Therapists need a first-session form that is calmer than a hospital packet and stricter than a contact widget. The form should ask why the person is seeking help now, then keep process notes in your clinical system.
Do not share the dashboard with a virtual assistant unless they are in your confidentiality agreement.
Dropdowns of diagnoses belong in a later clinical tool.
Fees, cancellation, and limits of confidentiality first; form second.
Intake that nobody reads is just extra risk.
Therapy intake records presenting issues, prior treatment, medicines they choose to disclose, and logistics such as emergency contact preferences you add later. US therapists who are covered entities handle this as PHI. UK counsellors and psychotherapists (BACP, UKCP, HCPC) handle it as special-category data under UK GDPR, with ICO and professional-body expectations on confidentiality.
It is not a diagnostic interview, not a PHQ-9 replacement unless you add those items on the form with a licence to use them, and not a crisis line. Put a suicide-prevention resource in page copy; do not rely on a static form for emergencies.
Curiosity is not a lawful basis. Only ask what you will actually read before session one.
Never request Social Security, National Insurance, or passport scans. For US superbills, collect insurer details through a billing workflow after the therapeutic frame is set.
SimplePractice questionnaires, encrypted email, and paper in the room are the usual mix.
A site form, for the public first touch before a portal login exists.
SimplePractice, Cliniko, and WriteUpp own the note. Transfer, then restrict the web copy.
Better than Gmail PDFs; still messy to search six months later.
Protects people who cannot complete forms at home; budget ten minutes of the hour.
Counselling sites are often Squarespace. Publish the form on ‘Working together’ with your confidentiality limits in the same section.
US pages should link the Notice of Privacy Practices if HIPAA applies. UK pages should link the privacy notice and explain ICO-facing rights without turning the form into a DSAR portal.
Only if you have rights to use that instrument and a plan to act on scores. Do not casually add diagnostic scales to a public HTML form.
Those services use their own clinical systems. This is for private and independent practice websites.
Your page copy should tell them to use emergency services. A form backend is not a crisis desk.
Use one form per adult or add a note that each person completes separately. Do not mix minors onto an adult public form.
A first-visit questionnaire for clinics that need structured contact, visit reason, and allergy notes.
For allied-health, coaching, and private-practice clients who are not hospital inpatients.
Welcome packet fields for first appointments at GP-style and specialist offices.