Add a secondary contact to send a client's email notifications to a second person, such as a guardian. Add an emergency contact to keep someone's details on file. This article shows you how to add, remove, and choose between the two.
Before You Begin
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A secondary contact receives email notifications. They receive the same email notifications as the client, such as appointment reminders and telehealth links. This helps when a guardian signs forms or waivers, pays invoices, or follows up on notifications that need action.
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An emergency contact receives nothing. Practice Better stores emergency contact details for documentation only. They receive no client notifications.
- Only a primary record can have a secondary contact. A sub-record (child record) in a family record doesn't have this option. Learn more in Managing Family Records in Practice Better →
Adding a Secondary Contact
- Go to My Clients.
- Double-click the client's name, or click Edit to the right of their name, to open their Basic information section.
- Scroll to the Secondary Contact section.
- Check the box for Include a secondary contact when sending email notifications to this client.
- Enter the secondary contact's information.
- Click Save Changes near the top-right.
📍 Note: The secondary contact receives emails only. Adding a secondary contact doesn't link any records and doesn't give them Client Portal access. To give a guardian access to a child's record, create a family record instead. Learn more in Managing Family Records in Practice Better →
Removing a Secondary Contact
- Go to My Clients and open the client's Basic information section.
- Scroll to the Secondary Contact section.
- Uncheck the box for Include a secondary contact when sending email notifications to this client.
- Click Save Changes near the top-right.
⚠️ Important: You can't undo this change after you save. To include the secondary contact again, repeat the steps in Adding a Secondary Contact.
Adding an Emergency Contact
- Go to My Clients.
- Double-click the client's name, or click Edit to the right of their name, to open their Basic information section.
- Click the Fast Action Button in the bottom-right corner an select Add Emergency Contact.
- Enter the emergency contact's information in the pop-up. First name, Last name, and Relationship to the client are required. Phone, email, mailing address, occupation, date of birth, and gender are optional.
- Click Done at the bottom-right of the pop-up.
- Click Save Changes near the top-right.
Choosing Between a Secondary Contact and an Emergency Contact
| Secondary Contact | Emergency Contact | |
| Receives client emails | Yes. | No. |
| Purpose | Sends a client's notifications to a second person, such as a guardian. | Keeps someone's details on file for documentation. |
| Where to add it | Secondary Contact section of Basic information. | Fast Action Button > Add Emergency Contact. |
| Available on family sub-records | No. Primary records only. | Yes. |
Choosing Between a Secondary Contact and a Family Record
A secondary contact is an extra email recipient on one client record. A family record links several client records under one shared email address and one Client Portal login. Choose a family record when a parent or guardian needs to manage a child's sessions, forms, and resources in the Client Portal.
Learn more in Managing Family Records in Practice Better →
When a primary record has a secondary contact, the secondary contact also receives the notifications for each family member's sub-record.
Letting Clients Update Their Own Contacts
When you turn on profile change requests, clients can add or edit their own secondary contact and emergency contacts from the Client Portal. You review each change before it appears on the client's record.
Learn more in Requesting Changes to your Client Profile →
Importing Contacts from Forms
When you import form responses into a client record, you can map a form's Contact Person question to Emergency Contact or Secondary Contact. A secondary contact requires a name and an email address, and you select Overwrite existing data to replace an existing secondary contact.
Learn more in Mapping and Importing Form Responses into Client Records →
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does an emergency contact receive any notifications?
A: No. Emergency contact details are stored for documentation only.
Q: Can I add a secondary contact to a family sub-record?
A: No. Only the primary record can have a secondary contact. A secondary contact on the primary record also receives the notifications for each family member.
Q: Which emergency contact fields are required?
A: First name, last name, and relationship to the client. All other fields are optional, including phone, email, mailing address, occupation, date of birth, and gender.
Q: How do I stop a secondary contact from receiving a client's emails?
A: Open the client's Basic information section, uncheck Include a secondary contact when sending email notifications to this client, and click Save Changes. You can't undo this change after you save.