I think I’ve told you guys before that I’m a bit of a digital dinosaur . . . easily intimidated by all things tech. But, that doesn’t mean that I can get along without the gadgets, apps, and software that are needed to stay connected to you.
In order to keep my practice running smoothly, I rely heavily on my MacBookPro, (my new) iPad, and yes, the cell phone, too. That’s why I am thrilled that therapist, marketing coach and consultant Clinton Power in Sydney, Australia has reached out to offer a little support to you and me by writing a guest post on his favorite apps.
(If you are interested in writing a guest post, check out the guidelines here.)
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A Guest Post by Clinton Power
I just love technology, especially when it helps me be more productive and effective in the running of my private practice.
Here a list of my top 10 apps and software that I use to run my busy private practice and make the best use of the time I have between clients for marketing and running my business.
Best of all, most of these apps are free, so you can dive right in and try them out without any expense.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a free app that helps you post to your different social media networks. It’s an app for your smartphone and can be accessed through your desktop browser as well.
Think of it like a control centre where you can read all your streams from your various social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and now Google+.
One of the things I like best about Hootsuite is you can schedule your posts. So if you’re busy or away from your office, you can schedule posts to go to different networks at different times. I make use of this feature when I have a busy client week, or I am going on holidays and want to disconnect from social media.
Delicious
Delicious is a free social bookmarking site where you can store all your bookmarks in the cloud and access them on any computer or mobile device.
You can share your bookmarks or make them private so people can’t see them. I use a Delicious add-on for my Chrome browser so I can add webpages to my bookmarks as I’m surfing the web with one click.
You can then tag the page with related words and phrases to make it very easy to find your bookmarks in the future.
You no longer have to struggle to remember where that interesting website was that you visited last month.
Pocket
Pocket (formerly Read it Later) is a fantastic free app for your mobile devices that stores all the articles you come across on the web, but don’t have time to read.
You can easy install a bookmarklet in your browser so with one click, Pocket grabs the entire article and stores it in your personal library for you to read later.
I have Pocket on my iPad and iPhone so I can catch up on reading the articles that interest me when it suits me.
Full Slate
I could not imagine running my therapy practice without an online appointment scheduler. It’s like my vital assistant, without the overheads.
I tried many online appointment schedulers, but Full Slate was the best by a mile.
I use Full Slate to allow new clients to request appointments. All appointments go into moderation until I can speak with the client and screen them for suitability. I then confirm their appointment if we are a good fit and the client gets automated email and SMS reminders before the appointment.
Current clients can make bookings without the endless phone tag back-and-forth and love the convenience it offers. My no-show rate has now disappeared and I have a full practice, even after returning from holidays.
Full Slate has a small monthly cost, which pays for itself in a very short time. However, they have a very generous free trial so you can check it out and see if it’s right for your business.
Stitcher
I love listening to podcasts to learn about different topics I’m interested in. (Truth be told, I mostly listen to podcasts that improve my marketing skills.) I listen when I go to the gym, when I walk the dog and even when I walk to the shops for some milk.
Stitcher is a free app that makes it incredibly easy to browse podcasts and subscribe to them. Once you’re subscribed, Stitcher automatically download the most recent episode to your mobile device.
And you don’t need to only listen to marketing podcasts. There are podcasts on every topic under the sun, including many on personal development, therapy and psychology.
Dropbox
Dropbox is an incredibly versatile free app that works on your desktop and all your mobile devices. Dropbox provides you with up to 5GB of free storage in the cloud (and 100GB for $10 a month) so you can easily move your documents between your different devices.
The Dropbox folder lives on your desktop computer so you can easily drop and drag your documents into the folder. Dropbox then uploads your document to the cloud so you can access it on any device.
The great thing about this app is if you are working on a document between sitting at your computer or on the road where you only have your tablet or mobile, you are always editing the most recent version of your document. Shared documents that you are working on collaboratively also become a breeze,
Flipboard
Flipboard is a beautiful free app for your smartphone or tablet that takes your social media streams and turns them into a stunning magazine format so it’s easy to consume.
If you’ve ever struggled to enjoy Twitter, Flipboard makes your Twitter stream attractive and easy to read. You can also share to your social media networks within Flipboard.
As a curator of content, I’m constantly looking for fresh content for my community, so Flipboard makes it easy to find fresh content and share it with my followers.
Picmonkey
This is relatively new software on the scene that allows you to create gorgeous and creative photo collages for your blog and social media networks.
It’s very easy to use. You just upload your images (make sure you use creative commons) and creative an attractive collage using the Picmonkey templates. You then download your new image to use as you like.
I’ve been using this recently to create images for my blog and I’m very happy with the results.
iA Writer
iA Writer is my all-time favorite app for mac. In fact, I’m using it to write this post right now.
It’s a very simple and elegant text editor that makes your whole screen white to avoid any distractions while you’re writing.
I find it allows me to focus on my writing and not be distracted by other items on my desktop.
It also syncs with iCloud, so I have a version on my iPad, iPhone and desktop so I can sync the one article between all my devices. No matter where I continue working on my article, I’m always seeing the latest version.
Evernote
If you haven’t yet heard of Evernote, you’ve probably been living under a rock.
Evernote is one of the most versatile note-taking apps out there. One you start using it, you start to realize how many possibilities there are for using it to support your business.
Anything you want to capture, just create a note and add it. Evernote syncs in the cloud between all your devices and your desktop, so you’ve always got access to your notes.
I use Evernote for a million different things, but mostly I use it to capture blog ideas when I am out of my office.
Evernote allows you to capture text, images or audio. It’s powerful search function means you’re never without the information that’s important to you.
