Intake form
An intake form collects the details you need from a client at the moment they book — goals, history, links or files — so you walk into the session prepared. It replaces a round of back-and-forth before the first meeting. Answers are attached to the booking automatically.
Why intake form matters
An intake form is the set of questions a client answers before the first session. A therapist may ask what brings the client in and whether they have seen a counsellor before. A nutritionist asks about diet and medical conditions. A lawyer asks for the case type and the other party's name to check for conflicts.
It saves the first ten minutes of every session, and it lets you decline or redirect clients who are not a fit before you block time for them. It also gives you a written record of what the client told you at the start.
Ask only what you will use, and keep sensitive questions to what you need before meeting. Do not ask for Aadhaar numbers or full medical records on a booking form. On Book A Sloth, Sloth Active lets you add custom intake fields to your booking form, and its client records keep private notes and booking history for each client.
Example
A Mysuru psychologist asks two questions at booking, "What would you like help with?" and "Have you had therapy before?", and reads the answers before the first online session.
Related terms
Book A Sloth turns these into one link: a booking page with upfront payment over UPI, GST invoices and automatic reminders.