Tools for psychologists in private practice in 2026: what is mandatory, what to check and what it costs

Three rules that apply to all your tools

• A provider that hosts patient health data must be HDS certified. This is article L1111-8 of the « Code de la santé publique » (French Public Health Code). The question arises as soon as you hand data to a third party (online software, cloud storage). See our article on HDS hosting.
• A simple appointment can already be health data. The GDPR (recital 35) counts as health data the information collected when a person registers to receive care. To be safe, treat your diary with the same care as the patient file.
• Every provider that processes this data signs a contract with you. The CNIL (the French data protection authority) asks you to check that the provider guarantees security suited to the risk and to sign a contract. Add each new tool to your processing register (see our guide to GDPR for private practitioners).

Also ask every vendor how you can get your data back if you leave.

Appointment booking and diary

Mandatory? No. A paper diary and a phone are enough to start.

What to look for.

• Online booking, if you want patients to book without calling you.
• SMS or email reminders whose wording you choose.
• Cancellations handled according to your own rule (notice period, message sent).

Questions to ask.

• Is the data held by an HDS-certified host?
• Does the reminder text show the word "psychologist"? Some patients prefer a discreet reminder.
• Can the "reason for consultation" field filled in by the patient be removed?
• Are text messages included in the subscription?

Prices and examples. Doctolib, used by psychologists in private practice in France, does not publish its prices. You have to go through an adviser, and the subscription has no minimum term. Resalib, a directory that lists psychologists, lets you create an account for free. Crenolibre shows a subscription from €29.95 excl. VAT per month. These examples are not a ranking.

Teleconsultation

Mandatory? No. The French psychologists' code of ethics (article 24) asks you to favour meeting in person. When working remotely, you must remain identifiable, secure the exchanges and take the limits of this setting into account.

It is common practice. In the 2022 FFPP survey (FFPP is a French federation of psychologists), 67% of the private practice psychologists questioned (2,008 responses) offered teleconsultation, mostly by video (86.9% of them) and by phone (56.6%).

Under Mon soutien psy (the French state scheme that reimburses psychologist sessions), follow-up sessions can take place by video, case by case, if you and the patient have suitable equipment, in a confidential place and with secured data. The first session takes place at the practice.

What to look for. The patient joins through a simple link, with no account to create. A virtual waiting room stops a patient walking into the previous session. Nothing is kept after the session (video, messages, files).

Questions to ask. In which country does the video stream travel? Are written messages kept? Is there a processor contract (article 28 of the GDPR)?

Prices and examples. Many online diaries offer a video module, included or as an option, often on quotation. Consumer video tools have free plans, but check the maximum meeting length and whether a suitable contract exists. Have a fallback plan, for example calling the patient if the connection drops.

Invoicing and accounting

Mandatory? Partly, yes.

• You state the fee before the intervention (articles 9 and 25 of the code of ethics).
• Under micro-BNC, you keep a day-by-day breakdown of your income, with the identity given by the patient, the amount, the date and the payment method. No particular format is required.
• A dedicated bank account becomes mandatory if your income exceeds €10,000 two years in a row.
• Under Mon soutien psy, each session goes through a « feuille de soins » (paper care form). The « Assurance maladie » (French national health insurance) says the Vitale card will come to psychologists "soon", with no date.

What to look for. Automatic invoice numbering, invoices sent by email, an income ledger built from your invoices, an export for your tax return. Write nothing clinical on the invoice.

Questions to ask. Does the software handle micro-BNC, not only traders? Is the tax return included? What happens to my invoices if I cancel?

Prices and examples. Indy has a free plan without tax returns, and a plan at €15 excl. VAT per month for a micro-entrepreneur who files their own returns (annual billing). With an accountant, expect roughly €63 to €99 excl. VAT per month depending on your status. Tiime has a free plan for sole traders, then plans from €9.99 excl. VAT per month. A well-kept spreadsheet stays free.

Notes and patient file

Mandatory? In France, there is no general legal duty to keep a patient file as there is for a doctor, and the code of ethics does not require notes. Its article 23 governs how you collect, file and archive them when you keep them, while respecting professional confidentiality.