What are your favorite apps that help your private practice productivity? Leave your comments below.
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About the Author: Clinton Power is a Sydney-based Gestalt therapist and the owner of 
Clinton Power + Associates– a private practice dedicated to helping singles and couples move out of relationship pain. He is also the founder of Australia Counselling Directory, a free directory for find counsellors and psychologists in Australia. Clinton is also a passionate coach and consultant for healthcare professionals. Find him on Twitter or Google+
Hi there! I also discovered 1Password. It is fantastic if you have various websites that use a password. You have one master password, then it generates passwords for each website so that they are all different and impossible for someone to find out. It’s a very cool looking set-up and even imports the logos of your sites. You just put in your master password and click on the website you want log in to and voila, you are in. I highly recommend it. It’s a free app as well.
Linda, I’ve been looking for a password keeper and password generator. Thanks so much! Wondering if anyone else has a similar app to share specifically related to passwords?
I’ve used Password Keeper for iPhone and it works very well. It’s a free app, so it limits the ability to store/access passwords only within the app on the phone. If you upgrade to the pro version (paid), it’ll store that info in the cloud for you. I believe within that app you can also generate passwords for accounts you have as well.
Thanks, Aaron!
I have found Last Pass to be very helpful. I use it on my laptop and desktop, and it syncs to the cloud. Plus it generates passwords and can store other pertinent information that you regularly use (such as credit card numbers or address).
Last Pass! Thanks Tawnya! Love that I can include credit card numbers!
Yes I use Last Pass and find it increases my productivity significantly.
Another solid vote for LastPass here. It also provides for dual-authentication for extra security.
Hey, Rob! Good to hear from you! Thank you for recommending LastPass! Headed to check it out, too! So appreciated!
I tried FullSlate and it was a horrible experience. It created havoc with my Google Calendar by adding several copies of the same appointment and randomly deleting others, which I’m still dealing with many months later. Customer service was unhelpful and they, seemingly, had no idea what they were doing. Terrible and very stressful experience.
Kirol, thanks so much for dropping in to Private Practice from the Inside Out to let us know about our experience with FullSlate! That was such a terrible experience that I had to reach out back channel to make sure that you were actually a human and not just some bot from a competitor putting spam in my comments! Haha – so sorry you had that experience but grateful that you are willing to share it with us!
I hope you’ll drop back in often to chat and share your successes and your challenges, too!
Kirol, sorry to hear about your experience and I’m surprised to hear this. The feedback I’ve heard from my colleagues about Full Slate is really different than this and echoed in the comments on this post. I noticed that Full Slate prominently cautions users when setting up the Google Calendar sync, given the inherent effects of two-way calendar syncs. I personally don’t use this feature so can’t comment on the calendar sync. I can say that the customer service is superb and I’m never had a problem there. All the best!
Hi, Clinton! Thanks so much for noting the cautions related to the calendar sync. Having not used Full Slate, I wouldn’t have known to even consider that as a possible hiccup in the process.
I don’t mean to sound negative, but my experience with Full Slate — as opposed to good experiences with Schedulicity & Genbook — was horrible. The customer service was slow and unhelpful and the product was actually destructive. Schedulictiy & Genbook didn’t quite have what I was looking for, so I tried Full Slate, which, from the description here, sounded like it might be a better fit. I really wish I had never tried it.
Hi, Kirol! Thanks for staying engaged in this discussion. Hey, i’m not familiar with Schedulicity or Genbook. Can you tell us more about them?
Pretty similar idea, I think. A way to schedule & have clts make appts. I think there are a number of other options as well.
Hootsuite:
I would say beware not to post the same thing in more than one facebook group at one time cause now FB thinks my site is spam and blocks the link and I think that’s one of the reasons (I had it set to post to my personal page, professional page and a group I was in), and it really stinks that I can’t figure out how to fix it.
Ohhhh! Too bad! I love Hootsuite, too! (For those of you that don’t know . . . Hootsuite allows you to better manage your social media tools.) Thanks, Jill!
Thanks for letting us know about this Jill. I’ve used Hootsuite for many years posting to the different social media networks and not run into this problem. I would encourage you to send a ticket to the help desk as I have always found their customer service excellent. Best of luck!
Once again you have come through with such inspiration! Sometimes I find the tech business end is where I find the fun in work!
Oh, my, Mary! You are clearly talking to Clinton because I can’t imagine that I’m providing inspiration with the tech stuff! Thank you, Clinton, for writing on a topic that is so very needed and sharing your favorite apps!
I totally agree! I would much rather work on my practice’s tech stuff than boring old clinical notes or something like that. 😀
Oh, you techie types! You guys are blessed!
I’m glad you have found the post inspiring. Thanks so much for dropping by Mary!
AWESOME post! Thank you both for setting this topic up – it’s just what I was looking for. I’m checking out Full Slate now and loving the features offered! Do you get referral credit/bonus, Clinton? If I do sign up (and pay), I want to make sure you would get credit for referring me.
One other question I have on the topic is about note-taking IN SESSION. Do you know of any apps that allow you to take notes (using a stylus) via handwriting, which you can then transfer to an electronic document somehow, or at least get access to from a computer? I’d love to save the paper by writing notes on an iPad, then sitting down at my computer to see all my notes in digital text format, ready to copy/paste into my progress note documents. Does this exist?
Aaron, I love Evernote for note taking. However, I have not used it for my clinical notes. Still . . . one of the best for taking / organizing not only notes but also for grabbing URLs, clips of content from other websites, images, videos, etc. and putting them all in one place.
