How Promptd Matches You With a Therapist in 24 Hours

Many people run into practical barriers when they start looking for a therapist. At Promptd, we know how much guidance matters, so a person on our team reads each request and picks professionals for you, to help you navigate your options and get started more smoothly. This guide explains how it works and what you receive, whether you're asking for yourself, a loved one, or a patient you refer.

Deciding to look for a therapist takes a lot. For many people, it comes after weeks or months of wondering whether things are "bad enough" to ask for help. And once they finally decide, they open a search page and find hundreds of profiles, a dozen professional titles, and very little guidance on where to start.

I don't think anyone should have to go through that part alone. That's why, at Promptd, we started doing something that doesn't scale very well on purpose: a person on our team reads your request and picks a few professionals for you. You tell us what you need in about a minute, and within 24 hours you receive personalized matches. It's completely free.

You can do this for yourself, for someone you love, or for a client or patient you want to refer.

Where people get stuck

Imagine a mother whose eight-year-old has been struggling at school. His teacher mentions that an ADHD assessment might help, so one evening, after the kids are asleep, she starts looking.

The first thing she runs into is the titles. Psychologist, neuropsychologist, psychoeducator, psychotherapist. She isn't sure which one does the kind of assessment her son needs. She picks a few profiles that seem promising and sends four emails. A week later, one person has replied, and their waitlist is several months long. The other three never answer.

She didn't fail to find help because the right professional didn't exist. She got stuck on practical things: not knowing who to contact, not knowing who had room, and not hearing back.

She is far from the only one. According to Statistics Canada (2022), more than 1 in 4 Canadians who needed counselling but didn't get it said they didn't know how or where to get help, and 1 in 3 said help wasn't readily available. In Quebec, the Ordre des psychologues reports that some people contact several dozen professionals before getting a single reply.

Each of these barriers makes it more likely that someone gives up before they ever sit down with a professional. And honestly, I understand why. When you are already tired, worried, or taking care of someone else, sending a fifth round of emails into silence is a lot to ask.

Why we match you to a therapist by hand

The idea behind matching is simple: we take the first, hardest part of the search off your plate.

You tell us what you're looking for, and we turn that into a short list of professionals who have the right expertise and credentials for your situation, who are available to book, and who actually respond. You don't start from a blank search page, and you don't have to figure out on your own whether you need a psychologist or a social worker.

A member of our team reads every request. It's a real person, not an automated algorithm. I think this matters because what people write in a request is rarely a neat list of filters. It's "my daughter is anxious about starting high school and she'd prefer to talk to a woman," or "I was in a car accident last year and I'm not sleeping." Reading that as a person makes it easier to understand what someone actually needs.

How it works: 4 steps to getting matched

You fill out a 1-minute request. You tell us what's going on and what matters to you.
Our team reads it and selects your matches. No algorithms, just real people.
Within 24 hours, you receive a shareable link with your matches by email. From there, you contact or book the professionals directly.
Not the right fit? Reply to the email. Tell us what's missing or why the matches don't work, and our team will suggest new profiles that fit better.

What we look at when we read your request

You tell us what matters to you, and we do the background work. When we select your matches, we look at:

Your concern, whether that's anxiety, grief, burnout, an ADHD assessment, or anything else
Your budget and how you plan to pay, including government programs that cover services, like IVAC, CNESST, and SAAQ
Language, whether that's French, English, or another language
Session format, in person or virtual
Location, and how far you're willing to travel
Personal preferences, such as the professional's gender

Who you might be matched with

Our network includes psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers, sexologists, psychoeducators, criminologists, and more. They are all members of a Canadian professional order or association.

They also come from a wide range of specialties and backgrounds. Together, they speak more than a dozen languages and work with clients from children to adults. They offer services like therapy, psychological assessments, and family mediation. Many identify with the communities they serve, including LGBTQ+ people, immigrants and expats, and people from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

How you receive your therapist matches

We select a small number of professionals, 3 to 4, so you can compare them without feeling overwhelmed. They arrive as a personalized link you can come back to anytime, and share with someone else if you want a second opinion.

On that page, the professionals are shown on a map so you can see how close they are to you. You can book or contact each one directly, see their next availabilities, and see how quickly they usually respond. We show response time because it matters more than most people expect: on Promptd, clients who hear back within 12 to 24 hours are much more likely to keep going with that professional.

And if none of them feel right? Tell us, and we'll adjust your matches. A profile can help you decide who seems worth meeting, but it can't tell you how you'll feel in the first session. We'd rather keep looking with you than have you give up.

You can submit a match request for someone else

It's easy to picture the person searching for a therapist as the person who needs one. But very often, the search starts with someone else:

A parent. Looking for help for a child or teenager who is struggling at school or at home.
A friend. Someone who has watched a friend or family member struggle for months, or who is worried about an aging parent.
A mental health professional. A therapist whose caseload is full, or whose client needs a service they don't provide.
A doctor. A family doctor whose patient needs an ADHD assessment.
An allied professional. A community worker supporting victims of crime, or a physiotherapist, nutritionist, or lawyer who can see that someone needs support but doesn't know who to send them to.

If that's you, you can fill out the request on their behalf, with their agreement. We'll send the matches to the email on the request, and you can pass the link along.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it free?

Yes. It's completely free to submit a match request on Promptd.

How fast will I get matches?

Within 24 hours.

What if none of the matches work?

Tell us, and we'll update your matches to better fit your criteria.

Can I request a specific type of professional?

Yes, just mention it in your request.

Is my information shared with professionals?

No, only with our team. You decide what to share with the professionals you choose to contact or book.

Can I refer someone who doesn't speak French or English?

Yes. Our network includes professionals who practise in Spanish, Italian, Farsi, Arabic, and more.

Does insurance cover these professionals?

Most of them. Check your insurance plan to see which professional titles are covered. If your services are covered by a government program like IVAC or CNESST, mention it in your request and we'll suggest professionals who accept it.

Getting to the first conversation

Nobody can promise the perfect fit before the first session. What we can do is make the road to that first session shorter: fewer dead ends, fewer unanswered emails, and someone on your side while you look.

If you, or someone you care about, has been putting off the search, tell us what you need. It takes a minute.