Collaborative Documentation: Involving Clients in their Care

What if we told you that a 15-year, national study has found that there is an intervention that has an 85% success rate in engaging patients? Up to 87% of patients who receive this intervention report feeling more in control of their care and up to 78% of patients report an increase in medication adherence as a result of it being implemented. It does not require extensive training or supervision. In fact, patients find this intervention engaging despite the clinician’s experience level in doing it. Other studies have found that there is an additional benefit to protecting clinicians against burnout.

This course will explore the use of collaborative documentation as an integral part of providing effective, person-centered care. To clinicians, it ensures we are having important conversations about progress, plans and expectations throughout treatment. To patients and their families, it empowers the increase in knowledge and understanding of their care and provides an opportunity to share their takeaways and take ownership of their recovery. To all parties, it is a way to continue the dialogue about the impact of the client’s environment and life experiences beyond the initial assessment. We cannot be effective if we are not tuning in to patient and family perspectives, experiences, and priorities. This course is designed to introduce collaborative documentation as best practice and provide practical tools for clinicians to incorporate it as a means of building an authentic, transparent and empathic therapeutic alliance.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify at least three benefits of integrating collaborative documentation into your practice;
2. Describe how to use collaborative documentation during assessment, treatment planning and intervention sessions; 
3. Practice collaborative documentation tools for use in session with clients.

Research: There have been a number of journal articles and studies published on collaborative documentation that can be found on Google Scholar. Additional articles can be found in the Journal of Human Services: Training, Research and Practice. Clinical publications and best practices may also be found on the MTM Services website.

Target Audience: social workers, mental health therapists, and other clinicians providing mental health services to children, youth, and families who meet the NYS OMH training grant eligibility criteria

We are happy to respond to any concerns or questions you may have. Please contact us at by email at sw-ce@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-829-5841.

ADA Accommodations: If you require any support for your ADA needs in the United States, please contact us by email at least 3 weeks prior to the event by email at sw-ce@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-829-5841.