Why there are no name or date of birth fields

At a Glance

There is no field anywhere in TherapyLock for a client's full name or date of birth. Every other detail is optional and stays empty unless you choose to fill it in, so you can run records holding nothing but a client reference, the dates and the notes.

What the reference is doing

The point of the client reference is that your clinical notes never sit next to a name.

The notes are the sensitive part. They describe someone's inner life, their history and their risk. Keeping a name away from that material means that a record, on its own, says very little about who it belongs to.

"But my client's email address has their name in it"

A fair observation, and true. If you record `jane.smith@example.com`, you have recorded a name.

The difference is that you choose whether to record it at all.

• Contact details are only needed if you want to arrange appointments through the record. If you book by phone or through another system, leave them blank
• Children and young people have their own fields. Choose Child / Young Person on the client form and it opens the ones that work needs: school and school contact, parent or guardian and their relationship to the child, and a retention period you set yourself rather than the usual default
• Emergency contact and GP details are only there for the situation where you might need to act on a risk concern. Some practitioners record them for every client, others for none
• Almost nothing here is required. The client reference is the only thing you have to type. Retention period is marked required too, but it arrives already set to seven years, so you can leave it alone

So the question is not really "why a code?" but "how much do I want this record to know?". The design lets you answer that differently for different clients.

Running records with nothing but a reference

If you would rather keep everything identifying outside the app, that works, and some practitioners do exactly that.

Record the reference, the dates and the notes. Keep a key list somewhere separate and secure, linking each reference to the person it belongs to. Held apart, the two halves protect each other: your clinical records hold no names, and your key list holds nothing clinical.

How to build one, where to keep it, and the one mistake that cannot be undone are covered in Your key list: where the real names live.

What that means for your clinical executor

Worth thinking about before you need to. To nominate your executor, see Setting up your clinical will.

If a record holds only a reference, your executor can open it and read it, and has no way of contacting that person. Two routes work, and either is fine:

• Hold contact details in the app, so your executor can reach clients directly
• Keep your key list separately, and make sure your clinical will says where it is and who can release it to them

Changing an identifier you have already set

Plenty of people start with a first name in the identifier, usually so somebody could ring the client in an emergency, and later decide they would rather use initials. You can change it whenever you like, and the contact details stay where they are.

1. From Your Clients, open the client's record and click Edit client details near the top.
2. Change the Client Identifier to what you would rather use.
3. While you are there, check the contact details further down the same form, so the phone number and email are on file.
4. Click Save Changes.

From then on your calendar, lists and notes show the new identifier.

Related Articles

• Building your key list — Your key list: where the real names live

• Creating a record — Adding a new client
• Naming your executor — Setting up your clinical will
• What the client record holds — The client record

Still Need Help?

If you have any other questions about TherapyLock, our support team is here to help.

Email us at support@counsellingtutor.com and we will be happy to assist.