How I Chose Practice Management Software as an Art Therapist

Written By Allie Joy, LPC, ATR-BC
 
 

When I first started looking at practice management software for my private practice, I assumed the process would mostly be about comparing features.

Who had online booking? Who had documentation? Who could handle payments? What did each platform cost?

Those things mattered, of course. But after more than a decade working as an art therapist and mental health professional, I’ve realized that choosing practice management software is less about finding the platform with the longest list of features and more about figuring out which features actually make your day-to-day work easier.

As an art therapist and licensed professional counselor, I already spend enough of my workday thinking about people, documentation, creative interventions, communication, and all of the less-visible tasks that come with running a practice. I don’t want to spend additional energy fighting with the software that is supposed to help me manage it.

So if you’re evaluating practice management software for art therapists, therapists, or other mental health practitioners, these are the things I would actually pay attention to.

1. How much friction does it remove from your day?

One of the biggest things I look for in any system now is simple: does this make my work easier or does it quietly create more work?

A platform can technically have every feature you need and still feel cumbersome to use.

When I’m evaluating software, I’m thinking about the actual flow of a normal workday. How many steps does it take to schedule someone? Is information easy to find? Can I move between my calendar, documentation, billing, and client information without feeling like I’m navigating five different systems?

Those little moments add up, especially when you’re using the same platform every day.

2. Will I actually use the features I’m paying for?

This is a big one for me! It’s very easy to get distracted by impressive feature lists when comparing software. I think a better question is: Which of these features will genuinely change the way I work?

For me, that means prioritizing things like scheduling, documentation, secure communication, payments, telehealth, and tools that can simplify administrative work.

I’m also paying attention to how a platform evolves. Practice management software isn’t something I want to replace every year, so I want to know that the company is continuing to build tools that respond to how practitioners actually work.

That includes newer tools like AI-assisted documentation. Jane, for example, has introduced AI Scribe, which is designed to help practitioners with the documentation process. As with any AI tool in a clinical setting, I think it’s important to understand how it works, what happens to your information, and how it fits within your own ethical and professional responsibilities before incorporating it into your workflow.

3. Does it make sense for the kind of practitioner I actually am?

This one stands out because not every practice looks the same.

An art therapist’s workflow may be different from a chiropracter, a dietitian’s, or someone running a large multidisciplinary clinic. Even within mental health, practitioners can have completely different needs depending on whether they work independently, supervise other clinicians, offer groups, provide telehealth, or have multiple types of services.

When researching practice management software for art therapists, I wouldn’t just ask, “Is this good software?”

I’d ask, “Does this make sense for my practice?”

Think through what you actually do during a typical week and evaluate software against that reality instead of an imaginary version of your future practice.

4. Can I understand it without becoming an IT department?

I am an art therapist. I did not go to graduate school because I dreamed of troubleshooting software.

I want technology that feels intuitive enough that I can figure out most things without having to stop what I’m doing and search for an answer every five minutes. And when I do need help, I want to know there are clear resources and actual support available.

This was one of the things that ultimately made Jane feel like the right fit for me. The platform feels approachable, and the Jane Guide gives me somewhere to turn when I need to figure something out.

5. Could I realistically grow with it?

Even if your practice is small right now, it’s worth thinking a little beyond what you need today.

Your services might change. You might add another practitioner, start offering groups, adjust your schedule, expand telehealth, or simply discover that the way you work looks different a few years from now.

Switching systems later is possible, and Jane even has resources specifically about transitioning to Jane, but migrating a practice is still something I’d rather avoid doing unnecessarily.

I’d rather choose software that works for what I need now while leaving room for my practice to evolve.

Why I ultimately chose Jane

For me, Jane checked the practical boxes, but more importantly, it made the administrative side of practice feel manageable.

I didn’t need the software with the most complicated capabilities. I needed something I would actually want to use, that could bring important pieces of my practice together, and that wouldn’t add unnecessary friction to an already busy workday.

That’s why Jane has continued to be the right fit for me.

If you’re currently choosing practice management software for your own art therapy or mental health practice, my biggest recommendation is to look beyond the feature comparison chart.

Walk yourself through a normal day.

What are the repetitive tasks that take up your time? What do you regularly forget? Where do you get frustrated? What administrative work pulls you away from the parts of your job you actually want to be doing?

Then look for the software that solves those problems.

Because ultimately, good practice management software shouldn’t become another part of your job to manage. It should make more room for you to actually do your job!

Want to Check Out Jane?

If you’re curious to see whether Jane could be a good fit for your practice, you can learn more or book a demo here. It’s absolutely worth taking the time to chat with the amazing Jane team and get a real-time walkthrough tailored specifically to your discipline and practice needs.

Or if you’re ready to dive in, use my code ALLIE1MO for a 1-month grace period on your new Jane account:
👉 Learn more here

Further Resources

Looking for more in-depth info?

Allie Joy, LPC, ATR-BC
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