Pastoral Counselling System
Administrator User Manual

The NTCOGIWC Pastoral Counselling & Support System is a web-based appointment platform that allows church congregants to view available counselling slots and book appointments with pastors or counsellors — without needing to create an account.

As an admin, you are responsible for:

• Setting up available appointment slots (dates and times)
• Registering pastors and counsellors in the system
• Monitoring all booked appointments
• Cancelling appointments when necessary

The admin panel is accessed directly from the main page of the counselling portal.

1. Open the counselling portal in your web browser.
2. Scroll down and click the tab labelled "Pastor / Administrator / Counsellor Login".
3. Enter your admin username and password in the login form.
4. Click "Login". The admin dashboard will appear below the login form.

Admin Dashboard Layout

Once logged in, the admin panel contains three main sections:

Before creating appointment slots, you should add the pastors or counsellors who will be conducting sessions. Congregants can then select their preferred pastor when booking.

Adding a Pastor / Counsellor

1. In the admin panel, locate the "Manage Pastors / Counsellors" section.
2. Enter the pastor's Name (e.g., "John Smith").
3. Enter their Title (e.g., "Pastor", "Elder", "Counsellor", "Bishop").
4. Click "Add Pastor / Counsellor".
5. The name will appear in the list below and will be available for congregants to select when booking.

Viewing Current Pastors

All registered pastors and counsellors are listed below the add form. The list shows their name, title, and the date they were added to the system.

Appointment slots define the dates and times when counselling sessions are available. Congregants can only book into slots you have created.

How to Create a Slot

1. In the admin panel, find the "Create New Appointment Slot" form.
2. Click the Date field and pick a date from the calendar. You can only select today or a future date.
3. Click the Start Time field and choose the session start time. Times are in 15-minute increments (e.g., 09:00, 09:15, 09:30…).
4. Click the End Time field and choose the session end time.
5. Click "Create Slot".
6. The new slot will appear immediately in the "All Appointment Slots" list below.

Viewing All Slots

The "All Appointment Slots" section shows slots grouped by date in an accordion list. Click on any date to expand it and see the individual time slots for that day.

Each slot shows:

To see past slots, tick the "Show past slots" toggle at the top of the section.

You can change the date or time of any slot that has not yet been booked. Booked slots cannot be edited (the Edit button will not appear).

How to Edit a Slot

1. Find the slot you want to change in the "All Appointment Slots" list.
2. Click the blue "Edit" button next to that slot.
3. An edit panel will appear. The current date and times are already filled in.
4. Change the Date field — type the new date in YYYY-MM-DD format (e.g., 2026-06-15).
5. Change Start Time and/or End Time — type in HH:MM format (e.g., 10:00).
6. Click "Save Changes".
7. The slot list will refresh automatically to show the updated details.

Deleting a slot permanently removes it from the system. Only available (unbooked) future slots can be deleted.

How to Delete a Slot

1. Locate the slot in the "All Appointment Slots" list.
2. Click the red "Delete" button next to that slot.
3. A confirmation prompt will appear asking you to confirm the deletion.
4. Click "Confirm" to permanently delete the slot, or "Cancel" to go back.

The "Booked Appointments" section shows all appointments made by congregants. It updates automatically when you log in.

Information Displayed

Appointments are sorted by date, with the soonest upcoming session at the top.

If a session needs to be cancelled — because the pastor is unavailable, or the congregant requested it — you can cancel it from the admin panel.

How to Cancel an Appointment

1. Go to the "Booked Appointments" section.
2. Find the appointment you wish to cancel.
3. Click the red "Cancel" button on that row.
4. A confirmation prompt will appear. Click "Confirm" to proceed.
5. The appointment is removed and the time slot becomes available again for other bookings.

Each appointment has a unique 8-character ID (e.g., A3F8B21C) that is sent to the congregant by email after booking. Congregants can also look up or cancel their own appointment using this ID.

As a Congregant (Public Lookup)

1. On the main page, click the "Check My Appointment" tab.
2. Enter the Appointment ID received in the confirmation email.
3. Click "Find Appointment" to view the details.
4. The congregant can cancel their own appointment from this screen if needed.

As an Admin

Admins can see all Appointment IDs in the "Booked Appointments" section. If a congregant contacts the church to cancel, you can cancel on their behalf from the admin panel.

When a congregant books an appointment, they select a counselling category and a priority level. These help pastors prepare and prioritise their sessions.

Priority Levels

Common Counselling Categories

Understanding the congregant's experience helps you support them and troubleshoot any issues they report.

The Booking Process (Congregant's View)

1. The congregant visits the counselling portal website.
2. They click the "Book an Appointment" tab.
3. They browse the list of available slots and click "Book This Slot" on their chosen time.
4. They fill in the booking form: full name, email, phone number, counselling category, priority, preferred pastor, and a brief description of their needs.
5. They click "Confirm Booking".
6. A confirmation banner appears on screen showing their Appointment ID.
7. A confirmation email is sent to their email address with all details.

The system automatically sends email notifications to congregants after key actions.