TEMPLATE FOR THERAPISTS
Policies & Procedures for Private Practice
Every therapy practice needs a policies and procedures document. Most clinicians have one they've been meaning to update for years—something cobbled together from templates, copied from a colleague, or auto-generated by their EHR. It covers the basics. It probably doesn't cover much else.
This isn't a Google Doc with a few bullet points. It's a 30+ page document structured to reflect the actual complexity of private practice—including the parts most templates skip entirely.
This is a comprehensive, plain-language policies and procedures template for private practice therapists—solo and group. Every section is written in plain language. Every policy explains itself. Every placeholder is marked in red so you know exactly what to fill in and what decisions you need to make before you send it to a client.
It was built from lived experience building a practice from the ground up—which is why it includes not just where most practices start, but where they're going. Sections covering supervision and confidentiality, credential levels, intern services, group therapy, and multi-provider billing aren't filler. They're here because you may need them sooner than you think, and retrofitting your policies mid-growth is harder than having the foundation already in place.
On substance, it goes where most generic templates don't. It opens with a cultural humility and identity-affirming care section that treats who your clients are as central to the work—not a footnote. It includes a technology and AI disclosure section, because if you use AI-assisted tools in your practice, you're now required to say so, and most P&P templates were written before that question existed. It addresses telehealth in detail—outdoor and mobile sessions, no-driving and no-third-parties policies, technical issues, and what happens when a connection drops during a crisis.
It covers the things most generic templates skip or soft-pedal: ESA letters and their clinical limits, unscheduled phone calls as billable sessions, credential explanations for supervised and licensed providers, somatic and trauma-informed therapy risk disclosure, continuity of care in the event of clinician death or incapacity, legal costs if a clinician is subpoenaed, and a harassment and weapons policy that's clear and enforceable.
On billing, it's comprehensive and honest—covering in-network insurance, out-of-network superbills, sliding scale language, good faith estimates, payment plans, fee changes, claim denials, intern services, and documentation requests.
Throughout, the tone is warm and direct. Policies are explained, not just stated. Because your policies should reflect your practice—not the other way around.You're running a practice on a P&P document you haven't seriously looked at in years—and especially if any of these sound familiar:
You're opening a private practice and need a real document—not a placeholder
Your current policies were cobbled together years ago and no longer reflect how you actually work
Your document doesn't mention AI tools, outdoor telehealth, or what happens if your connection drops mid-session
You've never had a written policy on ESA letters, unscheduled calls, or what happens if you're subpoenaed—and then you needed one
You take insurance, offer out-of-network, or both—and need all of that covered clearly in one place
You're solo right now but building toward something bigger—and you want infrastructure that can carry you there
You want a document that names your values instead of hiding them in legal language
1. Download and open—The template is a .docx file. Open it in Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
2. Choose your practice structure first—Throughout the document, separate language is provided for solo and group practices. Remove what doesn't apply before filling in anything else.
3. Replace the red brackets—Fill in your practice name, contact information, session rates, cancellation fees, EHR platform, telehealth platform, licensed states, and all other practice-specific details.
4. Review the teal notes—Teal clinician notes explain the purpose of each section, flag optional sections, and identify where state law or your specific practice model requires a decision. Read every one. Delete all notes before finalizing.
5. Remove what doesn't apply—Group therapy, intern services, in-network insurance, outdoor telehealth, weapons policy, and several others are clearly marked optional. Keep what applies, remove what doesn't.
6. Make it sound like you—The welcome section, cultural humility section, and practice philosophy sections are written as prompts, not finished copy. Replace the bracketed language with your actual voice and values.
7. Remove the clinician instruction page—This must be removed before sending to clients.
8. Save as a PDF—When your edits are complete, save a final version as a PDF before sending to clients or uploading to your EHR.
9. Plan to update it—This document is designed to be reviewed annually. When your platform changes, your fee structure changes, or new legal requirements emerge, this document should reflect it.
10. Have it reviewed—Before distributing to clients, have your final version reviewed by your licensing board, malpractice carrier, and/or a licensed attorney. Requirements vary by state and change over time.
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