The free option. Paper notes in a locked cabinet. It is simple, but nothing is backed up in case of water damage, and tracing a patient's progress over two years takes time.

What to look for in software.

• A template suited to your approach (CBT, systemic, psychodynamic, assessments).
• A readable history, session by session.
• HDS-certified hosting, a processor contract and a full export of your files.
• For an AI tool, the patient's identity removed before processing, no audio file kept, and no use of the data to train models.

The questions to ask a vendor are set out in our article on choosing note-taking software. AI tools are presented in our comparison of AI note-taking software.

Price. From €0 for paper to roughly €25 to €60 incl. VAT per month for an AI note-taking tool, based on the published prices noted in that comparison in October 2026.

How Delta works

Delta is an AI assistant for mental health professionals. During the session, Delta transcribes what is said, then prepares a session report that you review. You can also dictate your observations right after the session. The report takes your specialty and your therapeutic approach into account. It is added to the patient file, which brings out the progress specific to your approach over the sessions. In addiction care, for example, you can see how the patient's substance use changes over several months. Delta also drafts your assessment reports, letters and certificates.

Data is hosted in France by a host certified for health data (HDS). AI processing, transcription included, runs on servers located in France. The patient's name and identifying details are pseudonymised before this processing. No audio file is kept, data is never used to train models and it is encrypted in transit and at rest.

Tests and assessment materials

Mandatory? No. But if you use tests to assess, diagnose or guide, article 21 of the code of ethics requires them to be scientifically validated, and their administration and scoring to follow the recommendations of the International Test Commission.

What to look for. The latest version and its French norms. The cost per patient (test booklets, scoring credits) on top of the kit. Online or paper scoring, bearing in mind that online results go through the publisher's platform. And only the tests you will really use.

Questions to ask. What qualification does the publisher require for this test? Is the scoring licence personal? How much do replacement forms cost?

Prices and examples. This is often the largest purchase, especially for a neuropsychologist. At Pearson Clinical France, the complete WISC-V kit costs €1,939 excl. VAT and a pack of 10 online scoring credits €35 excl. VAT. Hogrefe France also sells tests in French.

What is free. The PHQ-9 (depression) and GAD-7 (anxiety) forms carry a statement from their authors allowing them to be reproduced, translated and distributed without permission. Check that a validated version exists in your language before scoring.

Phone and messaging

Mandatory? No. The code of ethics (article 18) asks you to ensure the confidentiality of your post and email.

• A separate line to keep work and private life apart. Some French mobile plans cost €2 per month (Free Mobile offer noted in October 2026).
• A clear voicemail greeting with your hours, how soon you call back, and 15 or 112 in an emergency.
• Text messages and consumer messaging apps for logistics only (time, rescheduling, address). No clinical content.
• A remote secretarial service if you get many calls. It has access to patient data, so you need a contract.

The secure health messaging system (MSSanté) is reserved for authorised health professionals. Psychologists have had an RPPS number (the French national register of health professionals) since June 2024, but we found no official source confirming their access to MSSanté. Ask your « ARS » (regional health agency). Otherwise, for a letter to a doctor, protect the file with a password and give it by another means, for example by phone.

Backups and computer security

Mandatory? Yes. The CNIL reminds private practitioners that they must take appropriate technical and organisational measures to preserve the confidentiality and integrity of data. This list draws on the CNIL security guide and the advice of Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr (the French government cybersecurity assistance service).

• Turn on disk encryption, built into the system (BitLocker or device encryption on Windows, FileVault on macOS).
• A long password, automatic screen locking, two-factor authentication on your email, and updates installed as soon as they arrive.
• Regular backups on several media, with one copy kept somewhere other than the practice.
• The backup drive unplugged after use, because ransomware can also reach a backup left connected.
• A test restore from time to time.

Before putting files in a consumer cloud storage service, check whether it is HDS certified.

Price. Encryption and updates cost nothing. What remains is one or two external drives, or a backup with a certified host.

Training and supervision

Mandatory? No text sets a number of hours. The code of ethics links competence to regularly updating your knowledge (principle 4) and to critical reflection on your choices (article 20). It also provides for seeking advice from experienced colleagues (article 17).

