Offered quarterly:  feb ~MAY~AUG~NOv

The Essentials of Documentation: 
Presented LIVE Virtually or In-Person

The Essentials of Documentation was developed by a social worker, for social workers and a range of mental health professionals. This course provides comprehensive documentation training aimed to address the gap between formal education and professional practice.

The course is not just about how to write a progress note. It covers the various functions, strategies and rationale behind documentation, as well as the how-to and why. It also highlights key aspects of conducting a quality assessment.

The course covers documentation content, establishing and maintaining credibility, as well as legal and ethical matters related to access to records, privacy, and methods of safeguarding information in the digital age.

This is a LIVE presentation (offered virtually or in-person). The information is provided with a goal of helping you audit-proof documentation while protecting clients, the provider, and the agency.

This course was designed to bridge the gap between the classroom and the clinician. While students and recent graduates have found it helpful, it has gained a reputation as being appropriate and beneficial to mental health providers from entry level to the more experienced practitioners providing clinical supervision. 
Write your awesome label here.
The Essentials of Documentation, XXXX, is approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program to be offered by The Clinician's Development Center, Inc. as an individual course. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE course approval period: [x/xx/2x-x/xx/2x]. Social workers completing this course receive 2.5 total credits including 1.5 clinical and 1 general continuing education credits.

Learning Objectives

1) Develop strategies to gather client history, determine need for services, and document in a manner that demonstrates understanding of the importance of medical necessity, cultural competence and risk reduction.

2) Understand the rationale behind proper documentation and the consequences of incomplete or incorrect documentation, including the risk of liability. 

3) Develop skills to complete case management and clinical documentation in any setting while also minimizing overall risk to clients, providers, and agencies.  

Overview of
Training Topics 

  • Speaker & Topic Introduction
  • Functions of Documentation
  • Key Components of the Assessment
  • Formatting the Progress Note
  • Content of the Notes
  • Credibility
  • Access to Records
  • Privacy, Boundaries, and Safeguards in the Digital Age

Dates & Locations

Live trainings are held quarterly in February, May, August, and November. The date, time, and/or location will vary to offer options for potential attendees. 

In-person training will depend on the availability of venue and/or the host agency, college or university facility schedule. 

Announcements regarding upcoming trainings will be announced via email, and social media platforms.  

Course Delivery

This is course is presented live, once per quarter in February, May, August, and November.  

The presentation is NOT recorded for distribution or review at a later time.  

Attendance Requirements 

Timely arrival is required. Participants are required to sign in and out. The course is 2.5 hours in length.

Confirmation of Understanding 

Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions throughout the presentation and/or at the end of the live training.

Based on need as determined by instructor, an optional Q & A session up to 20 minutes may be provided to ensure learning 

Completion certificates will be emailed within 5 days of receipt of the course evaluation.

Course Continuing Education Credit

Social workers completing this course will receive 2.5 CE credits including 1.5 clinical and 1 general continuing education credits.

Course Evaluation Requirement

Your opinion is valued and your feedback is taken into consideration to improve the course and develop others.  To ensure quality training is provided, all participants are required to complete an evaluation at the conclusion of the course as part of the completion requirements. 

Refunds & Cancellatinons

Refunds will not be issued for cancellations or no-shows.

A request to postpone attendance will be considered if received, in writing, via email, no less than 48 hours in advance of the training. A granted request may be offered in person or virtually, and will not extend beyond the next scheduled session.     

Questions & Accessibility Accommodations

We welcome your questions and are open to hearing any concerns. If there is any way we can assist, including requests for accessibility accommodations please do not hesitate to contact us by sending and email to Contact@MarcyPullardLCSW.

Meet Marcy Pullard, LCSW

Marcy is a licensed clinical social worker with over 30 years of experience providing direct client services in a range of settings. She has also held positions including, but not limited to clinical supervisor, field instructor, clinical director, and program developer to name a few.  

Marcy is a documentation expert, and is particularly skilled when it comes to conducting assessments. She most often conducts urgent and emergent psychiatric evaluations and responds to critical incidents.  She is a university level field practicum faculty/liaison for BSW and MSW student, as well she provides clinical training and coaching for social workers.
Patrick Jones - Course author
Created with