The other app that I’m experimenting with right now that relates to notes – again isn’t exactly what you are asking for but . . . check out Notability. I just attended a 3 1/2 hour workshop on Friday over lunch. I had Notability record the whole thing (rather than me trying to take notes on top of my lunch table). I was sitting 25 feet away from the speaker who was not wearing a microphone. The presentation was highly interactive with us moving all over the room. And, still, Notability recorded every single word as clearly as if I were sitting across from her in a 1:1 conversation! I’m very please with it and will definitely use it again. The drawback, I think, is that it does not allow me to organize my “notes” as well as Evernote.
Aaron, when you decide what you are going to use, please do drop back in to let us know!
Very helpful – thanks, Tamara! I don’t have an iPad *yet* but am trying to justify it, so this was very helpful for me. I love the idea of recording some things and being able to play it back – I can definitely find that useful for many situations.
I will definitely keep you updated if/when I settle on something. 🙂
Santa brought “the mini” and I’m deliriously happy with it. Didn’t truly know I needed it . . . until I got it. Those Apple folks are BRILLIANT!
On the other hand, I don’t have a smart phone . . . and probably won’t until they quit making those old flip phones:)
This little dinosaur really IS tech-phobic and resist almost all change in technology until the old stuff is obsolete. That’s why I’m finally getting around to offering the blogging classes . . . . I know there are therapists out there who are as tech-challenged as me. And, what I know is that if I can learn how to do it . . . and actually enjoy it . . . they can, too!
Evernote also has the ability to record audio within a note up to 25 MB for a free account or 50MB for a premium account.
My only question with taking notes with an app such as Evernote would be how to ensure confidentiality since notes are stored in the cloud? I love the rest of these apps however! I’m making notes. I’m also looking into Bento as a potential client database app to use on my iPad, iPhone, and iMac. I’m still struggling with how to make it work the way I want to though :-).
Natalie, I don’t use Evernote for my clinical notes. I use it for recording things like notes from workshops or from things I’m reading. 🙂
This is such great stuff! I already use delicious for bookmarks, and it makes it so much easier to store everything. You can also tag bookmarks so that everything for licensure is together, for example.
Dropbox is another great tool. If you have a free account, there are all kinds of ways to get more space, including telling the company why you like to use it and inviting friends. After you login, there’s a link at the top somewhere. I believe it says “get more space.”
I can’t wait to try Pocket!
Thanks for the great resources, Clinton! Great idea for a post, Tamara!
Oh, YES! LOVE Delicious! I completely forget about it being a tool. I use it every single day! Thanks for the reminder!
For those that want to keep their bookmarks private, you can set your privacy so none of your bookmarks are visible to the public. This is a nice feature.
Glad you enjoyed the post Lauren! Drop Box is an amazing tool. I’m paying $9.99 a month and getting 100GB of storage, which allows me to keep lots of audio and video in the cloud.
I might mention that it’s important not to store any client data in cloud apps such as Drop Box or Evernote as they are not 100% secure. However, Full Slate does offer encryption of your client data, so it is HIPPA compliant.
Thanks, Clinton! These are great resources that I have shared them several times since reading your post. I can’t wait to see what is created next.
Tamara, perhaps you could consider making this a yearly post? That way we could talk about all the new stuff or changes in settings or availability that might be helpful. For instance, certain software or applications might not be HIPAA compliant now, but it doesn’t mean that they won’t see the need to do so in the future. Just a thought…
Excellent suggestion, Lauren!
Dropbox also gives I believe 10 or 25 gb (can’t remember which) if you sign up with an education account. I’m a doctoral student and I signed up with my .edu email and it increased my storage for free.
Nice! They will also give you additional free space as you refer others to Dropbox.
Hi Tamara!
Thanks for the blog and the shout out. I wanted to let you know that we have added a LOT more apps and technologies to the site. http://www.telementalhealthcomparisons.com/apps.
The numbers go back and forth as some companies go out of business and new ones arrive on the scene. Feel free to post your feedback here and on the product pages.
All of us are smarter than one of us. 🙂
Cheers,
Jay Ostrowski
Hi, Jay! It’s so good to hear from you! Thanks so much for updating your website to include these new apps! I look forward to checking them out and I know that my readers are too!
Thanks for sharing all this info. I just got a super duper Android small tablet smart phone that does let you hand write and turn it into text, emails, and send to computer etc. It also works by voice alone and turns that into text, emails etc. I’m still in learning. mode as this is way out of my comfort zone, but not having to use a keypad drew me over the obstacle of getting something like this.
For Aaron there is non-phone way to accomplish what he wants for session note taking. There is a special pen and paper that you write on. They both look like normal pens and papers. Then all of it goes into your computer as text. upon downloading some how. I don’t have the name of company but it’s been around for over 2 years so try Google, or maybe someone knows about it.
Kimberly! That smart phone of yours sounds AWESOME! And, I’m remembering that pen and pad that you are talking about now that you mention it. I’ve never tried it and would really love to hear if anyone else has an opinion about it. Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks for the suggestion, Kimberly. I do remember seeing those devices, but I think they’re outdated out with the ability to do those tasks on a tablet for the same price (plus the additional productivity tablets offer). I’ll definitely keep my eyes and ears open to more ideas, though! 🙂
Kimberly, I don’t know whether this is what you’re talking about, but it looks like it will convert notes to text: http://www.irislink.com/c2-2193-189/IRISnotes-2–Digital-Pen-family.aspx
Hi Lauren and others. This IRIS pen that you found looks to be better than the one I saw in 2010 because the IRISH doesn’t require special paper. in fact it works on any paper which keeps the cost down and makes it more handy. THANKS for looking to find it!
