Secure Messaging For Practitioners

Secure messaging in Sessions Health lets you communicate with clients and other practitioners through encrypted, HIPAA‑compliant messages. You can send text, share attachments, and set automatic out‑of‑office replies.

🔐 HIPAA reminder: Share protected health information only through secure, encrypted messaging.

In this article:

Enabling Secure Messaging Globally
Enabling Secure Messaging for Each Client
Sending a Secure Message
Managing Secure Conversations
Messaging Couples, Conjoint Clients & Contacts
Managing Internal Group Messaging
Setting an Out-of-Office Auto Reply
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Articles

Video Tutorial

Watch this quick video tutorial to learn how to enable, manage, and use Secure Messaging for your clients, couples, and staff.

Enabling Secure Messaging Globally

Turn on Secure Messaging before sending or receiving messages.

Go to Account Settings > Portal.
Scroll to Features.
Enable Secure Messaging.

A screenshot of the portal features settings screen with a blue arrow pointing to the enabled Secure Messaging toggle switch.

Enabling Secure Messaging for Each Client

Once secure messaging is turned on for your account, you can manage access for individual clients:

Go to the Client's chart and select the Portal tab.
If needed, invite the client to the Client Portal.
Enable the Secure Messaging checkbox.

A screenshot of a client's portal settings with a blue arrow pointing to the enabled Secure Messaging checkbox under Portal Features.

💡 For more details on inviting clients to the portal, see Inviting Clients and Sharing Documents in the Client Portal.

Sending a Secure Message

Use Messages to start a new conversation or continue an existing one.

Go to Messages in the top navigation bar.
Select the new message icon or open a thread.
Search for a client or practitioner and select their name.
Type your message. Add emojis or attach a file if needed.
Send using the arrow button.

An animated GIF of the Messages dashboard showing how to click the new message icon to start a conversation.

📌 Your message autosaves as you type. If you navigate away, your draft, including any selected recipients, will be restored when you return.

Managing Secure Conversations

All conversations appear in the Messages panel. Use the left panel to open threads, read replies, and respond. Search by name or keyword using the search bar at the top.

✅ Read receipts show when a message has been delivered and read. A gray check mark means delivered, and two green check marks mean read.

An animated GIF of an active secure chat thread demonstrating scrolling through message bubbles, file attachments, and green read receipt checkmarks.

A red badge appears on the Messages button in the top navigation when you have new unread replies.

A screenshot of the top navigation bar's Messages tab featuring a red circular notification badge with the number one.

Messaging Couples, Conjoint Clients & Contacts

Use these details to send secure messages to couples, conjoint clients, and client contacts.

Start a Message to a Couple, Conjoint, or Contact

When creating a new message, type the name of the couple/conjoint chart or contact, then choose the recipients you need. Each member or contact appears individually in the recipient field.

If you don’t want to include every member of the thread, select the X next to their name to remove them before sending. Only the clients displayed in the recipient field will receive the message.

An animated GIF showing a group chart name being typed into a message recipient field, populating individual participant tags, and a user clicking the X icon to remove a participant.

What Clients See

Clients and contacts included in the message see the same shared thread in their portal. Each participant’s name appears at the top of the conversation, making it easy to confirm who is part of the discussion.

📝 If a client or contact doesn’t have secure messaging turned on, you’ll see a note letting you know they aren’t part of the conversation.

✅ Read receipts work on both the Practice-side and the Client Portal. Hover over a message (desktop) or tap it (mobile) to see who has read the message.

Managing Internal Group Messaging

Internal group messaging lets your team coordinate within Sessions Health. When a thread includes multiple practitioners, you will see a +# indicator next to the name in your Messages list. Hover over it or click into the thread to view everyone included in the conversation.

Secure message module with hover over info box showing names of the group participants.

If a team member is not active in the app or misses a message, Sessions Health sends an email alert so they can catch up on unread threads.

Setting an Out-of-Office Auto Reply

Set an automatic reply for clients who message you while you’re away.

👤 Only Administrators can set out-of-office replies for other team members.

To set an out-of-office reply:

Click the gear icon in the Messages panel.
Select the member(s).
Enter your auto-reply Message.
Set the Date & Time Range.
Click Configure Settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a message after it has been sent?

Yes. Click the three‑dot menu next to the message and confirm deletion. Only the sender can delete their own message.

Can anyone else view my inbox?

No. Secure messages are private between you and the recipient.

Can clients start conjoint messages?

No. Only practitioners can start messages to couples or conjoint clients.

For more information, see these articles: