Ethical guidelines and professional standards often strongly recommend or require practitioners to maintain some form of documentation or client notes.

Practitioners and coaches keep their own notes and session records in line with their country's requirements and clinical best practices. We do not require practitioners to record any notes or information about employees in the Unmind platform at present.

Practitioners should follow guidance from their professional/accrediting/licensing bodies and country laws and regulations around record-keeping.

Notes may be classed as legal documents, and in the event of legal proceedings, risk management or ethical inquiries, it is important to have well-documented notes. Think about the language used in notes about clients and how it appears if it were to be seen by others.

Therapists and coaches often engage in supervision or consultation to enhance their clinical or coaching skills. Session notes can be valuable in these contexts for discussing cases, seeking guidance and receiving feedback from more experienced professionals.

It is the practitioner’s responsibility to ensure that all information is kept securely. You must ensure that all computer screens or other displays of confidential information cannot be seen by anyone including family and friends, and that screens are locked and password protected when away from your desk.

Any physical/paper records containing sensitive or identifiable information should be stored in a locked filing cabinet. They should not be left where others can access them (e.g. a desk, a bookshelf, in a car).

Any physical records which contain sensitive and personal information, and which are no longer required, must be destroyed securely (i.e. shredding).

Transparency is key in all therapeutic and coaching relationships. This includes informing clients about how their information will be stored and shared.

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