Kimberly, I so appreciate you taking time to point this difference out because when I last looked the pen required special paper and the pads of paper were really expensive! If I don’t have to use their special paper, that makes this tool much more flexible and appealing to me, too!
Great post, thanks! I love Evernote, Dropbox, Delicious, and Stitcher. Maybe I’ll look at Flipboards again, and Hootsuite. I have just downloaded iA Writer, since I recognise I am very distractible! It’s great to share the things that work well.
Regarding passwords, I use 1Password on my laptop, iPad and iPhone, synchronising through Dropbox. I don’t know how I ever managed without it. But it’s not free, or wasn’t when I bought it.
Hi, Judy! Welcome to Private Practice from the Inside Out! I’m checking out Flipboards, too, thanks to Clinton. And, with the recommendations coming in for 1Password, I’ll definitely be checking that out, too! I’m wondering why you choose to synchronize with Dropbox rather than in the Cloud?
I’m trying out Dropbox now and it is free to save up to 5 (whatever the space unit is) The cost comes if you want more space. I don’t really understand how this app is that helpful. I put audios in it from my PC and sent the link to friends to try it out. I could have easily emailed something else. Any explanation would be appreciated 🙂
Kimberly, I love Dropbox although, admittedly, I don’t use it to its full potential. The way I’ve found it helpful is when I’ve collaborated with someone else on a project . . . like offering a webinar . . . I’ve often recorded the live version and then needed someone else to edit it for me. Those hour-long files have often been very large . . . too large to send via email. On those occassions, sharing the file via Dropbox allowed my colleague to edit them for sharing with participants.
I have also placed Word documents in there when I’ve been collaborating on them. That way I have been able to edit the docs and then my colleague could see my edits by accessing Dropbox, add her own comments, etc. Yes, we could have shuffled back and forth via email but sometimes we have needed more immediate access than email provided.
Wondering how others have found Dropbox to be useful?
Tamara, If it’s a huge file, or complex one and the receivers have varying levels of download capabilities then I see the value for exchanging it to collaborate. or share. The audio files can be huge. as you point out.
Question- when you collaborate on Documents in it, is it possible to both work on it at the same time?
Dropbox me of google docs which I don’t use because of privacy concerns. they say it’s private if you make it that way, but I don’t think anything is really private that Google is part of so I never use Google Docs.
Kimberly, I’m not sure if you are asking about documents in Dropbox OR documents in Google Docs . . . . However, I think you are both able to work on the document at the same time. However, it might get a little confusing unless you each named the document something different. Can anyone else speak to this? I don’t know that I’ve ever worked on a document concurrent with someone else. I’ve worked on a doc, deposited it in Dropbox, had my colleague tweak it, leave it in Dropbox, and continued back and forth in this manner – each of us working on different sections or with different tasks related to the document.
And, as for privacy . . . I’m with you. “Private” is one thing but “Confidential” and “HIPAA” level security are all different animals. I would not be placing client info in there yet. They just aren’t there with security yet.
In terms of privacy, I put things in my dropbox that are private for me, but I don’t put client-sensitive information in there unless it is in some kind of passworded file. Most of the work I do at home involves resources for clients rather than confidential client data, so I am comfortable with that.
The top of this page has information about security with dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/privacy#security
Thanks, Lauren!:)
Kimberly, Dropbox has a lot of different functions. You can share things like Tamara mentioned where everybody who has access to that part of your dropbox will automatically get updated versions of what you’re working on. You can link to certain documents if you put them in another folder called “public” and send the links to people when the document is too big to e-mail.
I use dropbox like a virtual filing cabinet and flash drive. You can leave things in dropbox as a way of storing them. Or, what I like best is that you can install dropbox on more than one computer and login. This way, when I put something in the dropbox at home, my laptop at work will automatically update all of those files when that computer is connected to the Internet. This is why I say that it’s kind of like a virtual flash drive.
Hey, Lauren, will it update those files without you bothering to sync them? Does that just happen automatically?
Yes, it’s automatic. If both computers are connected to the Internet, it will start to download to the second computer as soon as the first one is finished uploading. With small files, it only takes a matter of seconds. It is a larger file, it is not instantaneous, but it is still automatic. If the second computer is not connected to the Internet when dropbox files are changed, it will still update automatically when the second computer is online.
Thanks so much! That’s great to know!
You all may not this already, but if you use Gmail then you might consider Google Drive as an alternative to Dropbox. It provides pretty much all the same functionality, I think with 10gb of cloud storage, and it has built-in web-based tools for creating and editing MS Word, Excel, and Powerpoint documents. You can also share, collaborate, and edit documents amongst many people and the changes are all synced and stored in the cloud. 🙂
Excellent, Aaron! That’s very helpful! Thanks!
Kimberly, I use Drop Box to work on documents between my devices. For example, I am working at my desktop on a document and need to travel to a conference. So I save my document to Drop Box and then I can work on the latest version of my document on my laptop or iPad while on the road.
It’s also an amazing collaboration tool as Tamara mentioned, so you can have numerous contributors all working on the same document. I upload my audio recordings to Drop Box and then my transcriber in the Philippines can download the audio and and then upload the transcript to my folder. I get an immediate notification as soon as the document is uploaded and complete.
I also host audio and video in Drop Box and share the link to different tutorials with my coaching clients. The audio or video plays right in Drop Box without them having to download it.
And as Tamara mentioned, it’s great for sharing very large files with other people. For example, I might create a video, but I want to send it to my video editor to work on, then it’s an easy process.
