Clearhead Support. 

1. What’s Changing

One unified set of services

All duplicate public and EAP services will be merged into a single service per category.
This means no more separate “EAP Session” vs “Private Session”.

Standard service categories

All services will be mapped to one of the following:

• Individual Adult (most common)

• Coaching (public only)
  

• Couples Therapy

• Family Therapy

• Child/Adolescent

• Initial consultation 

• Supervision (public only) 

Rongoā Māori or DAPAANZ services will remain unchanged.

2. When to use each category

Individual Adult

Therapy sessions involving an adult aged 18+ in both EAP and public. 

Covers most 1:1 services, including those named:

• Any service named after the provider or their business name
• Services with names like individual, sessions, therapy, 1:1 sessions, psychological sessions, counselling, psychology, psychotherapy, psychological consultation, consultation and cost
• Any service mentioning anxiety, stress, depression in the name.
• Modalities (EMDR, Art therapy, Brain-based therapy, individual sex therapy, DBT, Hypnotherapy, etc.) are grouped under Individual Adult. These should be listed in specialisations / therapy types, not as separate services
• Services with a specific location or area in the title. This will be in a separate booking process. 
• Services that are currently “individual session” vs “EAP session” → merged into Individual Adult
• Services that mention a specific EAP clearhead provider
• Services that mention UniMed or any insurance provider
• Services that state EAP (Clearhead)

Couples Therapy

Includes any service referring to:

• Any service that mentions couples, seperation, relationship, sex therapy (couples) or two or more people in the context of a couple
• “Initial”,“ongoing”,“introductory”,“follow up”,“after”,“continued”, or “extended” couples services are merged into Couples Therapy. 

Family Therapy

Includes any service referring to:

• Any service containing whānau, family, or child/family, or similar
• Family-focused services that are not just 1:1
• Work that may currently be split (for example “initial” vs “ongoing”) will be standardised into Family Therapy. The duration may be selected at the booking stage

Child/Adolescent

Includes services for:

• Any service specific to youth, children, adolescents, teenagers, or under 18s
• Sandplay and Drawing Interpretation services will be considered a child/adolescent services
• Child/adolescent work that may currently be split (for example “initial” vs “ongoing”) should be standardised into Child/Adolescent services

Supervision (Public only)

• Clinical, professional, and peer supervision are merged into one Supervision category
• You can specify the type of supervision (clinical, professional, peer) in the description or when someone books
• Group supervision will be removed in 2026

Initial consultation 

• Understanding the client’s concerns and goals
• Gathering background information
• Explaining the therapeutic approach and expectations
• Setting up the plan for ongoing sessions

3. EAP vs Public Services

• Do not create separate services for EAP and public bookings.
• Where duplicates exist (for example “Individual session” + “EAP session”):
  • They will be merged into one standard service (usually Individual Adult)
  • Couple EAP will be reviewed in 2026
  • When duplicate EAP and public services exist, Clearhead will default to the higher price between EAP and public bookings
  • EAP services are capped at 60 minutes. 
• If EAP and public bookings are not currently separated, pricing is unchanged.
• EAP counselling is treated under the relevant core category (usually Individual Adult, sometimes Couples depending on the service)

4. Naming Rules

Service names cannot include:

• Session duration (for example 15, 30 45, 60 or 90 minutes)
• Specific modality (for example EMDR, DBT, Art therapy, Hypnotherapy). This can be specified and selected when the client books the services or listed under specialisation or focus
• EAP or insurance funder labels (for example EAP, UniMed, KPMG, Spark)
• Location or area (for example “Ponsonby clinic”)
• Mode of delivery (for example online, in-person, Zoom, phone, telehealth). This can be specified and selected when the client books the services
• Weekend or after hours in the name. This information should be specified in the duration of the sessions
• Specific gender focus
  Instead:
• Durations (for example 15–30, 45–60, 90–120 minutes), delivery mode, location, and gender focus should be captured in:
  • Profile fields (specialisations, therapy types, bio)
  • Session duration options / settings
  • Booking preferences

5. Services That Cannot Be Listed on Clearhead

These services are unsupported and will be removed:

• ACC, WINZ, Gumboot Friday, Youthline or any government-funded services
• NZTA assessments
• Acupuncture
• Equine therapy
• Mediation
• Meditation
• Yoga services
• Dance and drama services
• Workplace or corporate wellbeing workshops, webinars, seminars
• Group therapy bookings
• Services priced at $0 will be removed. 
• Additional charges for after-hours or weekend services
• Additional charges between in-person and telehealth sessions
• Location-based price variations
• Group therapy will no longer be accepted as service options on the platform
• Subsidised sessions and low income sessions for specific clients are no longer accepted on the platform. We are working to incorporate this in a future update in the next 3 months - please let us know if you have any feedback for how you expect it to work.

6. Examples of How Services Will ChangeExample 1

EAP Standard Session, UniMed Session, Private Session
→ Merged into: Individual Adult
→ Price defaults to the highest existing amount
→ Duration: 60 minutes

Example 2

“EAP Psychological Session” + “Individual Psychotherapy”
→ Combined into: Individual Adult
→ Price: unchanged if already aligned
Workplace Workshops → Removed
“Internal Family Systems” → Categorised as Family Therapy

Example 3

“Psychological Therapy Appointment”
→ Categorised as: Individual Adult
→ Price stays the same
→ Duration: 60 minutes

Thank you

These changes are designed to:

✔ Reduce confusion
✔ Make your admin easier
✔ Improve client booking experiences
✔ Support the upcoming public payment system

We’ll support you through these updates and let you know when action is required on your profile.

If you have questions, we’re here to help.