# How to use these files

This site is read-only. Every download is your own copy: edit, rename, or delete it however you like, and nothing changes the original.

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## Documents

Each document page has two buttons at the top: **Download .docx** (Word; pick this unless you have a reason not to) and **Download .md** (plain-text Markdown, for Obsidian, iA Writer, and similar apps).

### Microsoft Word

1. Click **Download .docx** and open the file from your Downloads folder.
2. If a yellow **Protected View** bar appears, click **Enable Editing**.
3. **File → Save As** under your own name (for example, *Smith Counseling HIPAA Policies 2026*), wherever you keep practice documents.

### Google Docs

1. Click **Download .docx**.
2. At **drive.google.com**, choose **New → File upload** and pick the file.
3. Open it and choose **File → Save as Google Docs**. You can then delete the uploaded .docx.

Use your business Google Workspace account, covered by Google's business associate agreement (BAA), rather than a personal Gmail account. See [Google Workspace HIPAA setup](https://toolkit.marcusberley.com/google-workspace-hipaa-setup/).

### Apple Pages

1. Click **Download .docx**.
2. Right-click the file → **Open With → Pages**.
3. **File → Save** to keep it as a Pages document.

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## Spreadsheets

Spreadsheet templates download as **.csv** files: blank tables with the column headings filled in.

- **Google Sheets:** open a new sheet at **sheets.new**, then **File → Import → Upload**, choose the file, and pick **Replace current sheet**. For the referral tracker's three files, choose **Insert new sheet(s)** for the second and third, so each gets its own tab.
- **Excel:** open the .csv, then **File → Save As → Excel Workbook (.xlsx)**, or formatting and extra tabs won't be kept.
- **Numbers:** double-click the .csv, then **File → Save**.

## Everything at once

**Download everything** on the home page gets one zip with three folders: the Word documents, the Markdown versions, and the spreadsheets.

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## Making a template yours

1. **Fill in the brackets.** Everything in `[square brackets]` is a placeholder. Find (⌘F or Ctrl+F) `[` until none are left.
2. **Delete what doesn't fit,** such as paper records, an office, or texting clients. A policy should describe how you actually practice.
3. **Remove the instructions box** at the top once you're done.
4. **Delete the state you're not licensed in** from documents that cover both Washington and Rhode Island.
5. **Date it.** Fill in the effective and last-reviewed dates, and put the annual review on your calendar.
6. **Check anything legal against the current rule,** because rules change.

## Printing or saving a PDF

Use your browser's Print command (**⌘P** or **Ctrl+P**) and choose **Save as PDF** for a file. The print layout leaves out the menu and buttons. PDFs suit checklists like the first session checklist; for templates, download the .docx so you can edit it.

## Privacy

These templates contain no client information, and your filled-in versions should hold as little as possible. Policies and logs describe how you handle client information; client records stay in your electronic health record (EHR) system.