Thank you all for further explaining the features of DropBox. It does sound handy for many reasons.
It sounds like Google docs became Google Drive based on your explanation Aaron. That would explain why I couldn’t fins Google Docs the other day.
I appreciate your getting this theme started with your post Clinton!
Aaron, I hope you enjoy using Full Slate. I couldn’t imagine running my business without it. It has actually allowed my business to grow significantly and take on 2 other associates without having to hire an admin person.
You might want to check out Penultimate for taking notes in session as that’s a cool iPad app that you can write on with a stylus and it captures your handwriting.
I don’t recommend you ever take clinical notes with any apps that have backup in the cloud, such as Evernote or DropBox as these apps aren’t encrypted and not HIPPA compliant.
I definitely want to check out Penultimate – thanks again for that recommendation.
As far as taking clinical notes with an app, I definitely agree about the confidentiality stuff. I mainly want to use it for my notes in session as I’m sitting with a client (which contains no identifying information), and then translate that over to a clinical note.
I recently discovered Flipbook and really like it. However, I can really get sucked in and lose a lot of time because it is so interesting.
I also use Evernote and Dropbox. Don’t know how I’d make it without them. Dropbox gives me security that my files won’t be lost if my computer were to crash.
I will have to check out Full Slate. I considered a scheduling service in the past but decided it wasn’t very personal. What do others think?
Tawnya, I’m embarrassed to say that I like a little more control with my schedule than allowing clients to schedule willy nilly. “Donut Days” as my friend, Barbara, calls them i.e. those with clients in the beginning, a hole in the middle, and more clients in the afternoon really drive me crazy! (I would prefer to start early or end late but definitely don’t want both.)
And, yes, like you, I prefer to have that personal touch up front. To me, it’s like the glue between me and a first time client. Still . . . so glad to hear the recommendation for a scheduling service if / when I change my mind!
Tamara, Full Slate has settings that make the software only offer clients appointments that are close to each other to avoid ‘donut days’ (love that term!).
I also only offer the times I want to work first (the sessions that are best for me) and as they fill up, I release more times for those days if I choose to work more.
I use Full Slate like a conduit that puts the client in touch with me and helps them take an action on my website and feel some sense of relief. I think you can then add as much ‘personal touch’ as you want once you contact them. I have Full Slate set up so all appointments go into moderation awaiting my response.
I never accept appointment requests without speaking with the client first and making sure we’re a good fit.
Am I tempting you to give it a go yet? 😉
OK, you’ve got me! I didn’t realize (and haven’t yet gone to look at it to know) that you have the ability to set those appointments up via moderation. Now that really is sweet! Thanks, Clinton!
Tamara, I *totally* agree with you about the personal touch. It’s something that’s set my practice apart from others, I think, as I’ve heard that from many clients over the years – especially regarding the simple act of returning someone’s call promptly!
Anyway, I browsed around Full Slate very skeptically but I have to say I am VERY impressed! It has so much functionality that it seems perfectly tailored to me and my practice. You can adjust the settings to force clients to schedule around other appointments (so you don’t get those “Donut Days”), you can add a personal statement that clients will read before and after scheduling, and so much more. I’ve already integrated it with my website, which was a breeze, all last night! I truly think this will cut back on some time that I would have spent talking on the phone with clients, going back and forth scheduling, or dealing with cancellations.
Well done Aaron. Yes Full Slate has amazing functionality that allows you to customise it to work in whatever way you want your business to run.
Another tip is I have my cancellation policy on the Full Slate booking page and all confirmations and reminders that go to clients, so there’s never ANY doubt what the process is if they cancel and my clients are crystal clear on my full-fee 24 hour cancellation policy.
This has saved me thousands of dollars of income that would have been lost in the past due to cancellations.
I hope you enjoy the software as much as I do!
Hi Tamara,
Thanks for sharing this post. While some of the stuff I knew, I can say you just solved a lot of my frustration as I’ve been looking for a way to incorporate text into my photos. Doing an Internet search did not generate sufficient results. So, thank you!
Christine, so glad to help!
And, here’s a link to Brazen Careerist’s post today – 6 Apps Guaranteed to Improve Your Networking . Some of these sound really interesting, too!
Keep those recommendations coming!
Hey, gang . . . I’ve also seen recommendations for Audio Note that allows you to record while actually taking notes on an iPad. Interesting!
And, Daily Notes to actually track attendance, take notes, and password protect them, too!
Someone also recommended Square Register to accept credit cards.
“StayOnTask” was recommended to use with teens and adults who have ADD.
And, another therapist suggested iClient to manage client files.
Anyone here familiar with any of these?
Thanks for those suggestions! Keep them coming! 🙂
I’ve used Square, Bank of America, and Paypal, but have found them lacking (and I’ve used them all a lot). Square is okay but it’s become geared towards bigger businesses (such as Apple and Starbucks). I’ve switched and am sticking with newcomer Flint Mobile. It’s customizable, greater for small businesses, does not use a dongle (takes a scan/photo of the card), and has lower fees.
Hey, thanks, Aaron! That’s to good to know!
Christine, I’m glad you found the post helpful. Check out the iPhone app ‘Over’ for writing text on photos. It’s very cool!
Sweet! Hadn’t heard of this one, either, Clinton! You really are the ultimate in geeky knowledge:) I know your clients must love that!
I just got a news update in my RSS feed about an App that Evernote acquired and just released which integrates with their services: it’s called Penultimate. It’s supposed to be a handwriting app that syncs, stores, and shares your notes… and looks like the perfect tool for what we do! Here’s the link: http://evernote.com/penultimate/
Now all I need is an iPad to use it on… 🙂
Penultimate! That sounds perfect!
