What Paperwork Do You Need for a New Energy Healing Client?

What Every Energy Healer Should Know Before Their First Session

What should you have ready before working with a new client?
What paperwork do you really need, and when should it be completed?

Having the right paperwork in place is a key part of creating a safe and professional healing experience. Good documentation protects both you and your client. It sets expectations clearly, outlines the limits of your work, and helps prevent misunderstandings before they start.

By the end of this article, you’ll feel clear and confident in how to set up your new client process! We’ll walk you through what forms to use, how and when to share them, what changes if you’re working remotely, and how to wrap up the session in a way that feels comfortable for you and your client.

Before the Paperwork: What Sets the Tone for a New Client Session

Before we get into forms and documentation, it’s worth pausing to consider the larger experience you're creating.

Paperwork doesn’t exist in isolation;  it’s part of a professional and intentional client journey that begins before your client walks through the door.

Before your client arrives, consider these areas:

• Your environment: Create a space that feels calm, clean, and clear of distraction. Your “office” is your session room, an area where someone walks in and feels the healing presence.
  
  
• Your energy: Take a few minutes before the session to settle into your body. Shake out stress, do a short grounding practice, or connect to your Source. This helps you to feel fresh and present, especially when you see clients back-to-back.
  
  
• Your materials: Do you play background music? Use an aroma diffuser? If  you work with crystals, are they clear and ready for use? Is there drinking water available, or perhaps a stool to help clients onto the healing table?

Being prepared ahead of time — logistically and energetically — frees you up to focus completely on your client once they arrive. And it sends a message: you’re in the right place.

Now that your space and mentality are ready, let’s get to the heart of today's topic: paperwork.

What Paperwork Do You Need for a New Energy Healing Client?

We know that ‘paperwork’ may not feel as sacred as the healing work itself…but it is a part of a sacred container you create for your work!

Having clear, well-designed forms welcomes clients with clarity and integrity. It sets expectations, supports consent, and helps protect everyone involved — including you.

Here are the key forms most energy healers should have in place for new clients:

• Intake Form: A space for clients to share what’s relevant — physical symptoms, emotional states, health history, and goals. This helps you tailor your work and notice potential areas or sensitivities.
  
  
• Scope of Practice Statement:  A gentle way to say: Here’s what I do, and here’s what I don’t. Clients deserve to understand the limits and strengths of your approach so they can enter the session knowing the expectations you have set for the work.
  
  
• Signed Informed Consent:  This form shows that the client is aware of what your work involves, and agrees to participate. Informed consent may be a part of your scope of practice statement. It might include language about session outcomes, touch (if applicable), or any boundaries related to your modality. You will want to get a signed copy of this on file for your records before the start of your first session together.
  
  
• Disclaimer: Especially if you’re working in ways that overlap with emotional or physical healing, a disclaimer clarifies that your services are not a substitute for medical or mental health care.
  
  
• Hold Harmless Clause: This is a short statement in your client agreement that says the client agrees not to hold you legally responsible for certain outcomes, within the limits of the law. It’s designed to reduce liability in the case of a misunderstanding, complaint, or unexpected result. (EMPA recommends including this clause as a best practice. It adds another layer of protection for peace of mind.)
  
  
• Policy Agreement: This can be short and sweet, but very important! Share your policies around cancellations, payment, late arrivals, client privacy protection, and/or anything else that helps your sessions run smoothly.
  

Each form is a conversation starter to build mutual understanding between both parties.

💡“But my work is intuitive…this seems like too much.”
 A first session is usually a little more involved; this is normal! A little extra time at the start can save time down the road and decrease the odds of a miscommunication. And if your work is intuition-based…that’s even more reason to have structure in place. Clear forms allow your sessions to remain fluid and responsive, without leaving anything important unspoken.

Best Practices for Sharing New Client Paperwork Before an Energy Healing Session

The best time to handle paperwork is before your client walks in.

Consider emailing your forms in advance for a client to fill it out prior to their appointment. This prevents appointment-time being used up for forms and provides you with ample time to review their information before the session.

This step can also be automated. If you have an online booking platform, you might collect the client’s email address as part of the booking process so forms can send out automatically for each new client - taking one more thing off of your plate!

💡 Looking to simplify your practice systems? Read: Most Effective Website Platforms for Energy Practitioners: Our Take as of 2025

Alternatively, you may invite the client to arrive early (10–15 minutes works well) to fill everything out prior to their session time. This is ideal if you have a sitting area or waiting room.

💡Some practitioners find it helpful to add extra time to the first session — especially if your work involves emotional processing or bodywork. That could mean booking 75 minutes instead of 60 for new clients.

Ultimately, when done well, paperwork can become part of how your client settles into the space you’ve created for them.

Virtual Energy Healing Sessions: Setup and Paperwork

If you’re working remotely, the fundamentals remain — but a few things shift:

• Environment: While your client may not physically be in your space, you still want to have a space dedicated to your work to prevent distraction. If you are on video, it helps to have good lighting with a simple background. You may find yourself directing your clients to a quiet space as well, so they can receive openly.
  
  
• Paperwork: Everything should be digital, accessible, and secure.
  
  
• Tech flow: Send platform links ahead of time. Be ready to help if clients are unfamiliar with Zoom or whichever platform you use. A mic-check and camera check prior to the session also set you up for a successful virtual session.
  
  
• Policies: Reiterate confidentiality and expectations — especially important online, where the setting can feel less formal.

💡 Want a deeper dive into how to structure remote sessions? Read: Avoid These 3 Common Mistakes in Your Remote Energy Healing Practice

Additional Paperwork Tips for Energy Healers

• If a client returns after a long break (e.g., a year or more), have them complete a new intake form. Life shifts, and you want to stay up-to-date.
• If you change your scope of practice, update your forms — and let repeat clients know.
• If you work in more than one modality, consider creating different form templates tailored to each service.
  

Paperwork is a part of the care you offer!

How to Wrap Up a Client Session with Clear Documentation

The healing doesn’t stop the moment the work ends. Those last few minutes — when your client is re-grounding, reflecting, or simply breathing — are an essential part of the session. Integration begins here.

Invite your client to take their time (within reason). Offer water. Let silence do some of the talking. When they’re ready, you might:

• Answer questions or reflect together on what came up
• Share intuitive insights or next steps (if that’s part of your practice)
• Handle payment, if it hasn’t already been arranged
• Talk briefly about what’s next — whether it’s another session, some at-home practices, or simply rest
  

💡As you share post-session reflections with clients, it’s important to be mindful of your language. Certain words and phrases can cross professional boundaries and even put you at a liability risk. Learn how to talk about your work safely in this article: What You Can and Can’t Say in Your Marketing as an Energy Practitioner.

Once the session ends, your documentation continues. Writing accurate notes and tracking what took place helps protect your practice, clarify client progress, and maintain professional records — especially if questions ever arise later.

Your energy is your instrument. Protecting it between sessions allows for seamless fluidity between clients. 

What’s Next: Set Up a Strong Paperwork Process for Your Energy Healing Clients

If you’ve ever felt unsure about what forms to use, what to say, or how to prepare for a new client — now you have a clear path forward.

The first session isn’t just administrative. It’s the beginning of trust. When your paperwork is thorough, your process is steady, and your energy is clear, you create the kind of experience clients remember and return to.

Need a starting point for your client paperwork?
EMPA members get access to sample forms and templates you can customize for your work — plus guidance on best practices, professional standards, and insurance coverage to protect your practice.

We’re here to support you in building a professional, ethical, and thriving healing practice — one well-held session at a time. 

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not provide legal, financial, or medical advice. The examples are general, and coverage may vary by policy. Always refer to your insurance provider or policy language for specific details, as the policy terms take precedence. For legal concerns related to your practice, consult an attorney.