Getting Started with CBT Assistant Pro: Your First Week as a Therapist

Create your account at cbtassistantpro.com/auth/register. Sign up takes under 60 seconds — no credit card required during the free period.

On Day 1, focus on the foundation:

• Set your display name and clinical credentials
• Choose your interface language (8 supported)
• Configure your time zone for accurate session timestamps
• Review and accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
• Enable two-factor authentication on your account (recommended for all clinicians)
• Set your preferred note template (SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, or custom)

That is the entire Day 1 setup. Spend the remaining time reading the security section of the platform to understand how your data is protected.

Create your first client record. Use a pseudonym or client code rather than a real name — this is the safest baseline for anonymized storage.

• Click "Add Client" from the dashboard
• Enter a client code (e.g. "C-0001" or "Alpha")
• Fill the encrypted real-identity field separately (only you can see this)
• Set basic demographics (age range, presenting concerns, referral source)
• Save

Now you have a client record ready for intake. Take 10 minutes to explore the client page — notice the tabs for sessions, formulations, assessments, worksheets, goals, and the client portal access.

Assessment scales are the fastest way to start generating useful data. Pick the most relevant scale for your client (PHQ-9 for depression, GAD-7 for anxiety, PCL-5 for trauma, ISI for insomnia).

• From the client page, go to "Assessments"
• Click "Administer Scale" and choose your scale
• Either complete it in-session with the client or send it to the client portal for self-administration
• Review the auto-scored result with severity classification

The score is immediately added to a trend chart so you can track change over time. After 2-3 administrations you will see a meaningful trajectory.

After your first real session, write the note in CBT Assistant Pro:

• Open the client record
• Click "New Session" and select the date
• Choose your note template
• Write or dictate the note (voice transcription is available — audio is deleted after transcription)
• Tag key themes you want the platform to track
• Save

Notice that the saved note is immediately available in the session history. The platform also begins extracting cognitive themes, behaviors, and assessment-relevant data in the background, ready for formulation later.

The client portal lets your clients complete worksheets, track sleep diaries, log meals, and respond to assessments between sessions.

• From the client record, click "Client Portal Access"
• Generate a magic-link invitation and send it to the client (or share the secure URL directly)
• Assign a CBT worksheet (thought records, behavioral activation log, downward arrow, etc.)
• The client completes the worksheet in their portal; you see the result immediately in your dashboard

This is one of the biggest practical wins of the platform — homework actually gets done because the experience is simple and on the client's phone.

You probably do not have enough sessions yet for a strong formulation, but you can generate a preliminary draft based on intake data plus the first session note:

• From the client page, go to "Formulation"
• Click "Generate Draft"
• Choose the 5-P or 7-component model
• Wait a few seconds while the AI synthesizes available data
• Review the draft carefully — edit, reject, or accept each element
• Save your version

Note how the AI flags which elements have strong evidence vs. tentative hypotheses. This metacognitive transparency is intentional — it helps you make better clinical decisions.

Connect your calendar (Google Calendar, Apple Calendar via CalDAV, or others) so booked sessions appear automatically in CBT Assistant Pro:

• Settings → Integrations → Calendar
• Connect your calendar provider
• Configure which calendar events count as therapy sessions

Then take 15 minutes to review your first week:

• Did the note template work for your style? Adjust if needed.
• Was voice transcription accurate enough? Try different mic placements.
• Did the client engage with the portal? Iterate on which worksheets you assign.
• Was the formulation draft useful? Note what you edited so you can adjust prompting next time.

By the end of Week 1 you should have a working clinical workflow with one or two clients fully active in the system.