SimplePractice Tutorial (Part II): 7 Features to Streamline Your Therapy Practice
Running a private practice means juggling client care, documentation, billing, and about a dozen other tasks that somehow all need to happen at once. If you've mastered the SimplePractice basics, you're probably wondering: "What else can this platform do to make my life easier?"
That's exactly what I asked myself when I started my practice. And after years of working with SimplePractice (and helping other therapists optimize their practices), I've identified seven intermediate features that genuinely make a difference in how efficiently you can run your practice.
This tutorial is the follow-up to my beginner's guide, and it's designed to help you take your SimplePractice skills to the next level. No fluff, no sponsored content—just practical guidance from someone who's been there.
Let’s Jump In
1. Client Portal Access
The client portal is your clients' window into their care with you. It's where they complete intake paperwork, view appointments, message you securely, and manage billing.
Setting Up Portal Access
Here's what you need to know: when you send a client their intake packet, they automatically receive portal access. You don't need to do anything extra. SimplePractice handles this seamlessly.
To manage your overall portal settings:
Go to Settings (gear icon)
Navigate to Scheduling and Inquiries under Client Care
Click Client Portal Permissions
From here, you can customize the welcome message, enable online appointment requests, and set parameters for how far in advance clients can book among other things.
Important Detail: No Passwords Required
One question I get constantly: "My client is asking for their portal password." Here's the thing—there is no password. The client portal is passwordless. Clients simply enter their email address and receive a temporary login link.
If a client needs the portal link, you can find it in those same Client Portal Permissions settings. Just copy the default domain and send it to them (see video for walk through.
2. Customizing Documentation Templates: Make Your EHR Work for YOU
Generic templates are just that—generic. They might cover the basics, but they rarely capture the specific information you need or match your clinical style. More importantly, they may not provide the legal protection your practice requires.
Why Customize?
I always recommend getting templates reviewed by anattorney who specializes in mental health practices. They can ensure you're covering all necessary bases for informed consent, documentation requirements, and risk management. Once you have those templates, SimplePractice makes it relatively easy to build them into your system.
How to Build a Custom Template
Let's walk through creating a custom progress note:
Go to Settings > Documentation > Template Library
Click Build New Template
Name your template (Main Title and Display Title)
Select the template type (Progress Note, Intake Form, etc.)
Use the left sidebar to drag and drop form elements:
Short response fields for open-ended questions
Single option radio buttons for quick selections
Date fields for session dates
Long text areas for detailed notes
Dropdown menus for standardized responses
The Payoff
Yes, building templates is tedious. It takes time upfront. But once you've created a solid template, you'll save time on every single note you write. And if you ever hire associate therapists, they'll have consistent, high-quality templates ready to go.
After you save your custom template, it will appear in the template dropdown whenever you create a new note for any client. SimplePractice remembers which template you used last, making it even faster to document sessions.
3. AI Tool Overview: Let Technology Handle the Heavy Lifting
SimplePractice has introduced several AI features that can significantly reduce documentation time. These tools are evolving quickly, so staying current is important.
The Main AI Note Taker
During a telehealth session, you can activate the AI note taker:
Start your video appointment
Click the purple Record Audio button
Let it run during your session
After the session, the AI generates a note based on your last-used template
The AI pulls from the conversation and populates your previously used template automatically. You'll still need to review and edit for accuracy, but it eliminates starting from a blank page.
Session Prep with AI
This is one of my favorite features. When you open a client's chart, you'll see a purple button that says Session Prep: Generate. Click it, and within seconds, you get:
Clinical alerts from the chart
A summary of the last session
Key information pulled from previous notes
This is incredibly helpful when you have back-to-back sessions and need a quick memory refresh before your client joins.
Alternative AI Options
If you forget to turn on the note taker during a session, you have two backup options:
Dictation Tool: Click Note Taker in the client chart, then Start Recording. You can dictate notes directly into SimplePractice, and the AI will structure them into your template format.
Audio Upload: If you recorded audio on a separate device, you can upload that file and SimplePractice will generate notes from it. (Though I don't see many therapists using external recorders, this option exists.)
4. Running Reports: Know Your Numbers
Reports might not be the most exciting topic, but if you're serious about running a sustainable practice (or growing a group practice), understanding your data is non-negotiable.
Why Reports Matter
Good data leads to good decisions. Reports help you:
Track outstanding client balances
Identify missing documentation
Monitor appointment attendance rates
Analyze revenue trends
Understand which services you're providing most
The principle is simple: good data in, good data out. If you're inputting accurate data into SimplePractice, the reports will be valuable. If your data is messy, the reports won't help much.
Key Reports to Run
Navigate to the Analytics section (look for the graph icon on the left sidebar). The main dashboard gives you visual summaries, but the real power is in the Reports tab.
Outstanding Balance Report: Shows all clients with unpaid balances and links directly to their charts. Run this weekly to stay on top of collections.
Unpaid Insurance Appointments: Specifically tracks sessions that haven't been paid by insurance yet. Critical for keeping your revenue cycle moving.
Appointment Status Report: This is the powerhouse report. Filter by date range, client, payment status, and more. The key feature: check "Include Documentation" to see which appointments are missing notes. This is essential for staying compliant and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
Exporting Reports
SimplePractice's reporting interface has limitations. Sometimes you need to sort and analyze data in more sophisticated ways. That's where exporting comes in.
