Therapy Admin: The Ins and Outs

Planning on setting up a private practice as a therapist? Or want to learn more about the “administrative side” of the therapy process, but feel a bit skeptical because it might be boring or consist of a lot of math, billing, scheduling, and what not? Well, yes…it does partly consist of all these aspects and components. But admin work can be fun too! So, here we’ve come up with some ins and outs (a.k.a. trends in the admin world). If you pay close attention to this blog post, you’ll have cracked a basic course in the “administrative department” of this field. And guess what? With a bit more practice and reading, you can add this as a skill to your CV too! But before we get ahead of ourselves, let us start with the basics.

1st Out: Manual Scheduling

Say goodbye to the days of being glued to the phone, scheduling appointments manually! Technology has made life so much easier. No more messy calendars or scheduling mix-ups… it’s time to upgrade your therapy workflow! 

1st In: Online Scheduling:

Whether it’s Google Calendar, Zensible, or Calendly, these tools are here to make your life easier… and make admin work way more interesting!

A few things to keep in mind:

• Set a no-show policy (e.g., partial refunds) .

• Allow easy cancellations only 3–4 hours before the session. 

• Keep sessions organized to avoid any mix-ups. 

2nd Out: Traditional Billing:

Let’s be honest… manual billing isn’t feasible for everyone. Especially for private practitioners, it’s unrealistic to manage therapy sessions and billing simultaneously. Many therapists now prefer taking full or partial payments before sessions, but creating invoices each time quickly becomes tedious. This is definitely an out.

2nd In: Smart Billing:
Enter 21st-century technology. Automated billing helps you move away from scattered transaction histories and multiple money-tracking apps. With new-age systems, everything stays in one place… under one app…making the billing process simpler and more efficient. Some app recommendations for this feature include… Zensible, Therasoft, Simple Practice. 

3rd Out: Physical Forms
Whether it’s consent forms or past psychiatric prescriptions, managing physical paperwork can quickly become overwhelming. While client safety is non-negotiable, piling up paper isn’t the solution. It’s time to move on from paper-heavy processes and make space for smarter, safer alternatives.

3rd In: Digitalised Forms
Use Google Forms or similar tools to create, send, and manage consent and intake forms online. This is especially helpful for practitioners offering online sessions. Digital forms are easier to organise, personalise, and store securely and you can even customize them for your personal identity. Just remember…handling them with strict confidentiality is essential, because client care always comes first.

4th Out: Mixed Communication:
Do you, as a therapist, find yourself juggling two phone numbers or multiple apps to communicate with clients? Between follow-ups, billing queries, and discovery calls, this quickly becomes overwhelming. Using too many platforms not only takes up space but also increases the risk of missing important messages from current or potential clients.

4th In: All-in-One App

Think of it as a one-stop solution for everything. Today, several therapist-friendly platforms allow you to manage all client communication in one place. Using a single app helps streamline conversations, reduces confusion, and makes admin work far more efficient. Some apps which provide the same are… Zensible, Healflow, PracFlow. 

I hope this post turned out to be informative and helped you gain some insight into the administrative side of therapy.So… is it too early to add this as a skill on your CV? I think not ? Until the next blog post, take care of your mental health, you lovely human beans.