Managing consent forms

Consent forms are shareable documents that clients can read and acknowledge with an electronic signature. This guide explains how to create and manage consent forms in SimplePractice. 

Note: If you have a document you’d like clients to primarily read without signing, see Managing uploaded files. If you have a form you’d like clients to fill out, see Managing intake forms.

Below, we'll cover:

• Previewing, editing, and deleting your consent forms
• Adding a new consent form
• Setting default consent forms

Note: For a walkthrough on how to send these documents to clients through the Client Portal, see Sending intake forms and documents to clients and Sharing documents with multiple clients and contacts. To countersign completed consent forms, see Sharing and signing completed documentation.

Previewing, editing, and deleting your consent forms

To locate your consent forms, navigate to Settings > Documentation > Shareable documents and view the Consent forms section.

All consent forms listed here are available for selection when you share intakes with a client. Default consent forms include:

• Notice of Privacy Practices
• Informed Consent for Psychotherapy
• Practice Policies
• Consent to Record Audio
• Consent for Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools in Therapy Services

To view the default content of each template, see Default consent form templates.

Note: The pre-loaded forms in your settings depend on the specialty selected when you created your account. If you don’t see one of these forms, see Adding a new consent form.

You can preview a consent form by clicking the 3 dots and selecting Preview. 

When previewing a consent form, click the printer icon to print it.

Depending on the consent form, you can click Edit or Delete.

Editing a consent form allows you to update the title and content, so you can include your practice information and other necessary items. For more details, see Adding a new consent form.

Deleting a consent form removes it as an option when sharing intakes with clients. For more information, see Sending intake forms and documents to clients.

Adding a new consent form

You can create new consent forms with custom content. To do this:

1. Navigate to Settings > Documentation > Shareable documents
2. Click + New consent form

3. Enter a title in the text box at the top

4. Enter the content of your form in the lower text box
   • You can use bold text, italic text, bullet points, numbered lists, divider lines, and hyperlinks

Tip: Use the left and right arrows to undo or redo your changes.

Setting default consent forms

You can designate specific consent forms as Default, which pre-selects them when sharing intakes with a new client. To do this:

1. Navigate to Settings > Documentation > Shareable documents
2. Under Consent forms, select Yes in the Default column next to the form

Note: Multiple consent forms can be selected as Default.

When sharing documents with a client for the first time, default consent forms are pre-selected under the Consent Documents section.