Registration and onboarding process – It's Complicated

This guide walks you through each step of joining It's Complicated, from creating your account to seeing your first clients. The full process typically takes a few days, depending on how quickly you complete your profile and how long the credential review takes.

Step 1: Create your account

Visit the It's Complicated website and sign up as a practitioner. You'll need to provide your name, email address, and set a password.

Step 2: Build your profile

Once registered, you'll be guided through creating your practitioner profile. This includes your bio, therapeutic approach, languages, session formats (online/in-person), and pricing.

Take your time here — a strong profile makes a big difference in attracting clients. For detailed guidance, see Creating Your Profile: A Guide for Practitioners.

Step 3: Professional title and credentials upload

First, select the professional title that reflects your qualifications (e.g., Psychotherapist, Psychologist, Counsellor, Coach) and the country in which you are currently based. This determines what documents you'll need to upload.

Requirements vary by title and country of practice:

You'll also need to complete identity verification (e.g., passport or government-issued ID) and location verification (e.g., utility bill or official government letter, no older than 6 months, showing your full name and address).

💡 Tip: Make sure your documents are clearly legible and in an accepted format (PDF, JPG, or PNG). Documents in any language are accepted — we have a multilingual review team.

Step 4: Title and credential review

Our team will review your application and verify that your chosen title appears to match your qualifications and the guidelines we have in place for your country of practice. This typically takes 2 business days. You'll receive an email once your profile has been reviewed.

Step 5: Choose your subscription plan

Once approved, you'll choose a subscription plan. Each plan offers different levels of visibility and features. For a full comparison, see Information on It's Complicated memberships.

Step 6: Set up your calendar and services

Before clients can book with you, you'll need to configure your availability and the services you offer (e.g., individual therapy, couples therapy, initial consultation).

Availabilities — set the days and times you're available for each service. See Adding your availabilities to your profile
Appointment booking — learn how to book appointments with clients. See Getting started with appointment booking
Calendar sync — connect your existing calendar to avoid double-bookings. See Syncing Google, Outlook, or Apple Calendar
Timezones — working with international clients? See Working with clients in different timezones

Step 7: Get ready for video sessions

It's Complicated includes a built-in GDPR-secure video calling tool — no need for external software. To set it up and test it before your first session, see Getting started with video calling.

If you run into any technical issues, check Troubleshooting technical issues with your video calls.

Step 8: Understand invoicing & payments

When clients book sessions with you, invoicing is handled through the platform. It's helpful to familiarise yourself with how this works before your first session:

Getting started — how to set up your invoicing account. See Getting started with invoicing
Sending invoices — how to create and send invoices to your clients. See Sending invoices to your clients
Payment flow — how funds move from client payment to your bank account. See Understanding the flow of funds from client payments to payouts
Payment issues — what to do if a client payment doesn't go through. See Managing issues with collecting client payment

Step 9: Start seeing clients

You're all set. Once your profile is live, clients can find you in our directories, reach out, and book sessions with you. Here are a few resources to help you get going:

Working with clients — an overview of how the client relationship works on the platform. See Working with clients on It's Complicated
Visibility and leads — understand how clients find you and what drives enquiries. See Client leads, visibility, and platform dynamics
Notes — keep encrypted clinical notes for your sessions. See Creating client notes

Optional: Explore programmes and community

Once you're established on the platform, you may also want to explore additional ways to grow your practice and connect with peers.

Our Matching Program lets you opt in to receive client referrals matched to your expertise and availability. The Workplace Mental Health Programme gives you the opportunity to work with clients through employer-sponsored sessions. And through our community, you can connect with fellow practitioners, attend events, and exchange referrals.

Still have questions? Contact our support team at support@complicated.life — we're happy to help.