Why Therapists are Fucking Exhausted and How an EHR Can Help
You have a fully booked caseload. You're juggling appointments, no-shows, cancellations, and reschedule requests. You don’t have a formal invoicing process, so you spend evenings and weekends checking your bank account for payments. You know some of your clients owe you money, but you're too embarrassed to chase them. You've missed out on new enquiries because you've been too busy to get back to people in time.
It's not the client work that’s exhausting you, it’s everything else that comes with it. Too much admin can lead to burnout, missed payments, double bookings, a disorganised client experience, and reduced capacity for clinical thinking. The more overwhelmed you get, the more you put it off. And the worse it gets.
This is the story I hear from therapists over and over again. And this is exactly the problem EHRs were made to solve.
Stressed out therapist
What the fuck is an EHR?
EHR is short for Electronic Health Record and it is a cloud-based system where you can manage everything related to your private practice. From storing client information and writing session notes to sending invoices and automating reminders, an EHR centralises it all. Think of it as your digital practice manager.
Can it really help me?
When therapists reach out to me, it's usually because they’re drowning in admin, or even at breaking point in their business. Double bookings, missed payments, lost client enquiries, piles of unfinished notes…these are common pain points. Often, they’re using multiple systems (or none at all), which adds to the chaos.
I know you didn’t train for years to be a therapist just to spend your days chasing invoices and writing reminder emails. That’s where an EHR like Zanda makes all the difference. Yes, it comes with a cost, but the time and energy you save can more than make up for it. Just imagine replacing a few hours of admin each week with more client sessions or better yet, rest or fun! Remember those things?
With an EHR, your calendar, reminders, invoicing, and note-taking are all in one place. Zanda even offers a new AI-powered feature that helps speed up writing notes. Such a time consuming job and one that no VA can help you with!
It can automate reminders and manage rescheduling, letting you spend less time sending emails and more time doing what you love.
Zanda in action
Why Zanda is my go to EHR
My go-to recommendation for therapists is a platform called Zanda. It used to be known as Power Diary and recently underwent a brand refresh, bringing in even more awesome updates.
Zanda is fully customisable, so you can tailor the system to suit your unique practice needs. Whether you're based in the UK, US, Australia, or elsewhere, it’s designed to work globally and complies with GDPR and HIPAA standards. It’s also extremely user-friendly. I’ve worked with a range of platforms and helped many therapists switch systems and I can say with confidence that Zanda is the easiest to use. The support team is excellent and quick to respond. They offer a help centre with both video and written instructions right in the platform, plus there's an active Facebook group where users share tips and ask questions.
One reason Zanda stands out is that it was built by therapists, for therapists. The people behind it understand what a private practice needs and have created features that make your work smoother and more sustainable. They really listen to their customers' requests as well and so many of the recent updates have been asked for in the Facebook group.
Better for you AND your Clients
Using Zanda gives your clients a better, more consistent experience. They receive regular reminders, invoices, and receipts. They can access their own portal to manage bookings or view completed forms. And because the system automates so much, it works even when you’re off sick or on holiday.
Zanda also supports compliance by time-stamping all your activity, helping you maintain accurate, professional records. Plus, it reduces the chances of missing new client enquiries because you can set up a streamlined intake system that works in the background.
Some therapists come to me thinking they need a virtual assistant. But after implementing Zanda, many realise they can manage just fine on their own or at least delay hiring extra help. That’s a real cost saving. Then if you do become ready to hire a VA you have a super organised system to hand over to them.
Feeling more relaxed just thinking about it?
Want to Learn more?
If you're interested in learning more about how an EHR like Zanda can transform your private practice, I’d love to invite you to my free workshop happening this May. It’s called Work Smarter, Not Harder: The Therapist's Guide to Admin Freedom. You can choose from two dates, and during the 60-minute session, I’ll show you how to:
Reclaim hours each week without sacrificing client care
Use automation effectively, even if you’re not tech-savvy
Understand how Zanda can save you time, money, and energy
Let’s create a private practice that’s more sustainable, profitable, and enjoyable.
If you’re reading this after May 20th 2025 and you’ve missed the workshop don’t worry, you can still explore two great options:
Use my affiliate link to sign up for Zanda and access exclusive bonuses.
Purchase my Zanda Setup Course, where I walk you through how to get your system up and running with ease.
