Notes from Valence

What we've learned running a practice platform, written for the person doing the scheduling, the follow-up, and the notes.

• 7 min read

  SimplePractice alternatives for small practices (2026)

  SimplePractice alternatives for solo and small behavioral health practices: real pricing math, the reminder gotcha, and who should just stay put.

• 8 min read

  TherapyNotes vs SimplePractice vs Valence

  TherapyNotes vs SimplePractice, head to head on price, reminders, notes and automation, plus where a metered option like Valence changes the math.

• 7 min read

  Best EHR for private practice therapists starting out

  Picking an EHR for private practice therapists opening solo: what you need on day one, six months of real cost math, and what you can safely defer.

• 7 min read

  How to cut no-shows in a therapy practice: what the evidence says

  Evidence-backed protocols to reduce no shows in a therapy practice: reminder cadence, same-day recovery texts, waitlist fills, and what to skip.

• 7 min read

  Texting patients legally: quiet hours, consent, and opt-outs for behavioral health

  Texting patients under HIPAA and TCPA in a therapy practice: which messages need written consent, what to put in the text, quiet hours, STOP handling.

• 7 min read

  Group teletherapy: logistics that make or break it

  Group teletherapy platform logistics that decide whether a virtual group works: rosters, group agreements, tech checks, co-facilitation, billing.

• 7 min read

  Should your AI scribe keep session audio? Questions to ask any vendor

  AI therapy notes privacy starts with one question: what happens to the audio? Nine questions to send any scribe vendor, and what a real answer sounds like.

• 8 min read

  HIPAA for solo practitioners: the checklist that matters

  A HIPAA checklist for a solo therapist: what the rules actually require, the gaps that show up in one-person practices, and a week-long plan to close them.

• 5 min read

  Why we bill per minute instead of per seat

  We charge $0 a month and meter by the minute, capped at $69 per clinician. Here is the reasoning, the arithmetic, and what the model costs us.