FYI- penultimate looks like what is built into my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 that I spoke of above.
I like “paper” which is an app that has different notebooks you can use to keep up with sketches and ideas, igenogram for genograms, and art studio for photo editing.
And also docs to go for documents, presentations, etc. I can save documents from my laptop and edit them on my iPad or iPhone.
Oh, sweet! Can you share them with others like Dropbox, too?
Jill, thanks so much! I’ve been thinking about genograms and wondering what was out there! Will be checking out all three of these!
Hey, check out this link that my e-friend and colleague Jay Ostrowski just shared with us on LinkedIn! http://www.telementalhealthcomparisons.com
Hey, gang – thanks so much for sharing this post, reposting on Facebook, telling your colleagues, etc. By sharing this post, we are continuing to build a fabulous collection of therapist-friendly apps! Please continue to do so AND please drop in to Clinton’s site if you haven’t already to tell him how much you appreciate him initiating this conversation!
Thanks Tamara for allowing me to guest post and *meet* your fascinating tribe. What an engaging community you have here. Incredible!
Great post, thank you! You mentioned that you have tried several systems for online scheduling and note taking. Have you tried Therapy Appointments? My colleagues love this software for clinical note keeping, as well as online scheduling. I have not tried Full Slate yet, but will check it out. If you have tried Therapy Appointments, could you comment on your experience? Thanks again!!
Hi Kim. No I haven’t tried Therapy Appointments. Sounds like a nice feature of being able to add clinical notes. I would just make sure it’s using encryption to ensure confidentiality of your sensitive client data ( I assume it is, but make sure).
Thanks for a great post! I wanted to add another vote for FullSlate. I, too, was worried about having “donut” days, as well as having clients see holes in my schedule as an indictment of my skills. However, FullSlate doesn’t show your whole calendar to clients; instead, it serves up available times based on their time/day requests. I’ve set mine to only offer times next to other scheduled appointments. Last, it can send my clients confirmation emails and reminders — awesome!
Thanks, Elizabeth! I’m teaching ASIST classes this week but am eager to check out Full Slate. I appreciate you letting us know about your experience! It sounds divine!
My pleasure Elizabeth! Yes there are so many cool features of Full Slate and I keep finding more and more. The automated SMS and email reminders mean my ‘no-show’ rate has been eliminated. They also released another new feature recently where you can hide all your client names from the calendar to stop any prying eyes looking over your shoulder as you make the new booking. A very handy feature.
I have to say this has been AWESOME for my business. I mostly only tell current clients they can now schedule on my website, and I’ve only got positive feedback from it. I can tell that it’s reduced a lot of the stress of scheduling, reduced a lot of the time spent going back and forth with people (especially couples or individuals who travel a lot), and improved my ability to focus on what I’m there for – therapy! Thank you so much for this recommendation, Clinton!
I suspect I’m right behind you, Aaron!
Wow, Tamara & Clinton, this has turned out to be a pretty hot post. Thanks for all the info everyone.
Now that I’ve heard more about Full Slate, I’m reconsidering using it.
This is more of a therapy app, but it’s called PTSD coach, it’s for IPHONE and has all kinds of rating scales, self assessment, and coping techniques for PTSD. The best thing is that it’s free and clients can download it and have it with them all the time.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ptsd-coach/id430646302?mt=8
Thanks, Jill! Therapy apps are welcome here, too!
What a wonderful list of great apps to check out! Thank you! I am wondering if anyone has experience with using an app for faxing (rather
than a traditional fax machine)?
Thanks, Anne, for joining us and dropping in to chat, too. I don’t fax so I can’t answer this one. Hopefully someone here in our community will know though!
I’ve used RingCentral for several years and LOVE it. I compared them with many other electronic/online fax services and found it to be the best value with the best features for what I need. I have a confidential business cell phone, so I don’t have a landline in my office and don’t want to install one just so I can have a fax machine – it’s too expensive this way. So I pay about $16 per month (including monthly fees) for unlimited sending/receiving of faxes and it’s totally worth it. I don’t fax too often, and when I do it’s nice to be able to receive an email of each fax so I can read them wherever I am – I don’t have to be in the office (of course, good boundaries are required with each step of technology you take!). Feel free to ask any other questions you may have about it, though.
Thanks so much, Aaron, for the tip!
Thanks, Aaron, for the tip! How’s life in beautiful Beaverton, Oregon this weekend?
So I am just getting around to reading abd acting on about 500 emails in my inbox! Glad I came across the link to this thread in the process! I am checking out these apps and I am so sure that it will bring me greater productivity in my practice! Thank you so much for sharing! Great post (as usual) Tamara!
Hi, Carla! I’ve missed your voice here! I’ve found several new tools to add to my tool belt thanks to Clinton! I’m betting you will, too!
Thanks Tamara! I have missed being here! Glad to know my voice is valued. I just signed up for the free trial of Full Slate! I am so excited to use it. It is so hard in a solo practice to be the service provider and the admin. This service will lift a great weight off of my shoulder! Thank you for always sharing the best practice information and resources.
Oh, Carla, I do hope you’ll drop back in to let us know how Full Slate works for you – what you like / don’t like about it. I completely agree that being a solo practitioner can be a challenge. I’ve just gone a different route by hiring a Virtual Assistant this year and I’m thrilled with her! She is amazingly efficient, thorough, and a delight to work with! She’s making me look better than I could ever have looked on my own AND she’s freeing me up to do other things that I really do enjoy!
