Beyond Note-Taking: How Top Practices Track Client Progress Between Sessions
Your client arrives for their session, and you spend the first 20-30 minutes catching up on everything that's happened since you last met. By the time you get to meaningful therapeutic work, your session time is nearly half over. Sound familiar?
We call this the reactive therapy model, where important topics are presented and discussed within the same session, and we found it’s especially a problem for younger clients. We find this causes an often overlooked problem of slow treatment, which can manifest as retention or treatment satisfaction issues later on. To see this firsthand, look no further than psychotherapy’s most receptive cohort—Gen Z. While 50% of Gen Z have been to therapy, only 1 in 5 are currently in it, with 40% searching.
The Hidden Cost of Inaction
Delayed interventions can lead to suboptimal clinical outcomes. When issues go unaddressed for days or weeks until the next appointment, clients are left without proper coping strategies during critical moments, and may apply a different bias when recalling events, compared to how they experienced those events in the moment.
The impact of this disconnect goes beyond just inefficient sessions. When practices don't adapt to address these needs between sessions, we face several risks:
Higher client attrition rates: Clients leave when they don’t see results quick enough, or feel there isn’t a ‘fit’
Reduced practice revenue: Clients turn to asynchronous alternatives such as text therapy or wellness apps
Missed opportunities for early intervention: Clients will naturally recall events differently than how they experienced them
Increased therapist burnout from difficult (“heavy”) sessions: Reactive care necessarily requires on-the-fly interventions, with higher surprisal
Practical Solutions for Between-Session Engagement
After speaking with several fellow clinicians, we noticed three major themes in how practices are managing inter-session engagement today:
Structured Check-In Systems
Implementing daily mood rating scales provides a consistent way to monitor client wellbeing, while simple yes/no questions can track their application of therapeutic skills. For clients requiring additional support during challenging periods, scheduling brief text check-ins through a secure direct-message system can provide timely intervention opportunities.
Implementation Tip
Start with just one method and make it as frictionless as possible. The easier it is, the more likely clients will participate.
Digital Documentation Tools
Support client engagement through guided journaling prompts that align with their specific treatment goals and objectives. For those who find writing challenging, voice notes offer an accessible alternative. Custom tracking sheets can be developed to monitor particular behaviors or symptoms that are relevant to each client's situation.
Implementation Tip
Let clients choose their preferred method. Some may love writing, while others might prefer quick voice memos.
Progress Visualization
This especially powerful evidence-based method has proven highly effective within Client-Directed Outcome-Informed and Patient-Centered Documentation treatment models, demonstrating 85% more successful treatment outcomes. The core approach centers on creating opportunities for you and your client to jointly interpret their progress at each session touchpoint. This includes collaborative note taking and sharing, creating visual representations of skill usage, and maintaining clear visibility of progress toward specific therapeutic goals.
Implementation Tip
Make progress visible and celebratory. Gen Z clients particularly value seeing tangible evidence of their growth.
Making It Sustainable
The key challenge isn't just implementing these tools—It's doing so without creating additional friction for ourselves or our clients.
Set Clear Expectations
From the initial intake, it's essential to explain how between-session tracking can enhance treatment outcomes and provide valuable insights into the client's progress. While participation should remain optional, emphasize its benefits and encourage clients to engage in the process. Establish specific times when you'll review submissions to set realistic expectations around feedback and responses.
Create Efficient Workflows
Success with between-session tracking requires establishing dedicated blocks of time for reviewing client data. Streamline this process by developing templates for documentation that capture essential information while minimizing administrative burden. Make the review process part of your regular session preparation routine, allowing insights to inform your therapeutic approach.
Focus on Actionable Insights
When reviewing tracking data, concentrate on identifying patterns that can meaningfully inform treatment directions and interventions. Use these insights to proactively adjust therapeutic approaches before issues escalate. Share relevant observations with clients in a way that enhances their understanding and engagement in the therapeutic process, making the data collection effort worthwhile for everyone involved.
Evidence-Based Solutions with Opal
While these strategies can be implemented manually, modern practices are turning to specialized tools like Opal to make the process repeatable for high caseloads for the following reasons:
Trust In Outcomes
The impact of Opal's guided support features is demonstrated through impressive user satisfaction metrics, with 83% of users reporting immediate improvement in their wellbeing after engaging with the platform. Practices have seen tangible benefits in their capacity, accepting 5 additional clients due to streamlined case management. The platform's 97% documentation accuracy significantly reduces the time spent on administrative tasks, allowing therapists to focus more on direct client care.
Client-Centered Design
Opal's platform is specifically engineered to align with modern therapeutic needs, particularly resonating with Gen Z's digital-first preferences. The system provides continuous 24/7 support that's informed by each therapist's unique approach and expertise. Through thoughtful design, it facilitates the creation of meaningful briefings that strengthen the therapeutic alliance between client and practitioner.
Practice Growth
The platform serves as a catalyst for practice expansion, enabling clinicians to confidently increase their client base while maintaining quality of care. Enhanced client engagement leads to improved retention rates, creating more stable and sustainable practices. This optimization of practice management and service delivery translates to significant financial benefits, generating an average of $30,000 in additional yearly revenue per clinician.
In Short
The future of therapy isn't just about what happens in the room anymore. In a world where clients are increasingly demanding continuous support models, we as clinicians should respond accordingly to ensure the best possible outcomes for our clients and their unique needs. Therapy is a two way street, and ultimately these practices result in better retention, satisfaction, and practice efficiency to better serve a larger cohort of patients.
Ready to learn more about Opal?
Visit our website to access our safety and efficacy whitepaper, with key indicators towards better outcomes for clients:
Keywords: AI therapy notes, mental health technology 2024, therapy documentation software, reduce therapist burnout, improve therapy outcomes, mental health practice management, AI in healthcare, therapy efficiency, digital mental health, automated therapy notes
