Organization is a skill many people struggle to maintain. However, when working in the field of addiction recovery, organization is essential. Though a therapist or treatment professional may be working with a variety of clients, their clients may have many similarities, which can make remembering their information difficult. Keeping an organized schedule and set of notes for each client can help your practice run smoothly and avoid missteps.
Client Notes
Keeping your notes for your client’s sessions organized is important to avoid wasting time during your next session. It is normal to need a quick refresher before beginning a session, but scrambling to find what you’ve previously discussed only wastes your and your client’s time. Having a basic structure used with your note-taking can help you find specific information faster. Consider this outline of what to document.
There are a variety of methods you can use when taking notes on discussions with clients. Some professionals like to keep a separate file for each individual with the notes stashed away after each session. Others prefer to keep the medical paperwork separate from the session notes. This may mean keeping a large notebook full of notes on each client. Either of these methods is acceptable depending on your personal preference.
Filing Notes
If you prefer to keep the notes on your clients’ sessions within files, consider keeping a file for their notes and a separate file for their medical and intake paperwork. Keeping the session notes organized by dates and placed in order with labels provides a structure for your files. This makes it easier for you to quickly locate the notes from previous sessions and file away new notes efficiently.
Session Notebook
Keeping a large notebook for all your clients can also be an efficient system. With this note-taking method, you have to consider the privacy of your clients. Blocking out a section for each client, in which all their notes can be kept together, is the most efficient way to create a useable structure. This will allow you to refer back to their previous sessions easily without confusing their notes for those of a different client. Using this system, you may have a color label, code name, or some way to associate each client with the notes taken. Because you are using the same notebook with every client, to ensure the privacy of your clients, the names of your clients must not be visible.
The advantage of the notebook method is that it keeps all your client notes in one location, which makes it easier for you to refer to their notes without accessing a client’s whole file. The disadvantage is that it is especially necessary to keep this documentation organized and confidential within the notebook.
Scheduling
Managing your books is important for the success of your practice. Ensuring your schedules are never overlapping and are on a manageable timeframe is very important. If you consistently have conflicting schedules, your stress levels increase, and your clients may become frustrated. Clients depend on your commitment and quality of service. The following scheduling apps can help you manage your schedule and ensure you are on top of your commitments.
- Booksy Biz
- Appointfix
- Setmore Appointments
- Google Calendar (business setting)
- Square Scheduler
Many other mobile applications can be useful tools for scheduling. You may also keep a daily planner, reminding you of your appointments for the day if you work better off a physical platform. The listed apps can help outline all your scheduled appointments and ensure none of them overlap.
Time Management
Therapeutic sessions often last 45 minutes to an hour. The length of sessions may differ between therapists and clients; however, they often are relatively short. During this time, there may be a lot to discuss and work through. Especially if the client does not come in regularly. Maintaining an organized system within your practice can help you locate previous notes and manage your daily schedule efficiently. This decreases the chances of wasting the time of your sessions and allows you to give the most to your clients.
Setting an Example
Organizational skills can be a useful tool for your client’s recovery as well as your practice. Organization requires a level of self-control and discipline. It also encourages success by having you engage in everyday habits and goal achievement. As an organized professional, you are setting a good example of organization for your clients. Showing them how organization is beneficial in your personal and professional life can help them incorporate it into their recovery and have an example to follow in the process.
A lack of organization can bring extra stress into the process of recovery for your clients. Obtaining these skills yourself and encouraging your clients to implement them as well can help them focus on their recovery process without the distractions of disorganization.
Organization is essential for a mental health professionals. Organizational skills provide many benefits for you and your clients within your practice. A well-organized therapy or treatment practice can alleviate some of the stress factor of therapy. Keeping your client’s documents organized and secure to ensure their safety is important. Organizing the notes taken upon each session can reduce stress for the next session by making it easy to locate and review previously discussed topics. Keeping an organized schedule for yourself and your clients helps your practice run efficiently. Time management and organization enable you to make the best use of your time within each session. Setting an example for your clients, a well-organized therapist shows their clients how organization can help them in their recovery process and encourages them to implement organizational habits into their daily lives. To learn more about the benefits organizational skills can have on your therapeutic practices, reach out to Dream Recovery at (949) 732-1960.
Recent Comments