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.

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.

Apple Pages

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

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.

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.