The longest intake packets in outpatient care — sent privately, before the first session.
Therapy intake is the first impression of a clinical relationship that runs on trust. Sorta sends your packet to the client's phone before they arrive — biopsychosocial, PHQ-9, GAD-7, consent forms, telehealth release — so the first session starts where it should: in the room, in conversation.
What the first 24 hours feel like — with and without automation.
The intake your client experiences shapes whether they come back for session two.
Without Sorta: a paper packet they're not opening.
You email a PDF. The client doesn't print it. They show up 10 minutes late because they were filling it out in the parking lot. Half is blank by the time they sit down — including the screeners that should drive your first session's conversation.
First session starts with administrative scrambleWith Sorta: a phone link the night before.
The client gets a single link. They complete the full intake, PHQ-9, GAD-7, and biopsychosocial at home, on their phone, in 12 minutes. Results are scored and waiting in the chart by morning. Telehealth consent and ROI to PCP are signed digitally in the same flow.
First session starts with clinical workYou walk into the room knowing the client.
You've already read the biopsychosocial. You know the PHQ-9 score. You know which medications they're on and which prior providers they've seen. The 50 minutes belong to the conversation that brought them in — not the demographic block on a clipboard.
Progress screeners on their schedule.
Periodic re-administration of PHQ-9 and GAD-7 sent automatically before progress-review sessions. Results in the chart before the client arrives. The clinical trajectory is documented without you having to remember to hand a sheet across the desk.
New client. Returning client. Telehealth.
Different paperwork. Same intake layer.
New client packet
First-session intake — the longest one.
- Biopsychosocial intake
- PHQ-9 + GAD-7
- Informed consent for therapy
- HIPAA notice
- No-show / cancellation policy
Returning / progress review
Periodic re-screen and chart update.
- PHQ-9 / GAD-7 re-administration
- Medication change update
- Insurance recertification
- ROI updates as needed
Telehealth packet
Distinct consent + tech check.
- Telehealth informed consent
- State-of-residence verification
- Emergency contact + safety plan
- Tech requirement acknowledgment
What changes in a therapy practice running Sorta.
Intake leaves your waiting room.
The first time your client opens up isn't on a clipboard in front of strangers. It's on their phone, at home, in privacy.
Screeners get re-administered on schedule.
PHQ-9 and GAD-7 sent automatically before progress reviews. Trajectory documented without anyone remembering to print the form.
Sensitive data handled the right way.
Encrypted in transit and at rest. Signed BAA. Audit-grade snapshots. AI only at setup — never on patient submissions.
Works on top of whatever therapy EHR your practice already runs.
Sorta doesn't integrate with your EHR — it sits completely outside it. Your practice management software keeps doing what it does. Sorta handles the patient-facing PDF layer.
Don't see yours? If it runs on a computer, Sorta works on top of it.
Demand keeps climbing. The intake experience hasn't.
US mental health demand is at a generational high. Solo and small-group therapy practices we talk to are full — and most are running intake on paper, email PDFs, or web forms that don't talk to anything.
Sorta doesn't replace what's working. The therapeutic relationship belongs to the clinician. We just move the paperwork off the clipboard and out of the waiting room.
1 in 5
US adults experiences a mental illness in any given year — and demand for therapy keeps outpacing capacity.
Source: NAMI / SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
What mental health patient intake typically includes
Mental health intake packets are typically the longest in outpatient care. A new client's first session usually requires a biopsychosocial assessment covering history, current functioning, family system, substance use, and treatment goals; a PHQ-9 depression screener; a GAD-7 anxiety screener; an informed consent for therapy (and a separate telehealth consent if relevant); an HIPAA notice; an insurance authorization; a release of information to the primary care provider or referring psychiatrist; a no-show or cancellation policy acknowledgment; and often a safety or crisis-contact assessment.
Across every document, the demographic block — name, date of birth, address, insurance, emergency contact — appears multiple times. Without automation, the client retypes it onto a clipboard or your staff retypes it into the EHR. Either way, the first impression of your practice becomes paperwork.
Sorta sends the entire packet to the client privately on their phone before the first session. Demographics enter once and populate every form. PHQ-9 and GAD-7 are scored on submission. Telehealth consent is signed digitally. The clinician walks into the first session having read the biopsychosocial and knowing the client's baseline screening scores. Returning clients get progress screeners on a schedule — automatically.
Common questions from mental health practices
What practice owners, therapists, and front-desk staff actually ask us.
How do I automate intake for a mental health or therapy practice?
Send Sorta the intake packet your practice already uses — biopsychosocial, PHQ-9, GAD-7, informed consent, telehealth consent, release of information, HIPAA. Clients complete intake on a phone link before the first session. Demographic, insurance, and history fields populate across every form on a single sync. Returning clients confirm what changed instead of restarting.
Does Sorta work with SimplePractice, TheraNest, TherapyNotes, or other mental health EHRs?
Yes. Sorta runs completely outside your EHR — no integration, no replacement. SimplePractice, TheraNest, TherapyNotes, Jane App, Valant, and any other system keep doing scheduling and clinical notes. Sorta handles the patient-facing PDF layer that sits on top: intake, screening, consent, telehealth, ROI.
Can Sorta handle PHQ-9, GAD-7, and other validated screeners?
Yes. PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5, PSWQ, and any other PDF screener your practice uses. Clients complete them as part of intake on their phone, and again at progress-review intervals. Results populate the appropriate fields in your chart automatically — scoring included.
Does Sorta handle telehealth consent and informed consent for therapy?
Yes. Telehealth consent, informed consent for therapy, ROI to PCP, ROI to psychiatrist, no-show policy acknowledgment — Sorta pre-fills demographics on every consent form your practice uses. Clients sign once during intake; documents are stored with audit-grade snapshots.
How long does Sorta take to set up for a therapy practice?
Under 12 hours from when you send us your forms. We map every field by hand — intake, screeners, consents, telehealth forms. Your clinicians and front-desk staff learn the workflow in about 10 minutes. Most therapy practices are running it within the week they sign up.
See it with your actual therapy intake.
We don't do generic demos. Send us your real biopsychosocial, screeners, and consent templates — we'll show you Sorta filling all of them, including the telehealth flow, on your first call.
Book a demoNo contracts. Cancel anytime.
or watch the 2-minute demo →