The 21st Century Cures Act has ushered in a new era of transparency in healthcare, mandating patient access to electronic medical records, including therapy notes. This transformative shift has sparked a mix of excitement and apprehension among mental health clinicians.
This engaging course, led by seasoned clinician and expert Steve O'Neill, is designed to guide you through the intricacies of opening up your therapy notes to patients. It delves into the lived experiences of mental health clinicians who have embraced OpenNotes, providing invaluable insights and pragmatic approaches for seamlessly integrating this practice into your own work. Participants will learn how to address common concerns clinicians may have about sharing mental health notes with patients and also gain expert guidance on how to navigate even the most delicate situations, leaving them feeling prepared and reassured.
Through real-world examples and honest dialogue, participants will discover how sharing therapy notes can strengthen the therapeutic alliance, enhance client engagement, and even improve treatment outcomes. They will also gain proven techniques for writing clear, concise, and client-friendly notes, ensuring that the information they provide is both supportive and empowering.
This course will explore critical questions such as:
- What has been the experience of mental health clinicians who have opened up their psychotherapy to patients?
- Are there times when a clinician can "block" a therapy note from a patient?
- How do I document my notes in a manner that extends the therapy session?
- And more
By the end of this course, participants will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to seamlessly integrate OpenNotes into their practice and create a collaborative environment where clients feel heard, understood, and are actively involved in their own mental health care.
Enroll in this course today and embrace greater transparency, collaboration, and empowerment in your mental healthcare practice.
CE hours available for behavioral health clinicians.
- Opening Up Your Therapy Notes: An Orientation and Pragmatic Guide to Practice
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The 21st Century Cures Act has ushered in a new era of transparency in healthcare, mandating patient access to electronic medical records, including therapy notes. This transformative shift has sparked a mix of excitement and apprehension among mental health clinicians.
This engaging course, led by seasoned clinician and expert Steve O'Neill, is designed to guide you through the intricacies of opening up your therapy notes to patients. It delves into the lived experiences of mental health clinicians who have embraced OpenNotes, providing invaluable insights and pragmatic approaches for seamlessly integrating this practice into your own work. Participants will learn how to address common concerns clinicians may have about sharing mental health notes with patients and also gain expert guidance on how to navigate even the most delicate situations, leaving them feeling prepared and reassured.
Through real-world examples and honest dialogue, participants will discover how sharing therapy notes can strengthen the therapeutic alliance, enhance client engagement, and even improve treatment outcomes. They will also gain proven techniques for writing clear, concise, and client-friendly notes, ensuring that the information they provide is both supportive and empowering.
This course will explore critical questions such as:
- What has been the experience of mental health clinicians who have opened up their psychotherapy to patients?
- Are there times when a clinician can "block" a therapy note from a patient?
- How do I document my notes in a manner that extends the therapy session?
- And more
By the end of this course, participants will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to seamlessly integrate OpenNotes into their practice and create a collaborative environment where clients feel heard, understood, and are actively involved in their own mental health care.
Enroll in this course today and embrace greater transparency, collaboration, and empowerment in your mental healthcare practice.
This course includes 1.5+ hours of video training, a post-test and an evaluation.
This course was recorded July 30, 2021
- Describe the experience/research outcomes of implementing OpenNotes within mental health practices.
- Understand the implications of the Cures Act, especially around ‘information blocking,’ for mental health practice.
- Describe documentation strategies that may assist greater patient engagement and trust within clinical practice.
STEVE O’NEILL LICSW, BCD, JD, was the Social Work Manager for Psychiatry, Primary Care, Pain Management, and Infectious Disease as well as the Associate Director of the Ethics Programs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center where he has worked for 40 years. He completed a Fellowship in Bioethics at Harvard Medical School, is a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Social Medicine and on the Teaching Faculty within the Center for Bioethics at Harvard Medical School. Steve is also an Adjunct Professor at Simmons University School of Social Work. He chairs the National Association of Social Work’s Massachusetts Chapter’s Committee on Ethics and Professional Review, the adjudicatory arm of NASW, and was also a member of the National Ethics Committee of NASW. He helped with the drafts of the NASW Code of Ethics and was an author of the NASW Professional Standards. He has extensive teaching experience, numerous committee assignments and is active on HMS’s Clinical Ethics and Organizational Ethics Consortiums as well as HMS’s Ethics Leadership Group. Steve was involved with the Preventable Harm to Respect and Dignity initiative within health care at BIDMC as well as a member of BIDMC’s Emergency Management Team. And as a member of the HMS Task Force on Disaster Preparedness, Steve was one of the authors of the Ethical Aspects of Emergency Preparedness which Massachusetts adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is the author/co-author of a number of articles, chapters, and a book entitled Legal Issues in Social Work (2004).
