You can send different types of intake documents and consent forms to be completed electronically, and returned to you before their next appointment via the Client Portal.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

New clients

• Creating a client and sending intake documents for the first time
• Customizing the Welcome message
• Resending the Client Portal invitation email
• Viewing the Client Portal as a client for the first time

Existing clients

• Logging into the Client Portal with Instant Sign In or Google Sign In
• Sending a form to a client
• Sharing progress notes, diagnosis and treatment plans, and other documents with clients for e-signature
• Storing client documents

Status and reminders

• Receiving email notifications for completed intake forms
• Setting up automated reminders for clients to complete their intake forms
• Checking if my client opened the intake email
• Checking the status of intake documents that have already been shared with a client
• Countersigning completed forms

Other

• Printing intake forms
• Deleting a completed questionnaire
• Updating the order of documents presented in the Client Portal
• Important details to know

Creating a client and sending intake documents for the first time

Once your Client Portal is set up, you can create a new client and select the intake forms you want to send to them through the Client Portal. Here's how:

• Click + > + Create Client

• Enter the new client's name and contact information, and select Create & Continue
• In the Send Intakes window, select which forms you want to send

• Choose Continue to Email
• Edit the email, if necessary
• Click Continue to Review
• Review the email
  • If you need to make edits, click Back to Email
• Select Share & Send Now when you're ready and the client will receive the Welcome email with the Client Portal link

Note: To learn how to customize your intake form and note templates, see Creating customized templates.

Customizing the Welcome message

When you share documents with a client or a contact for the first time, they’ll be sent the Welcome email with a link to log into the Client Portal. You can customize the Welcome email for individual clients or contacts before sharing intake forms, as well as customize the default Welcome message from your settings.

Note: Email, voice, and text templates and reminders aren’t customizable for trial customers. To customize templates and reminders during your trial, add a credit card by navigating to Settings > Plan info. For more information, see Updating your credit card information.

To view and customize the default Welcome message:

• Navigate to Settings > Client notifications > Email
• Click the arrow next to Welcome to preview the Welcome message
• Click the pencil icon next to Welcome to edit as needed

Important: When editing the Welcome message, don’t delete the {practice_client_portal_login_link} macro. This macro generates a button that clients can click directly in the email to login to their Client Portal. For more information, see Explaining client email and reminder macros.

• Click Contact and couple Emails to preview and edit the default Welcome message for contacts and couples

Note: If you're working with couple clients and would like to learn more about setting up a couple, see Enhanced Client Management for couples. If you're working with minor clients and would like to learn more about setting up a minor client and their contacts, see Enhanced Client Management for minors.

When a client signs into the Client Portal for the first time, clients will also view a Welcome message in the Client Portal. To preview and customize this message: 

• Navigate to Settings > Scheduling > Client portal permissions
• Scroll down to the Client Portal Greeting section to view the Welcome Message
• Click Edit next to Welcome Message to customize as needed

Resending the Client Portal invitation email

If your client hasn’t logged into the Client Portal yet, you can resend the Client Portal invitation email. To do this:

• Navigate to the client's Overview page
• Click Edit > Client Portal
• Under Client Portal Access, check the box for Resend email invitation

Note: The Resend email invitation box will only appear if the client has not yet signed into the Client Portal. If the client has already signed in and they need help logging in, we recommend sending them your Client Portal link so they can generate a login email via Instant Sign In.

• Edit and review the email content 
• Click Send Email

Tip: If you update a client's email address in the Client Info tab, you'll also want to resend the Client Portal invitation email in the Client Portal tab.

Viewing the Client Portal as a client for the first time

This video will show you all of the optional features of the Client Portal, from the client perspective:

Tip: We recommend creating a test client using your own contact information. This way, you can practice sharing documents and preview intake forms you plan to send.

Logging into the Client Portal with Instant Sign In or Google Sign In

Clients and contacts have two options for signing into the Client Portal: Instant Sign In and Google Sign In.

With Instant Sign In, your clients will be able to use a unique link to sign into their Client Portal each time. This removes the need for your clients to memorize a password and improves the overall security of their Client Portal account. 

With Google Sign In, clients who have a Gmail email address associated with their Client Portal have the option to sign in with their Google account credentials.

To learn more about how to invite a new client to the Client Portal, and to help clients that are having trouble signing in, see Assisting clients with signing into the Client Portal. 

Note: For step-by-step instructions on signing into the Client Portal, you can share this guide with your clients: Logging in to the Client Portal.

Sending a form to a client

To send new forms, documents, or uploaded files to a new or existing client, see Sharing a form, document, or uploaded file with a client or contact.

To view the status of a client's intake form, see Checking the status of intake documents that have already been shared with a client.

