Individual Consultation
How to use an individual consultation case for one clinician or professional receiving consultation services, with consultation appointments, invoices, payments, messages, documents, and consultation notes.
Individual Consultation
Individual consultation is for one clinician or professional receiving consultation from the provider.
The consultation client is a client of the professional consultation service. They are receiving consultation rather than psychotherapy in this context.
Use individual consultation when the work should support scheduling, billing, secure communication, documents, and consultation notes without psychotherapy-specific workflows such as diagnosis, treatment plans, insurance claims, or superbills.
What individual consultation supports
An individual consultation case can support:
- consultation appointments
- consultation invoices
- payments and automatic payment collection
- receipts
- secure messages and emails
- consultation agreements or other consultation-specific forms
- consultation notes
- client portal access when appropriate
The case gives the consultation relationship a stable home, even though only one consultation client is involved.
Create an individual consultation
To create one:
- Open Contacts.
- Choose New client or case.
- Select Individual consultation.
- Add a new consultation client or choose an existing client record if the person is already in your contacts.
- Review the details and create the case.
After creation, use the case for scheduling, billing, messaging, documents, and consultation notes.
Scheduling
Schedule consultation appointments from the calendar or from the case.
When type-specific language is shown, use consultation wording such as "consultation appointment." This keeps the appointment distinct from psychotherapy sessions.
Billing and payments
Individual consultation uses invoices and receipts by default.
Use consultation language on invoice line items where possible, such as:
- Individual consultation
- Clinical consultation session
- Consultation services
Payments and automatic payment collection can be used when the consultation client has agreed to that billing workflow.
Do not use superbills by default for individual consultation. Consultation services are professional services, not psychotherapy reimbursement workflows.
Notes
Use Consultation notes for individual consultation.
Consultation notes should not require diagnosis, CPT, treatment plans, mental status exam, or psychotherapy-specific metadata by default.
Useful consultation note sections may include:
- consultation focus
- topics discussed
- guidance or recommendations
- follow-up items
- ethics or risk considerations, if relevant
- administrative notes
Documents and agreements
If your practice uses forms or documents for consultation, prefer a consultation agreement instead of psychotherapy intake forms.
A consultation agreement may explain:
- there is no psychotherapy relationship
- confidentiality limits
- how clinical material should be de-identified
- payment and cancellation terms
- the distinction between consultation, supervision, coaching, and therapy
- that the consultee remains responsible for their own clinical and legal decisions
Portal and communication
Portal access can be used when appropriate.
Consultation-facing portal and email copy should use terms such as:
- Your consultation appointments
- Consultation invoices
- Consultation documents
- Messages
- Payment method
Avoid psychotherapy intake, diagnosis, symptoms, treatment plan, insurance claim, and superbill language for individual consultation.
What is hidden by default
Individual consultation should hide or avoid:
- diagnosis panels and diagnosis requirements
- treatment plans
- insurance setup and claim submission
- superbill generation
- psychotherapy intake packets
- presenting-problem or symptoms language
This keeps consultation work operationally complete without treating the consultation relationship as psychotherapy.