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PHQ-9 and GAD-7 sent and scored before each session

SimplePractice sends PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5 or AUDIT measures before sessions and scores them for you. Included on every plan, from $49£37€44A$71C$69 a month.

At a glance

  • What it costsFree–$49Free–£37Free–€44Free–A$71Free–C$69 a month

  • Worth, in extra profit or time saved in the worked example$202£152€181A$292C$286 a month

  • Pays for itselfIn about a week

  • Sign up and configure; no technical skills neededEasy to set up

Figures come from the worked example below, using its stated assumptions. Tool prices checked . How we check prices

The problem

Handing out paper PHQ-9 and GAD-7 forms, scoring them and typing totals into the chart takes about 4 minutes a client. For 25 clients measured every other week, that's about 54 measures a month and 3.6 hours of scoring (54 x 4 = 216 minutes).

What the AI does

SimplePractice's measurement-based care, included on every plan, sends the PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5 and AUDIT through the Client Portal once, before every appointment or before every other one. Completed measures are scored automatically, and each client's measures tab graphs results over time. Clients with incomplete paperwork get an email or text reminder if you've turned those reminders on. The therapist reads every score and response before the session, including the PHQ-9's question about thoughts of self-harm, and acts on it clinically. The measures sit in SimplePractice under its Business Associate Agreement.

A worked example

An illustrative example built from typical figures, not a named business.

A licensed mental health counselor in Seattle with 25 clients, already on SimplePractice Essential, starts sending the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 before every other session.

Before

About 4 minutes per client scoring paper forms: 3.6 hours a month

After

Scores ready before the session, about 1 minute to review each: 54 minutes a month

What it's worth

About $202£152€181A$292C$286 a month of your time, at no extra cost if you're already on SimplePractice. Saving 3 minutes on each of about 54 measures a month is 162 minutes, 2.7 hours; if an hour of your time is worth $75£56€67A$108C$106 that's $202£152€181A$292C$286. On its own, the Starter plan is $49£37€44A$71C$69 a month.

How to set it up

  1. Choose the measures that fit each client's treatment plan and schedule them once, before every appointment or before every other one.
  2. Explain at intake why you use them and how you'll go over the results together.
  3. Read each completed measure before the session, not just the total; check the PHQ-9's self-harm question every time and follow your safety protocol if it's endorsed.
  4. Review the graph with the client every month or two, and revisit the treatment plan if scores aren't moving.

What goes wrong

  • A client can complete the PHQ-9 days before the session and endorse self-harm with nobody looking. Tell clients the portal isn't monitored around the clock, and check results as soon as they arrive on working days.
  • Scores support clinical judgment; they don't replace it. A falling score can hide a new problem the measure doesn't ask about.
  • Only four measures are listed (PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5 and AUDIT). Anything else needs another form.
  • Measures before every session can feel like homework to clients; every other session may be enough.

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Last updated October 18, 2026.