On any report, click Export CSV or Excel in the top right corner. You can then open it in Excel or Google Sheets and create pivot tables, apply filters, or generate custom visualizations.
This is particularly useful for group practice owners tracking therapist productivity, or for preparing financial information for your accountant.
5. Calendar Integration
Here's my pro tip for calendar management: maintain one main calendar and integrate everything else into it.
I use Google Calendar as my hub. My SimplePractice calendar syncs to it, my personal appointments live there, and any other professional obligations get added. When someone asks for my availability, I share that one Google Calendar, and they see everything (or at least the blocks I've designated as "busy").
Why This Matters
Therapists often juggle multiple calendars: SimplePractice for clients, Google for personal life, maybe an Outlook calendar if you work at an agency part-time. Without integration, you're constantly cross-referencing and at risk of double-booking yourself.
How to Connect Your Calendar
Go to Settings > Scheduling and Inquiries > Calendar
Scroll down to the integration options
Click Connect for your calendar type (Google, Microsoft, or Apple)
Follow the prompts to authorize the connection
Once connected, your external calendar events will appear in SimplePractice in a different color. This means when you're scheduling clients or checking availability, you'll see your complete schedule in one view.
Two-Way Sync
SimplePractice now offers two-way syncing by default. If you create an appointment in SimplePractice, it appears in Google Calendar. If you block time in Google Calendar, it shows in SimplePractice.
Important limitation: Don't try to change appointment details (like session length or client information) from Google Calendar. Make those edits in SimplePractice directly.
6. Managing Availability
Availability blocks serve two purposes:
They visually show you which hours you're open for appointments
They determine when clients can book online through your scheduling widget
Without proper availability settings, clients trying to self-schedule will see no open times, even if you have openings.
Setting Up Availability
Click the gear icon in the top right of your calendar view, then View availability schedule.
You'll configure:
Scheduling preferences: Do appointments start on the hour? Half-hour? Quarter-hour?
Booking window: How far in advance can people book? (24 hours? One week?)
Recurring availability: Select your days, times, and which services are bookable during those blocks
For example, if you work Wednesdays from 8 AM to 5 PM and want people to book free consultations during that time:
Set the day: Wednesday
Set the hours: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Choose location: Virtual (or your office)
Select service: Free Consultation
Quick Availability Adds
You can also add availability on the fly. Click any empty time slot on your calendar, select Availability at the top of the flyout, and configure that specific block. This is useful when you have irregular hours or want to open up specific time slots without committing to a recurring schedule.
Viewing Your Availability
Toggle between viewing your booked appointments and your availability blocks using the view options at the top of your calendar.
7. Customizing CPT Codes
This feature might seem niche, but it's incredibly useful for specific situations—especially if you're working with multiple platforms or offering services beyond standard therapy sessions.
The Problem This Solves
Imagine you're seeing clients through Alma. You're providing therapy, but some billing happens in Alma's platform, not SimplePractice. However, you still want to document sessions in SimplePractice (where your clinical notes live).
How do you differentiate between clients you bill directly versus clients billed through Alma?
The Solution: Custom Service Codes
You can create custom service codes that function like CPT codes but are unique to your practice needs.
Go to Settings > Billing > Services and Products > Services
Click Add Service
Create a new code: "Alma 90834" (SimplePractice will allow this even though it's not a standard CPT code)
Add description: "Alma 90834"
Set duration: 45 minutes
Set your rate
Uncheck "Available for online booking" if relevant
Save
Now when you document a session with an Alma client, you select "Alma 90834" as the service code. When you run reports or export data for your accountant, you can easily differentiate these sessions from your directly-billed clients.
Other Use Cases
Custom CPT codes work for:
Workshops or groups that don't fit standard codes
Coaching services (if you offer both therapy and coaching)
Platform-specific tracking (Headway, Grow Therapy, etc.)
The key is thoughtful organization. Don't create so many custom codes that you confuse yourself, but use them strategically to track information that matters for your business decisions.
Bonus: Embedding Your Scheduling Widget
If you made it this far, here's a quick bonus: how to add the SimplePractice scheduling button to your website.
Go to Settings > Scheduling and Inquiries > Widgets
Click Copy Code
Paste this code into your website (usually in a custom HTML block or through your website builder's code injection feature)
If you're not comfortable with code, send it to your web developer or the person who built your site.
Once embedded, visitors to your website can click the button and book appointments directly based on your availability settings. They'll see available times, select what works for them, and get automatic confirmation—all without you lifting a finger.
Wrapping Up: Making SimplePractice Work FOR You
The goal isn't to use every feature just because it exists. The goal is to identify which tools solve real problems in your practice and then implement them thoughtfully.
If you're feeling overwhelmed, start with one:
Set up calendar integration if you're constantly double-checking multiple calendars
Build one custom template if documentation feels clunky
Turn on the AI note taker if you dread post-session documentation
Master one feature, then come back and tackle another.
Running a private practice is hard enough. Your EHR should make your life easier, not harder. With these tools properly configured, SimplePractice can become a genuine asset to your practice—not just another piece of software you tolerate.
If this tutorial helped you, I'd love to hear which feature made the biggest difference for your practice.