Steve is an expert in Behavioral/Mental Health for the OpenNotes Program and started the first-ever program in making behavioral health therapist notes directly available to patients through their personal computers in 2014. Steve also helped to create an interprofessional training program at HMS led by medical/nursing/pharmacy/nutrition and social work interns in providing direct outpatient primary care to complex care patients. Steve is especially interested in how transparency can foster greater trust, as well as improved care, with all health care providers, especially including behavioral health.
While Steve retired from his primary roles at BIDMC, he continues to work in the OpenNotes Program, teaches at both HMS and Simmons, and is a consultant for Massachusetts Medical Benevolent Society.
Outside of work, Steve enjoys time with his family and friends. He loves fishing, hiking, animal tracking, birding and following the Red Sox and other professional sports.
Credit Hours: CEs provided with this course include 1.5 continuing education hours of credit.
Counselors: Telehealth Certification Institute LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6693. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors #MHC-0048.
Marriage and Family Therapists: Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations. You can check with your board to determine if this course would be accepted by your licensing board.
Social Workers: Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1.5 clinical continuing education credits.
Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.
Addiction Professionals: This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits, effective 2/9/2022. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programing.
Psychologists: Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists #PSY-0128.
Art Therapists: Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.
Other Professionals: This activity qualifies for 90 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations. Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.
This is a non-interactive, self-study course.
To receive your certificate of completion you must complete the course in its entirety.
Online courses are completed by registering, logging in, navigating to your course using the menu (My Courses – the Course Title), completing all of the modules, completing and passing the post-test, and completing the course evaluation.
Live Webinar courses are completed by registering, logging in to this website, navigating to your course using the menu (My Courses – the Course Title), attending the full course via webinar, submitting your attendance, and completing the post-test and course evaluation online.
Psychologists and other professionals seeking CE credit through our approval with the American Psychological Association are asked, but not required, to complete the course evaluation before obtaining their certificate of completion, however passing a post-test for online self-study courses, and submitting one's attendance for live on-site and live webinars is required.
You can receive your certificate of completion by logging onto this website, navigating to the course using the menu (My Courses – the Course Title), scroll to the bottom of your course, and click on your certificate to either download it or print it.
Directions for completing a course can be found by clicking here.
Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities
Click here to view our Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.
Cancellation Policy
Refunds are offered within the first 30 days for courses which have not been completed. There is a 10% service fee for refunds.
Grievance Policy
This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.
Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation. The course may include required reading.
This program was recorded on July 30, 2021
You have six months to access online courses from the time of purchase.
Steve O'Neill
LICSW, BCD, JD
Adjunct Professor - Simmons University School of Social Work
Chair os NASW's Massachusetts Chapter’s Committee on Ethics and Professional Review
STEVE O’NEILL LICSW, BCD, JD, was the Social Work Manager for Psychiatry, Primary Care, Pain Management, and Infectious Disease as well as the Associate Director of the Ethics Programs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center where he has worked for 40 years. He completed a Fellowship in Bioethics at Harvard Medical School, is a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Social Medicine and on the Teaching Faculty within the Center for Bioethics at Harvard Medical School. Steve is also an Adjunct Professor at Simmons University School of Social Work. He chairs the National Association of Social Work’s Massachusetts Chapter’s Committee on Ethics and Professional Review, the adjudicatory arm of NASW, and was also a member of the National Ethics Committee of NASW. He helped with the drafts of the NASW Code of Ethics and was an author of the NASW Professional Standards. He has extensive teaching experience, numerous committee assignments and is active on HMS’s Clinical Ethics and Organizational Ethics Consortiums as well as HMS’s Ethics Leadership Group. Steve was involved with the Preventable Harm to Respect and Dignity initiative within health care at BIDMC as well as a member of BIDMC’s Emergency Management Team. And as a member of the HMS Task Force on Disaster Preparedness, Steve was one of the authors of the Ethical Aspects of Emergency Preparedness which Massachusetts adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is the author/co-author of a number of articles, chapters, and a book entitled Legal Issues in Social Work (2004).
Steve is an expert in Behavioral/Mental Health for the OpenNotes Program and started the first-ever program in making behavioral health therapist notes directly available to patients through their personal computers in 2014. Steve also helped to create an interprofessional training program at HMS led by medical/nursing/pharmacy/nutrition and social work interns in providing direct outpatient primary care to complex care patients. Steve is especially interested in how transparency can foster greater trust, as well as improved care, with all health care providers, especially including behavioral health.
While Steve retired from his primary roles at BIDMC, he continues to work in the OpenNotes Program, teaches at both HMS and Simmons, and is a consultant for Massachusetts Medical Benevolent Society.
Outside of work, Steve enjoys time with his family and friends. He loves fishing, hiking, animal tracking, birding and following the Red Sox and other professional sports.