Clients and contacts have two options for signing into the Client Portal: Instant Sign In and Google Sign In. With Instant Sign In, clients can enter their email address to request a new sign-in link each time they want to log into the Client Portal. With Google Sign In, clients and contacts who have a Gmail email address associated with their Client Portal can use their Google Account credentials to sign in.

Both sign-in methods eliminate the need for clients and contacts to memorize a password and improve the overall security of the Client Portal. 

In this guide, we’ll cover:

• Inviting clients to the Client Portal
• Using Instant Sign In
• Using Google Sign In
• Troubleshooting Client Portal login issues

Note: Within the Client Portal, clients can sign intake paperwork, send Secure Messages, request appointments, and make payments. To learn how you can get started, see: Setting up the Client Portal. For a walkthrough of the Client Portal login process that you can share with clients, see: Getting started guides for clients: How to log in to the Client Portal.

Inviting clients to the Client Portal

You can invite new clients to the Client Portal during the client creation process. To do this: 

• Click + Create > + Create Client 
• Enter an email address

• Click Continue to choose the items you’d like to share and send them a Client Portal invitation

Note: You can learn more about adding a new client here: Adding a new client and navigating your Clients & Contacts list.

You can also give existing clients access to the Client Portal while sharing intake forms. To do this, navigate to their client Overview page and click Share.

Tip: To customize the Welcome email that clients receive when you share intake paperwork or the Client Portal Activation email, navigate to Settings > Client Portal > Emails.

To activate the Client Portal for an existing client without sharing intake paperwork: 

• Navigate to the client’s Overview page
• Click Edit
• Select the Client Portal tab
• Click Send Email 

Note: An email with consent is required for Client Portal access. To add an email address, navigate to the client’s Overview page > Edit > Client Info tab. Scroll down to the Email section, enter an email address, and select the box next to Email ok.

Once you give Client Portal access to a client, they’ll receive an invitation email that contains the unique, one-time link they’ll use to sign into the Client Portal. Clicking Sign in will sign them into the Client Portal in a new tab on their browser.

Instant sign-in links expire after 24 hours and can only be used once. If a client clicks an expired link, they’ll be prompted to request a new instant sign-in link or Continue with Google.

Using Instant Sign In

An existing client can request a new instant sign-in link every time they access the Client Portal. To do this, they can:

• Navigate to your practice Client Portal

Note: We recommend asking clients to bookmark your Client Portal URL. You can copy your Client Portal URL from Settings > Domains and send it to your client via Secure Message at any time. To learn more, see: Resending a Client Portal invitation. 

• Select I’m an existing client

• Enter the email address associated with their Client Portal and click Email me a link

• If the email address matches the one you have on file for the client, they’ll see a message confirming that the link has been sent:

• Check their inbox for an email containing the new sign-in link

Tip: Clients can also check their spam/junk for this email, which will come from the no-reply address yourprovider@simplepractice.com. We recommend that clients add yourprovider@simplepractice.com to their email contacts to make sure these emails go through.

• Click Sign in

If a client enters an email address that doesn’t exactly match the one you have on file for them, they’ll see a message directing them to try a different email address or contact you:

A client who incorrectly enters an email address too many times will see a message directing them to wait before trying again or contact you for a Pin Code:

To learn how to generate a Pin Code, see: Troubleshooting Client Portal login issues.

Using Google Sign In

Note: At this time, SimplePractice only offers social sign-in through Google. A client’s Client Portal access must be associated with a Gmail email address to use this feature. Clients who have an email modifier added to their Gmail address won’t be able to use Google Sign In.

Clients who have a Gmail email address associated with their Client Portal now have the option to sign in with their Google Account credentials. This streamlines the login process by allowing clients to easily and securely sign into the Client Portal using their existing Google Account, instead of requesting a new instant sign-in link via email. 

To use Google Sign In, clients can:

• Navigate to your practice’s Client Portal
• Select I’m an existing client

• Click Continue with Google

• Enter the email address and password associated with their Google Account 

Important: When a client uses Google Sign In, Google shares their email address and public profile information with SimplePractice to authenticate their identity. SimplePractice does not share any information with Google.

The next time the client clicks Continue with Google, they may be automatically signed into the Client Portal if they’re logged into their Google Account on that device. 

Clients can remove access for Client Portal Login at any time from their Google Account. For further instructions, they can refer to this Google Help Center guide: Use your Google Account to sign in to other apps or services.

Important: The security of your clients’ data is our highest priority, and we’re dedicated to making sure all of our features exceed information security standards and requirements. If a client is accessing the Client Portal on a public or shared device, we recommend they make sure to fully log out of all accounts, including email, at the end of their browsing session. To learn more about security at SimplePractice, see: Being HIPAA compliant with SimplePractice and our BAA, Terms of Services, and Trust & Security information.

Troubleshooting Client Portal login issues

If a client is experiencing login issues or reporting that they’re not receiving Client Portal emails, you may need to work with them to help them gain access.  

From a clinician’s perspective:

It's important to confirm that a client is using the correct email address to sign into the Client Portal. To view the email address that’s associated with their Client Portal access: 

• Navigate to the client’s Overview page
• Click Edit 
• Select the Client Portal tab
• Check the email address indicated in the Email dropdown under Client Portal Access

You can update the email address you have on file for a client from their Client Info tab. Here’s how:

• Navigate to the client’s Overview page
• Click Edit 
• Update the email address listed in the Email section
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page to Save Client
• In the modal, click Yes, Disable and Resend to send a new Client Portal invitation to the updated email address

Note: To learn how you can resend the Client Portal invitation, customize which features a client has access to, or disable their Client Portal access, see: Setting up the Client Portal.

From a client's perspective:

We offer suggestions throughout the Client Portal login process to help make their experience as seamless as possible. 

When a client enters an email address that matches the one you have on file for them, they’ll see a message confirming that the link has been sent. If the client hasn't received the email containing their instant sign-in link, they can click Try these tips. 

They'll see 3 troubleshooting tips they can try:

• Confirm that their email address is spelled correctly
• Check their spam/junk folder

Tip: All emails related to the Client Portal come from the no-reply address yourprovider@simplepractice.com. Clients can add yourprovider@simplepractice.com to their email contacts to help ensure that all emails from SimplePractice are delivered to their inbox. Occasionally, an email provider may block the delivery of an email. To learn more, see: Troubleshooting undelivered client emails.

• Request a one-time Pin Code from you

If a client clicks Sign in via Pin Code, they’ll be directed to call your practice for a Pin Code. 

Note: The practice phone number populates from Settings > My Practice.

Here’s how you can provide this Pin Code: 

• Navigate to the client’s Overview page > Edit > Client Portal tab 
• Click Generate Pin Code

• Share the 6-digit Pin Code with the client

• Pin Codes expire after 24 hours and can only be used once, similar to instant sign-in links
• Confirm that the client is using the correct email address to sign into the Client Portal

The client can enter the email address associated with their Client Portal and the 6-digit Pin Code, then click Sign in.