If you’ve already shared a form or document with a client, and would like to manually remind them to fill this out, see Sending manual reminders for pending forms, documents, or uploaded files. To set up automated reminders for these, see Setting up automated reminders for clients to complete their intake forms.

To send previously completed forms and documents to a client, see Sharing completed forms or documents with clients.

Sharing progress notes, diagnosis and treatment plans, and other documents with clients for e-signature

You can share signed and locked progress notes, diagnosis and treatment plans, and other documents with clients or contacts so they can be electronically signed via the Client Portal. To do this:

• Navigate to the client's Overview page
• Click Share in the upper right corner
  • You can also click Files > Actions > Share with client
• Select the document you’d like to share under Your Signed Documents
• Select the documents you want your client to sign under Your Signed Documents
  • The Your Signed Documents section will list the 5 documents that have been most recently locked and signed by the clinician

Important: If a document you’ve signed has already been signed by the client, this document can’t be re-shared with the client.

• Click Continue to Review
• Select Share & Send Now when you're ready to send the email and documents

Note: This feature won't be available for clients that haven't logged into their Client Portal yet.

You can also share a document directly from its respective page. To do this: 

• Navigate to the desired document from the client's Overview page
• Click Share

• Click Continue to Email
• Click Continue to Review
• Select Share & Send Now when you're ready to send the email and documents

Important: A document must be signed and locked by a clinician before it can be sent. If a clinician is under supervision, their supervisor will also need to sign and lock the document before it can be sent to the client for e-signature. 

The client or contact will be notified that a document has been shared with them through the Client Portal and will receive a link to sign in. When logged in, they'll see the document under the Needs to be completed section.

Once the document has been signed by the client, the status will update to Completed and the date will be updated at the client Files Overview page.

After the client signs the document, it'll appear in your account with both of your signatures.

Storing client documents

You can store nearly any type of digital file or document to a client’s profile, including Word documents, PDFs, photos, video clips, sound recordings, spreadsheets, and more. The only requirement is that the file is 50MB or less. To store client documents, see Uploading a new client file.

Alternatively, you can attach files to an appointment by clicking on an appointment from the client’s Overview page, then selecting the paper clip icon:

After you upload a file from an appointment or the client's Overview page, it’ll be accessible on the client Files Overview page.

Note: There’s no storage limit, and any file uploaded to the client Files Overview page will only be visible to you unless you share the document directly with the client. To share with the client, see Sharing a form, document, or uploaded file with a client or contact.

Receiving email notifications for completed intake forms

When a client has completed all of their pending documents in the Client Portal, you’ll receive an email alerting you that the documents have been completed.

The client must complete all of their documents in order for you to receive this email.

Setting up automated reminders for clients to complete their intake forms

You can enable automated email and text reminders to notify clients regarding incomplete intake paperwork, which they can complete in the Client Portal. 

Note: To manually send a reminder to complete pending documents at any time, see Sending manual reminders for pending forms, documents, or uploaded files.

First, you’ll want to make sure the client has been given Client Portal access at their Overview page > Edit > Client Portal. If they don’t have this permission, you can grant them access by clicking Send email.

Note: To learn more, see Inviting clients to the Client Portal.

To enable automated email or text document reminders for an existing client:

• Under Reminder and notification options, toggle Incomplete documents to On
• Click Manage

• Use the dropdown menus to choose an email address and/or phone number to send incomplete documents reminders

Note: To update the time before an appointment these reminders are sent, see Setting up reminders.

• If the client doesn’t prefer receiving incomplete documents reminders via email or phone, use the dropdown menu to select No email or No phone
• Click Save Client

Tip: You can also enable automated document reminders when you create a new client or when sending a manual reminder.

To learn more about customizing your document reminder templates, see:

• Customizing email reminders
• Customizing voice reminders
• Customizing text reminders

Checking if my client opened the intake email

You can check on whether your new client has opened the Welcome email and logged into the Client Portal. To do this:

• Navigate to your client's Overview page
• Click Edit > Client Portal
• Under Client Portal Access, you’ll see either the last time and date the client logged into the Client Portal or if the client has yet to log in, you’ll see this yellow notification: Invitation sent – client has not signed in yet.

Checking the status of intake documents that have already been shared with a client

You can view the status of each intake document that you’ve shared with a client on the client Files Overview page. To learn more, see Checking the status of forms, documents, or uploaded files that have been shared with a client.

Countersigning completed forms

You can countersign forms that have already been completed by your clients. This is a requirement in some states. We recommend checking with your local governing body about your state's specific requirements.

To countersign completed client forms: 

• Navigate to the client’s Overview page
• Click Files 

• Choose a file with the Completed status
• Scroll to the bottom
• Click Sign
  • Depending on the type of file, the button will say Sign consent form, Sign measure, or Sign questionnaire 

• Click Sign and lock 

Note: For more information, see Locking and signing notes.