ETHICS 1 of 3:WRITING SESSION NOTES-ETHICAL, USEFUL, & EFFICIENT-2mornings

(The image's saying was adapted from the work of Reamer, 2005)

Welcome! An ethics PD event with Dr. Dawn McBride is well known to be intense - packed with ample information offered at a fast-paced. You will always be encouraged to "take what fits -and ditch or modify the rest as there are no shoulds just ideas and recommendations to increase your efficiency in writing session notes"

CONTEXT:

• Part 1 of 3 (SESSION NOTES) focuses on helping front-line counselling staff write session notes that are ethical, useful, meaningful, transparent, and efficient (ideally, written in under 5 mins.). This is the event you are reading about right now :)
• Part 2 of 3 (CONSENT FORM & PROCESSES) takes a deep dive into the MANY topics you may want to include in your consent form to help reduce ethical dilemmas and offer your clients ample clarity about their rights and your policies and procedures. Time will also be spent on ways to make the consent process trauma-informed and relational-based.
• Part 3 of 3 (SPECIALIZED ETHICS MODULES) is focused on specific ethical topics related to consent and documentation (e.g., documenting risk, testifying in court, working with parents/youth).

PART 1: WRITING EFFICIENT AND ETHICAL SESSION NOTES

Dr. Dawn will share strategies she uses to complete session notes that offer continuation of care and involve the client in the charting process. This process involves the worker adding intentional, clear, and creative structure in their sessions.

Dr. Dawn will begin the training by highlighting how helpers and therapists document our work (compared to the medical documentation model). After that, she will focus on what NOT to record in session notes. She will also address the value of knowing the differences between being a fact or an expert witness and how this information impacts what you may want to put in a client file. Ample time will be spent exploring the main topics that can be useful to record in session notes and how to ensure there is enough substance in your notes to meet the continuation of care mandate. Near the end of the training event, you will be ready to make sense of one of Dawn McBride/DPS's session note templates that she believes offer a very efficient and helpful approach to writing session notes. BONUS: Because you attended this training, you will have Dr. Dawn's permission to use/adapt her session note (with full citation) in your practice.

WHO IS THIS TRAINING FOR? This training is open to anyone (see the limit below). It caters to those working on the front line in a helping/counselling context in Canada (e.g., CCCs, social workers, psychologists, school counsellors, therapists/counsellors, outreach workers, and shelter staff).

*NOTE: To avoid any perceived conflict of interest, students currently enrolled in the University of Lethbridge counsellor education programs and staff/faculty working at this location are asked not to register in any of DPS trainings.

DATE & TIME: This 2024 training will be over two mornings starting at 9:00 a.m. each morning (Calgary time): June 24th (Monday) & June 25th (Tuesday) and will conclude each day around 12:45 p.m. MT (Calgary time). You are asked to please sign-on (via Zoom link - camera use is optional) anytime between 8:30 a.m. and 8:50 a.m. MT (Calgary time) to complete some housekeeping tasks (i.e., receive the handout, answer a poll, etc. ). *NOTE: There are several important policies and procedures you need to know before registering for this module; please see below.

EXTRA BONUSES : (I) Dawn will 'hang around' afterwards for an informal discussion about the day's content. You are welcome to hang out! Before registering, please note the policies and procedures associated with this training so you can make an informed choice to register for this event; and (2) You will be introduced to Dr. Dawn's clinical style and ethical stance throughout the training. As a result, you might even gain some counselling tips during this training.

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IMPORTANT POLICIES & PROCEDURES** (e.g., limitations, cancellation policy).

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1. ACCEPT - MODIFY - REJECT anything Dawn offers: Dawn is sharing what has worked for her and what makes sense when handling these topics in the counselling field. The ideas presented in this training are based on Dawn McBride's extensive professional knowledge (stemming from her clinical, research, & career experiences), her counselling values and beliefs, and her ethical approach to the counselling field. As a result, you are encouraged only to use* the information you agree with and to check with your regulatory body about any 'shoulds' related to your practice.

2. SINCE DAWN/DPS IS *NOT* REPRESENTING any regulatory body, training association, post-secondary institution, or counselling organization, all audience members are expected to critically reflect upon any of Dawn's/DPS training material so they can take from this training what fits –accept, reject, or modify– according to their counselling practice and style, agency expectations and protocols, their values, and their code of ethics/standards of practice.