Tamara, I have not heard of this virtual assistant. Can you explain a little more about what that is? It sounds like it is a piece of computer software, but you also seemed to give it human qualities. I can’t decide whether you were personifying something that has an avatar or if you were actually talking about a person. 🙂
Lauren, a virtual assistant i.e. a VA is a human being who works remotely – mine is states away – doing a variety of tasks for me that I either can’t do or don’t have time to do. Mine is paid hourly although some are paid by the job. She’s definitely not computer software. Her name is Mindy and she manages my email list for me among other things. We have just started working together but I can tell you that it’s such a relief to have someone who is so conscientious and efficient to handle things that I am virtually clueless about.
I, too, have a VA but she is in my state and I personally know her. 🙂 I second the idea and have LOVED having her operate those aspects of my business that I don’t have time or don’t want to do! It truly takes an enormous stress away from me and allows me to focus on what I really WANT to be doing. Plus, from a business standpoint, it’s cheaper for me to pay someone else to do those tasks than do them myself, so that time gets freed up for me to be seeing clients.
So far I am really liking Full Slate! I am preparing to load it directly to my website! In addition, I am about to load my new client forms there, so clients can print and fill them out before they come. My focus the next few weeks is to find ways to be more productive, so I can free myself to see more clients in the summer-which is usually a slower time.
Hey, Carla – this is great! Can you tell us what it will do for you? I don’t think anyone has talked about this yet.
Sure Tamara, I would be glad to. As the sole person in my practice, it is very challenging to keep up with administrative tasks. In addition I do a lot of mental health consulting work outside the office, so I am in the car most of the time. It makes it very hard to answer the office cell and schedule appointments between red lights. LOL Also, I had a client ask me why I did not call the day before to confirm appointments. I explained to him that it is just me (except for those times my hubby comes in to do the billing), and historically clients have not respected boundaries and felt that my call was a “mini-session” until they saw me in the office. With the huge amount of work it takes to run the business, having a system where my clients can schedule online AND receive text and email reminders will lift a huge weight off of me. I think it will also help to keep my calendar full and minimize the “I forgot” cancellations. I am excited to have one less thing to do.
Thanks, Carla! That’s so helpful and makes perfect sense to me! And, your explanation of clients turning phone calls into mini-therapy sessions certainly sounds familiar, too.
Hey, I just went to your website . . . . I thought you were blogging. Did I make that up? Couldn’t find any posts and am wondering if there is a glitch on your site or if I am mistaken.
No Tamara, you weren’t mistaken. I just haven’t been able to get around to it. 🙁 Blogging is one of the things that I hope to earn time for in my quest for productivity. My goal is May 1st for being able to churn out my first blog. I have to figure out what is going on with me and dissertation 1st. I will keep you posted.
I’m late to the conversation. I’d like to add Pages for preparing docs and Note Anytime, which allows you to type, draw, have fun, paste, etc. and they’re free.
I just gave up trying practice management software for now after giving it 2 months of effort. I liked having my calendar online, however, and now I’m wondering what will be the best way to maintain my calendar and communication with my part-time admin. assistant. I am thinking about Google calendar. I also saw Full Slate and am wondering if it’s really worth the additional cost. So, may I ask, Tamara, have you tried it and what do you think?
Hi, Ana! It’s never too late to join the conversations here. I’ve still got folks chatting on posts from 2009 when I started blogging. Since our community here at Private Practice from the Inside Out has new folks joining us all the time, I never close comments and, as you know, some of the best info and resources are found in the comment section rather than in the actual posts.
I have been using Google Calendar since January and I love it. This was my initial foray into using an electronic calendar and I did make a few mistakes early on like scheduling something for AM rather than PM and putting events on the wrong day. However, once I learned to double check those things, it’s been smooth sailing. I sync mine between my computer, mini-Ipad, and my phone so I always have my schedule with me.
I do not share it with anyone but can imagine that it might be a great way to share schedules. There is a note section with each event that is scheduled so you are able to give directions or add info that is not usually included in a traditional pen / paper calendar. I love that I can color-coordinate events into different categories (of my choosing) and can change the view from day to week to month and even year.
I have not experience with Full Slate. If you try it, though, I hope you’ll drop back in to share your experiences.
Thank you Tamara for the quick input. Does Google Calendar have any interactive features and is it HIPAA compliant? I’m wondering if anyone out there has used both and what do they think.
Uhmmmm. Those are good questions, Ana. I don’t have the answer for you because I don’t share my calendar with anyone. Hoping someone out there will know!
I use Google Calendar internally for my business, but I don’t share it or make it public because I don’t believe it is HIPAA compliant. However, Full Slate is – and it offers Google Calendar two-way integration. So I use that and it works like a charm.
Thanks, Aaron! I don’t use Full Slate and am not familiar with it. Will be checking it out!
Thank you Aaron!
Hi Tamara,
Though I’ve been reading your blog for a few months now, this is the first time I’ve posted a comment. This is a very valuable discussion as I am just starting out in private practice – I appreciate all the tips you and your guests and followers share!
I just wanted to offer another option for anyone looking for genogram software. I stumbled upon Genopro (www.genopro.com) a while back, when I was preparing a family scrapbook for my father. Since as a therapist I’m used to the genogram representation of family trees, I was hoping to find software that could visually represent a complicated history using genogram symbols. (The way family trees are represented by folks researching ancestry was confusing to me!) Unlike professional software, Genopro is marketed to consumers and so is (in my opinion) more affordable. There is also a free trial option. The software has many options for representing family relationships, medical histories, etc., all using standard genogram notation. (I learned how to do genograms a long time ago…the symbols seem standard to me!)
Thanks again for your helpful blog!
