How it works: Getting started as an admin for supervisory billing on Headway

Updated

This program is currently in a pilot phase specifically for group practices in New York seeing Aetna and Cigna clients. While we are prioritizing group practices initially, we’re actively working to expand to additional major payers, new states, and solo providers over the next year.

How to get your supervisees and supervisors set up to see their first supervisory billing client on Headway, including what you need to do, which tasks your supervisors and supervisees handle themselves, and how to track progress along the way.
 

For supervisees

Step 1: Make sure they have their prerequisites

Action required

Before you can add a supervisee to Headway, they'll need three things in place:

  • NPI (National Provider Identifier) — a free, individual (Type 1) NPI from NPPES/CMS. Takes about 15 minutes to apply; allow 5–7 business days to receive.
  • Malpractice insurance — an active policy that meets Headway's coverage minimums (generally $1M per occurrence / $3M aggregate), listing the supervisee individually. View COI requirements
  • CAQH account — a completed and re-attested CAQH ProView profile. They'll need their NPI and malpractice insurance handy to set it up. Learn more about CAQH
Tip: We recommend this order — NPI first, then malpractice insurance, then CAQH — so all the information is ready when they set up their CAQH account.

Next step: Once prerequisites are in place, invite them to Sigmund Lite.
 

Step 2: Invite them to Sigmund Lite

Action required

In your group practice account, go to Manage Team and click Add Provider. Enter your supervisee's details to send them a Sigmund Lite invitation. They'll receive an email to create their account.

Next step: Complete (or assign) their intake form. Need a refresher? Here's what providers have access to with Sigmund Lite.
 

Step 3: Complete the intake form

Action required (you or them)

The intake form collects the supervisee's license, CAQH, and malpractice insurance information needed to begin credentialing. You can complete this on their behalf directly in your group admin account, or send them the link to fill it out themselves.

Either way, you'll need the following on hand:

  • Their state license
  • Their CAQH login
  • Their malpractice insurance policy (in PDF format)
Note: All file uploads must be in PDF format. If you run into malpractice insurance errors, check this guide.

Next step: Headway's clinical team reviews and approves the supervisee.
 

Step 4: Clinical review and approval

No action required from you

Once the intake form is submitted, Headway's team will review and approve the supervisee. You'll receive a notification when they're approved and ready to see clients.

Want to check where things stand? Head to your Manage Team page to see each supervisee's onboarding status and spot any blockers.

Next step: Your supervisee is approved — now their supervisor can assign their first client.
 

For supervisors

Step 1: Get them set up on Sigmund Lite

Action required (if applicable)

If your supervisor already has Sigmund Lite access, skip to Step 2 — you can assign their supervisees during the supervisee intake flow.

  • If your supervisor is live on Headway but doesn't have access to Sigmund Lite: Go to the Manage Team page, select the overflow button next to their name, and assign Sigmund Lite access.
  • If your supervisor is new to Headway: Use Add Provider from the Manage Team page and select "yes" to invite them to Sigmund Lite. The intake process for supervisors follows the same standard credentialing flow as any fully licensed provider. Learn more about credentialing with Headway

Next step: Assign supervisors to their supervisee(s).
 

Step 2: Assign supervisors to supervisees

Action required

Assigning a supervisor is what formally establishes the supervisory relationship on Headway. You can do this in two ways:

  • During supervisee onboarding: When adding a new supervisee via Add Provider, you'll be prompted to assign a supervisor.
  • When a provider is live on Headway: Go to the Manage Team page, find the supervisee, select the overflow button next to their name, and assign or update their supervisor from there.

Next step: The supervisor completes their supervision onboarding — supervision agreement, terms and conditions, and attestations.
 

Step 3: Supervisor completes onboarding

No action required from you

From here, your supervisor handles the rest:

  • They'll complete a supervision form, which includes their terms and conditions and clinical attestations.
  • Headway's clinical team will conduct a clinical review and approval.

You'll get a notification when they've been approved. Track their status anytime on the Manage Team page.

Want to share what they need to do? Send them to the Supervisor guide.
 

Once everyone is approved: What happens next

Once both supervisors and supervisees are live, the clinical workflow kicks in — but most of it is handled between your supervisor and supervisee. Here's a quick overview of what to expect, so you can help troubleshoot if something gets stuck:

Step Who does it Where
Transfer a client to the supervisee Supervisor Client's profile page in Sigmund → "Supervised Provider"
Client signs disclosure form Client Client portal
Supervisee confirms sessions Supervisee Sigmund Lite (the provider portal)
Supervisee submits session notes Supervisee Sigmund Lite (within 72 hours of session)
Supervisor reviews and co-signs notes Supervisor Supervision Hub / Homepage to-do list
Supervisee submits treatment plan Supervisee Sigmund Lite (required before the 3rd session)
Supervisor reviews and co-signs treatment plan Supervisor Supervision Hub / Homepage to-do list
Note for admins: Group admins cannot confirm sessions or co-sign notes on behalf of supervisors or supervisees. These actions must be completed by the individual clinicians to maintain clinical and legal validity.

 

Start building your supervisee caseloads

Once your supervisees are approved, they won't appear in Headway's public search directory right away — for now, they can only see existing clients or referrals sourced directly by your practice. You can start sending clients their way through your supervisor, who assigns them via the client's profile page.

 

Looking for the supervisee or supervisor versions of this guide?

Disclaimer: This document is for educational purposes only and is not intended as professional or legal advice. It may contain errors or missing information, and recent changes in policies, regulations, or payer requirements may not be reflected. Because requirements vary by organization and jurisdiction, please consult legal counsel, the appropriate regulatory or licensing authority or your designated Headway contact for guidance specific to your situation.

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