In the 2022 FFPP survey (2,014 private practice psychologists), 48.3% trained regularly and 55.7% were in supervision.

• Individual supervision. Most common rates of €60 to €80 per hour in the same survey (77 respondents).
• Peer supervision. A group of peers with no hierarchy. It only costs time.
• The FIF PL (the training fund for self-employed professionals in France). It can fund part of your training if you are up to date with your Urssaf contributions and the vocational training contribution. You apply before the training or within 10 calendar days after it starts. Funding caps are published every year.

The setting-up steps (RPPS, business registration, pension fund, insurance) are in our guide to setting up as a psychologist in private practice.

What you can do for free, or almost

• A paper diary and a separate mobile line.
• A spreadsheet for your income breakdown and an invoice template.
• Paper notes in a locked cabinet.
• An encrypted, up-to-date, locked computer, with two backup drives, one of them away from the practice.
• Free-to-use screening scales.
• A peer supervision group.

Then pay first for what takes up most of your time. To measure it, see our article on the administrative workload of psychologists.

Summary by need

• Appointment booking and diary
  • Mandatory. No
  • Indicative budget. €0 with a free account, €29.95 excl. VAT per month for the entry subscription noted, on quotation at Doctolib
• Teleconsultation
  • Mandatory. No. If you offer it, secure exchanges (article 24)
  • Indicative budget. Often included or optional in the online diary
• Invoicing and accounting
  • Mandatory. Yes for the income breakdown and stating the fee. Software optional
  • Indicative budget. From €0 (spreadsheet, free plans) to roughly €99 excl. VAT per month with an accountant
• Notes and patient file
  • Mandatory. Not in France (yes in Belgium). HDS if a third party hosts
  • Indicative budget. From €0 (paper) to roughly €25 to €60 incl. VAT per month with AI
• Tests and assessment materials
  • Mandatory. No. Validated tests if you use them (article 21)
  • Indicative budget. From €0 (free scales) to €1,939 excl. VAT for a complete WISC-V
• Phone and messaging
  • Mandatory. No. Confidential correspondence (article 18)
  • Indicative budget. From €2 per month for a separate line
• Backups and security
  • Mandatory. Yes, appropriate security measures (GDPR)
  • Indicative budget. €0 for encryption, plus one or two external drives
• Training and supervision
  • Mandatory. No set volume (principle 4)
  • Indicative budget. Supervision often €60 to €80 per hour (FFPP 2022)

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Code de déontologie des psychologues, 2021 version (French psychologists' code of ethics, principle 4, articles 9, 17, 18, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25)
• French Ministry of Health, note d'explicitation du champ d'application de l'hébergement de données de santé (explanatory note on the scope of health data hosting, article L1111-8 CSP)
• Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), recital 35
• CNIL, RGPD et professionnels de santé libéraux : ce que vous devez savoir (GDPR and private health professionals)
• CNIL, Guide de la sécurité des données personnelles (personal data security guide)
• Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, Les sauvegardes (backups)
• Ameli, Mon soutien psy, sessions and video consultations
• BOFiP, BOI-BNC-DECLA-20-30, bookkeeping obligations under micro-BNC
• Service Public Entreprendre, Compte bancaire du micro-entrepreneur (bank account of a micro-entrepreneur)
• FFPP, Fédérer n° 99 bis, État des lieux de la profession de psychologue en activité libérale, November 2022
• FIF PL, Suis-je éligible ? (eligibility)
• ARS Nouvelle-Aquitaine, secure health messaging
• Note on the switch of psychologists from ADELI to RPPS (June 2024)
• Pearson Clinical, WISC-V (prices checked in October 2026)
• Éditions Hogrefe France
• PHQ-9 and GAD-7 forms (authors' statement on free reproduction)
• Doctolib, pricing page
• Resalib
• Crenolibre
• Indy, pricing
• Tiime, pricing
• Free Mobile, €2 plan
• Commission des psychologues (Belgium), Courrier déontologique, Le dossier patient à la loupe, April 2025
• CSS (Switzerland), Psychothérapie pratiquée par des psychologues (psychotherapy by psychologists)