Myths, mistakes, and dos-and-don'ts of clinical documentation

Interview-style, with Elizabeth Irias, LMFT

  • Course Description

    This fast-paced interview provides an overview of some of the most pressing questions psychotherapists have about clinical documentation. Listeners will learn documentation red flags that can trigger an audit and incur a recoupment, and how to avoid them. This course also includes discussion about medical necessity, administrative requirements for progress notes, and the standards of the field for documentation.

  • Learning Objectives

    Upon completing this course, participants will be able to: List three or more ‘administrative details’ that need to be in progress notes; Explain the importance of using behavioral language when writing progress notes; Define the term medical necessity is and describe its relationship to clinical documentation


    Target Audience and Instructional Level
    This course is intended for psychologists, therapists, social workers, clinical counselors, and addiction counselors. Instructional level: Introductory/Intermediate

  • How To Take This Course

    In order to receive a certificate of completion reflecting the associated CE credit hour, you must:
    #1: Have an active paid Clearly Clinical membership
    #2: Listen to the corresponding course podcast
    #3: Achieve a passing grade on the post-presentation test (the test has up to ten questions and you must earn a score of at least 80%; you are able to re-test)
    #4: Complete the requested course evaluation.

    Course elements (including the course audio, post-test, and requested course evaluation) can be completed on a computer or mobile device via your Clearly Clinical account.

  • Course Format

    This high-quality and interesting course contains a one-hour, non-interactive audio podcast presentation which is available for free via all major public podcast providers. You can also listen to and download the file via our course player.

  • Commercial Support

    There is no known commercial support or conflict of interest for this CE program, presenter, sponsor, instructor, or content. The presenter, Beth Rontal, mentions her documentation trainings as a resource during the course.

  • Certificate Access Details

    Once you've completed the course, your certificate will automatically populate in the 'Certificate' section of your account; it will also be emailed to you. Access to completion certificate will expire 365 days after issuance. Course certificates will be on file for ten (10) years from date of course completion.

  • Accommodations

    If you have special needs or need an accommodation, please email us at info@clearlyclinical.com and we will do our best to assist you.

Interviewee and Interviewer

Beth Rontal, LICSW

Documentation Expert

Beth Rontal ‘Rontelle’, LICSW in Massachusetts, is a nationally recognized speaker on mental health documentation. She mastered her teaching skills with thousands of hours supervising at a clinic for 11 years. She was instrumental in developing the clinic’s first electronic documentation system that significantly reduced documentation time and errors.

Beth’s Documentation Wizard TM training program empowers clinicians, reduces anxiety about documentation, and furthers professional integrity. It simplifies the documentation process by systematically linking effective documentation to quality care. Her Misery and Mastery TM trainings and accompanying forms have been used all over the world.

Beth has an active psychotherapy practice in Boston, MA. Her other interests include writing and performing cabarets and her current one-woman show called, “My Mother’s Daughter.”

Elizabeth 'Beth' Irias, MS, LMFT

Interviewer & Clearly Clinical Founder

Elizabeth 'Beth' Irias (she/her) is a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and the Founder and President of Clearly Clinical. She has specializations in Clinical Documentation, Best Practice, and Utilization Review, and works closely with clinical teams across the US as a trainer and national conference presenter; Beth was formerly an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University in the Graduate Psychology and Education department. Licensed in California and Oregon, she provides therapy via her private practice to young adult and adult clients, members of the LGBTQ population, and those with addictive disorders. She has two young children, a super cool spouse who helps out with Clearly Clinical's tech, and a rescue dog.

See why we're the country's premier CE provider

  • CONVENIENT: All courses are 1-hour podcast episodes, available on all public podcast platforms

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  • SOCIALLY-RESPONSIBLE: We donate to The Trevor Project for LGBTQIA+ youth suicide prevention

  • WOMEN-OWNED: We are founded and run by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT

  • DIVERSE: We highlight expert presenters from historically-marginalized communities

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