This course is entirely free, including the CE credit; no credit card required to register. Free course access expires 30 days after registration date.

  • COURSE DESCRIPTION

    This on-demand podcast CE course brings together ‘The Documentation Divas’, providing invaluable insights on the essential components of progress notes. The panel explores key concepts such as medical necessity, effective documentation practices, and strategies for maintaining compliance with varying legal and ethical requirements, and contains important information for all therapists, regardless of funding source. The course emphasizes practical, actionable guidance on improving documentation quality, managing time efficiently, and reducing clinician burnout. Whether you are new to clinical documentation or looking to refine your skills, this course offers a comprehensive and supportive environment for mastering this critical aspect of therapeutic practice.

  • LEARNING OBJECTIVES

    Upon completing this course, participants will be able to: List three or more common mistakes or omissions commonly observed in progress notes; Name two or more tools or strategies to improve illustration of medical necessity in progress notes; Describe two or more myths about progress notes in mental health practice


    TARGET AUDIENCE & 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: Enroll in this free course and create a free Clearly Clinical account (or log into your existing Clearly Clinical account as part of the enrollment process)
    #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%; users can re-test up to three times. After three attempts, users are advised to re-listen to the audio course in its entirety and then subsequently re-test. Psychologists who are seeking CE credit may not be awarded credit if they attempt to pass the post-test more than three times.)
    #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 course contains a one-hour, non-interactive audio podcast which is available for free on all major public podcast platforms, including YouTube, by searching for 'Clearly Clinical'. You can also listen to and download the audio file via our course player.

  • ACCOMMODATIONS

    If you have special needs or need an accommodation, please email us at [email protected] and we will do our best to assist you.

    If reading along while listening is helpful for you, we recommend listening to our podcast on YouTube with the closed captioning feature enabled (to do this, click the button in the YouTube video player with the 'CC' on it).

  • 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. Course certificates will be on file for ten (10) years from date of course completion regardless of a user's paid membership status.

    Users are able to complete this course one time and earn the associated CE certificate. You are welcome to re-take this specific course (ie- listen to the audio, take the test, and take the evaluation), however, a new, subsequent certificate will not be issued.

  • COMMERCIAL SUPPORT

    There is no known commercial support or conflict of interest for this CE program, presenter, sponsor, instructor, or content. The instructors reference their own resources as a potential option for further learning.

  • COURSE ACCESS EXPIRATION

    Please note that you will have access to this free course for 30 days from when you sign up. If your access lapses and the course is still being offered as a free CE course, you are able to re-enroll.

Interviewees

Dr. Ajita Robinson, LCPC-S, NCC

Insurance and Billing Expert

Dr. Robinson has traveled the country providing workshops, trainings and consultations to a variety of audiences including mental health professionals, families, educations, communities, students and many more. Dr. Robinson is affectionately called “The Experts’ Therapist.”

Dr. Ajita Robinson is the owner and Executive Director at Friends in Transition Counseling Services, LLC a group mental health practice located in Bethesda, Maryland. She is the CEO of Mastering Insurance, LLC an agency that offers credentialing and billing courses and services for mental health professionals. Please visit her at www.MasteringInsurance.com and Friends In Transition (FIT), LLC Counseling Services.

Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey

Documentation Expert

Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey is a licensed psychologist, nail design enthusiast, and multi-passionate entrepreneur. With her business QA Prep, she empowers therapists with training and consultation on clinical documentation. Maelisa focuses on the “why” behind the usual recommendations and encourages clinicians to think outside the box, while also keeping their ethics intact. As a true ENFP, Maelisa aims to make sure all of her endeavors are meeting a need in the community while also allowing for plenty of laughter and fun.

Please visit her at QAPrep.com.

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.”

Please visit her at DocumentationWizard.com/.

Barbara Griswold, LMFT #27210

Insurance and Billing Expert

Barbara Griswold, LMFT, is a private practice consultant and the author of Navigating the Insurance Maze: The Therapist’s Complete Guide to Working with Insurance -- And Whether You Should, now out in its 8th edition. She is celebrating 30 years in private practice, and has taught over 120 trainings on insurance and documentation, providing consultations to therapists nationwide.

Please visit her at NavigatingTheInsuranceMaze.com./.

Interviewer

Elizabeth Irias, LMFT

Documentation Expert and Founder of Clearly Clinical

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.

Please visit her at ClearlyClinicalConsulting.com to learn more about her consulting work.

Why is Clearly Clinical the nation's premier CE provider?

  • CONVENIENT: All courses are 1-hour podcast episodes, available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, and all other free public podcast platforms

  • AFFORDABLE: We offer quality CE courses through a reasonably-priced membership

  • SOCIALLY-RESPONSIBLE: We make ongoing donations to The Trevor Project for LGBT youth suicide prevention, and have also previously donated to Black & Brown Founders, the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund, Black Women’s Blueprint, Feeding America, and The Center for Reproductive Rights.

  • WOMAN-OWNED & QUEER-OWNED: We are founded and run by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT

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

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Quick Note: Are you confused about the difference between a Continuing Education Unit (CEU) and a Continuing Education (CE) Credit Hour?  Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for clarification!