• Did you know that Dawn offers professional services (on a sliding scale) to help you digest (modify) her material to ensure a fit that aligns with your values and training?

3. VIRTUAL TRAINING - no technical support is offered. Sorry. We use the platform Zoom Pro, which DPS purchased. Camera use is optional. Zoom polls may be used during the day. Unfortunately, we do not have the technical expertise to offer technical support. Thus, you must use the most current version of Zoom and have your IT support on standby on the training day. These recommendations might reduce your stress when trying to access/use Zoom for this event.

4. ZOOM LINK: Participants will be sent a reminder about the event and the Zoom link (sent to the email you used to register for this training) at least once before the training is held-usually the evening before the event.

5. HANDOUT – no permission to share it: The training handout, with fill-in-the-blanks, is usually emailed the day before and posted on the training day (via Zoom chat room). We suggest printing out the handout since there are fill-in-the-blanks. The handout is NOT to be published (e.g., not posted on the web), nor is it to be shared with anyone.

6. FEES, EXIT POLL, & CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDANCE: For one full day of intense learning, a fee is charged in Canadian funds with additional, no choice, add-on charges (i.e., GST & Eventbrite hosting fees). The fee is posted in Eventbrite. A receipt, issued immediately via email from Eventbrite, will include the GST amount. We have a cancellation policy (see below). An exit feedback poll is part of the training, and it will be sent along with the certificate to each registrant within five days of the event being held. Please let us know if you need further documentation to earn credit for attendance at this training event–we are happy to help if we can.

6a. TO RECEIVE A CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDANCE - 2 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW: (1) Participants must be present throughout the training. If a participant leaves during the training and does not return within 60 minutes (excluding lunch), we will NOT issue a certificate of attendance. (2) *If you and another participant share a login account for the training, please inform the host (admin. team) before the end of the first training break, or we may not be able to issue a certificate for the person who never logged on with their name.

7. REFUND, CANCELLATION, & TRANSFER POLICIES: You are welcome to cancel your registration for a full refund (minus Eventbrite fees, approx. $9) up to seven (7) days before the training event is held. Due to the work involved in offering these trainings, our cancellation policy is firm: NO refunds are issued within seven (7) days of the training event. However, up to 48 hours after the training event is held, we can transfer your registration to another DPS training event (subject to availability & eligibility) for an additional administrative fee of $20, and you will need to pay any difference in fees. Also, we do not issue refunds if a participant has technical issues on the training day, so please ensure you have your IT person/computer expert on standby. Thank you for respecting these policies - it is very much appreciated.

8. IF WE NEED TO CANCEL: DPS reserves the right to reschedule or cancel a training event due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g., equipment/software failure, lack of staff availability such as car/traffic problems, medical or family emergency, or illnesses). If DPS needs to cancel the event due to insufficient registration, we will do so within six (6) days of the event being held. If we cancel the event, we will issue full refunds (or, if you wish, offer you a credit to apply to another DPS training event). We have never cancelled a training at the last minute and continue to keep our fingers crossed we never have to :)

9. PROPERTY OF DAWN MCBRIDE - TRAINING MATERIAL & HANDOUT: The training material is under the intellectual property of Dawn McBride (i.e., DPS and The Centre of Ethics & Counsellor Education). Participants in the training are given the right to use/modify the material provided they give full credit for the borrowed material. There is NO permission to publish Dawn/DPS material (e.g., do not post Dawn's material on the web; do not publish it for profit; & do not share/distribute the handout to anyone).

10. NO RECORDINGS: No recordings, video or audio, of Dawn/DPS or the material she is presenting/discussing are permitted. There is no permission to take screenshots of Dawn's material.

11. THE ABOVE INFORMATION: Everything on this page, including the above policies, was authored by DPS and remains the intellectual property of Dawn McBride (i.e., DPS and The Centre of Ethics & Counsellor Education). Do not re-use or copy any of this material unless you have explicit written permission from Dawn McBride.

QUESTIONS?????

HEY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE NOTIFIED OF UPCOMING TRAININGS VIA YOUR EMAIL?

Please feel free to contact DPS staff at admin@dawn-mcbride.com, or you are welcome to use the contact tab on Dawn's informative webpage: www.dawn-mcbride.com.

THANK YOU... for your interest in this training. We look forward to meeting you. Many people tell us it was a great learning day that helped them transform their session documentation into a more relational, transparent, and efficient approach. We are eager to meet you and learn about your issues and concerns about writing session notes.

We hope to see you :)