Adding Group Chat to Programs

In this article:

• Enabling Group Chat for New and Existing Programs
• Configuring Group Chat Settings
• Adding Participants to Your Program Chat
• Managing Chat Notifications and Member Visibility
• Moderating and Maintaining Your Program Chat

Enabling Group Chat for New and Existing Programs

Add community connection to programs you've already built — even if clients are already enrolled.

Learn more about Working with Programs →

Go to the Program’s Advanced Options

Path 1:

1. Go to My Practice > My Programs.
    
2. Click the More Options menu (3 dots) next to your program and select Edit program info.
   
    
3. Click the Advanced Options tab.
   
    
4. Continue with the section below, Configuring Group Chat Settings.
    

Path 2:

1. Go to My Practice > My Programs.
    
2. Click Manage on the program where you want to add chat.
   
    
3. Select Chat on the left-hand navigation menu and click Add chat.
   
    
4. This will open the program’s Advanced Options tab.
   
    
5. Continue with the section below, Configuring Group Chat Settings.

Configuring Group Chat Settings

These settings determine how clients experience and interact within your program community. Choose options that align with your coaching philosophy and client privacy preferences.

1. From the program’s Advanced Options page, check the box to Enable group chat for this program.
   
    
2. Review the details below to configure your chat settings.
    
3. Click Save Changes near the top-right.
   

✅ When you save your new group chat, Practice Better will prompt you to choose whether you want to add currently enrolled clients to the chat. This ensures you have control over who participates from the start, regardless of when you enable the feature.

Understanding Group Chat Options

Group Chat Name

Enter a name for your program's group chat, or leave the field empty to automatically use your program name. A custom chat name can create a sense of community identity (e.g., "Inner Circle," "Wellness Warriors," "Transformation Tribe").

Chat Style

Select how messages and conversations display to participants:

Feed: Displays new messages at the top with replies nested under each post, similar to social media feeds like Facebook. This format works well for discussion-style communities where topics branch into conversations.

Direct chat: Displays messages in chronological order with the most recent at the bottom, similar to traditional messaging apps. This format creates a continuous conversation flow.

✅ You can adjust the chat style at any time. Existing messages remain visible when you change styles — only the visual layout and message organization change from the user's perspective.

Automatic Enrollment

Enable automatic enrollment to auto-add clients to the group chat when they enroll in your program. Clients will be added to the chat once they've activated their account and have access to the Client Portal.

💡 Tip: Automatic enrollment ensures no one misses out on community support. If you disable this setting, you can manually add specific clients to create more selective or curated group experiences (see Adding Participants to Your Program Chat below).

Privacy and Display Settings

Client name display options:

• Full names: Allow clients to see other participants' complete names
• First names and initials: Show first names with last name initial (e.g., "Sarah M.")
• First names only: Display only first names for added privacy

Profile photo settings:

You can restrict clients from seeing other participants' profile photos if privacy is a concern for your community.

📍 Note: These naming and photo privacy settings apply only to what clients see. You will always see clients' full names and profile photos when viewing group chats in your Practitioner Portal.

Adding Participants to Your Program Chat

Whether you've disabled automatic enrollment for clients or want to add practitioners and team members to support your community, Practice Better gives you flexibility in managing chat participants.

💡 Tip: This selective approach works well for cohort-based programs, VIP groups, or when you want to create smaller discussion groups within larger programs.

Adding Group Chat Participants Manually

1. Go to your program and click Chat on the left-hand navigation menu.
    
2. Click the Add participants button.
   
    
3. Select the specific clients or team members you want to add to the group chat.
   
    
4. Click Done to include them in the conversation.

✅ Team members are added to group chats using the same method as adding clients. They can help moderate discussions, celebrate client wins, and provide expert insights — distributing the community management workload across your practice.

Managing Chat Notifications and Member Visibility

Giving clients control over their chat experience helps them engage on their own terms while maintaining the supportive community atmosphere you've created.