Hi, Camille, and thank you for taking the time to actually join the conversations here! It’s one of the best things about this online community – the info here is generous and rich because there are so many contributing so many different perspectives and experiences.
I particularly appreciate you sharing info about Genpro because one of my supervisees is looking for genogram software and I haven’t used any. Hopefully, she is following this thread and will notice your suggestion.
This is fabulous! Thank you! Do you know if it’s HIPAA complant?
Well, since it’s just a stand alone software program, I think it’s up to us to ensure the safety of the data. Just like we would with any kind of file that’s on a computer. Any more tech-savvy folks out there have thoughts about that?
I second GenoPro! It’s what I used in graduate school and my sister-in-law (who is also going through the same program I did) says it is still the go-to genogram software program. I loved it when I was in school…
As far as HIPAA compliance goes, Camille is right – it’s a standalone program, so it doesn’t transmit information to the internet or store anything in the cloud, so it should be safe on your computer as long as you secure your machine with a password or whatever.
Aaron, thanks so much for dropping in here to share what you know!
Was just trolling around on your website and noticed that you’ve got a business page on Facebook for your practice now! Sweet! (It looks so much more professional than using a personal page. When I see therapists doing that I want to say “Stop that! It gives the appearance of your therapy practice being just a wacky hobby!)
How’s life in the beautiful state of Oregon? And, what new projects / ventures are you up to, Aaron?
My pleasure! I just wish I had more time to spend here – it’s such a supportive and informative community. 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement about my FB page! After using it for a while now, I can see the benefits of having it that I couldn’t see before. It’s handy for people to connect with me, see more personally what I’m all about and how I think, and get some solid information about my practice that’s more dynamic than my website.
Oregon is treating me well – just SUPER busy the last few months! Honestly, it’s been a lot of (good) personal and family stuff mixed in with (also good) long work weeks (30+ client hours). Thanks for asking! Thank you, also, AGAIN, for keeping this website going – you are such a great resource and support for my practice… you have no idea! 🙂
So glad all is going so well for you and your family! Next time I’m in Oregon, I’ll try to look you up, Aaron. Would be lovely to meet face to face!
I would LOVE that! Feel free to email me when you visit and we can get together – I’d love to buy you a cup of coffee and finally be able to have an in-person conversation with you!
Looking forward to it, Aaron!
Hi again Tamara and all!
I’ve just reread the entire thread. What a nice group of people you are.
I didn’t see a suggestion for what I’m looking for so here goes-
an app or service that offers therapists online CC processing the client can enter, reminder emails for appts, email blast or newsletter type of thing, diagnostic codes and cpt codes (all updated of course), invoicing or superbill statements since I don’t bill ins. Is this asking too much??
Most likely this service will include billing and maybe calendaring, although I need neither.
I was happy to read the suggestion of Flint Mobile. any feedback on how well it’s working?
I’ve been using PayAnywhere, which uses the attachment on the phone. if the connection to internet isn’t excellent, it is iffy if it works. Otherwise it’s great, low fee and fast pay. The camera approach Flint Mobile takes might work better for me.
Thanks in advance for any leads 🙂
Hi, Kimberly! Thanks for dropping in to chat! You are absolutely right – it’s a great group of therapists that you’ll find here! In fact, it’s the BEST THING about Private Practice from the Inside Out! Because of the many voices you find here, you are likely to find the information and the inspiration you need to build a strong and vibrant private practice.
I definitely won’t have all the answers including the one I think you are asking for . . . but hopefully someone will. If I understand you correctly, you are wanting an app or service that:
– processes credit cards online,
– sends reminder emails to clients for appointments,
– includes email marketing features,
– houses diagnostic codes,
– includes cpt codes,
– allows for billing features, and
– accommodates scheduling.
You are asking for a lot, Kimberly! If there is a geeky brain in your body, you might want to consider creating this product to sell to other health care professionals!
I’m looking forward to hearing what others might recommend to you.
Hi Tamara,
I was just revisiting this post/threat, investigating FullSlate, and saw Kimberly’s request. I’m a bit out of date…but Simple Practice does everything you list here, except I’m not sure about email marketing features. It’s essentially a practice management program.
So glad your blog is available – you continue to be an inspiration and a source of valuable information for me! (I refer everyone I know who’s going into private practice to your site!)
Warmly,
Camille
Thanks, Camille, for taking time to share your experience with SimplePractice and for your kind words and referrals, too! I’m looking for an excuse to come your way – I love Georgia – to offer some training on practice building. I hope we have an opportunity to meet in person when I get there!
Thanks Tamara. Your summary was spot on except for one. I would like it to have a superbill capability as I personally don’t bill insurance directly. But since most therapists bill, the service will probably include billing capability was my point.
Geeky I definitely am not..Creative thinker, I am 🙂 I figured this probably wasn’t a viable product at this time, but it never hurts to ask those more in the know than I.
Also it appears that Flint Mobile that uses a phones camera to take cc in lieu of an adapter to swipe is made for Apple’s products. I emailed them to inquire about android and have heard nothing back. Their website only specifies Apple.
Thanks, Kimberly, for letting us know about Flint Mobile! I hadn’t heard of it!
I use Pocket for several months. Really useful app.
Hi, Robert! Thanks so much for dropping in to Private Practice from the Inside Out to share your experience with us! I so appreciate that! I haven’t used Pocket and am not familiar with it. Will definitely check it out!
Will sending out a phone app of your business help get clients and help your branding?
Norman, I have not found that to be a particularly effective way to market a practice.
Instead, I see an app as providing a perk or service to your clients rather than helping you directly build your brand.