Practitioner Group Chat Notifications

Practitioners can choose which types of group chat messages they want to be notified about.

Select from:

• All messages: Receive notifications for every post in the group
• Messages where I’m mentioned: Notifications when tagged by name
• Replies to my messages: Notifications when someone responds to their posts

Learn more about Setting Up Instant Alerts and Notification Preferences in Practice Better →

Client Group Chat Notifications

Clients can customize which group chat messages trigger notifications, choosing from:

• All messages: Receive notifications for every post in the group
• Messages from my practitioner: Only notifications when you post
• Messages where I'm mentioned: Notifications when tagged by name
• Replies to my messages: Notifications when someone responds to their posts

Learn more about Managing Notification Preferences in Your Client Portal →

Leaving and Rejoining Group Chats

Clients can leave a group chat if they prefer not to participate. However, they can't rejoin on their own — you'll need to manually add them again if they change their mind. This design ensures intentional participation and prevents disruption to the community.

Controlling Member Visibility

You can control whether clients can see the full participant list in your group chat:

1. Go to your program's Advanced Options or the group chat's settings.
    
2. Enable or disable participant list visibility based on your privacy preferences.
   
    
3. If visibility is enabled, choose your preferred name display format (full names, first name and initial, or first names only).
   
    
4. Click Save Changes.

💡 Tip: Showing the participant list can increase community connection, while hiding it can provide additional privacy for sensitive program topics.

Moderating and Maintaining Your Program Chat

Active moderation keeps your program community safe, supportive, and aligned with your practice values.

Manual Moderation

Chat moderation requires active oversight from you and any participating team members. Practice Better doesn't offer automated content filtering, so you'll need to monitor conversations regularly to ensure appropriate and supportive interactions.

Scheduling Messages

You can schedule messages to your program group chat for consistent engagement:

• Weekly check-ins or reflections
• Motivational messages at key program milestones
• Reminders about upcoming modules or deadlines
• Celebration posts for community wins

📍 Note: Only practitioners can schedule group chat messages — clients post in real-time only.

Learn more about Scheduling chat messages in Practice Better →

Exporting Chat History

For record-keeping or compliance purposes, you can export the complete group chat conversation:

1. Go to your program's group chat page.
    
2. Click the More Options menu (3 dots) and select Export.
   
    
3. A spreadsheet file will be downloaded to your local device. 

📍 Note: Only practitioners can export group chat history — this feature is not available to clients for group chats.

Managing Archived Program Chats

When you archive a program, the associated group chat locks automatically to prevent new messages from participants. However, the chat remains accessible:

For locked chats associated with archived programs:

1. Go to your Practice Better Messaging page.
    
2. Open the program’s group chat.
    
3. Click the More Options menu (3 dots) and select Unlock group.
   

✅ You can unlock a group chat independently of the program's archived status — allowing continued community conversation even after formal program completion. If you unarchive the program, the chat unlocks automatically.

Accessing Your Program Chat

Once enabled, you can monitor and participate in your program's group chat from two convenient locations:

Method 1: From Program Navigation

1. Go to My Practice > My Programs.
    
2. Click Manage next to your program.
    
3. Click the Chat tab on the left-hand navigation bar.
    

Method 2: From the Practice Better Messaging Page

1. Go to your Practice Better Messaging page.
    
2. Click the Chat icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
    
3. Select your program chat from the list of group conversations.

💡 Tip: Use your program chat to celebrate client wins, answer common questions, share additional resources, and foster connections between participants. Your active presence sets the tone for engagement and helps create the supportive atmosphere that makes community-based programs so effective.

Group chat creates the community experience that keeps clients motivated, supported, and engaged throughout their wellness journey. The connections clients build with each other often extend beyond the program itself, creating lasting relationships that support long-term behavior change. If you need guidance on facilitating effective group discussions or moderating program communities, our support team is available to share best practices.