Documentation IS Self-Care: A Conversation with Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey

Most therapists likely wouldn’t include “documentation” in their list of self-care activities but the reality is many of us struggle with documentation, whether that be writing progress notes or reports.  If you’ve ever gotten behind in your documentation or struggled to know what to include then you know firsthand how overwhelming this can feel and the impact this can have on our perception of ourselves as therapists and on our overall well-being.  In this episode we speak with the founder of QA Prep, Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey (who you might also know as Dr. Maelisa Hall) about how documentation fits into self-care, some of the factors that contribute to therapists’ struggles with documentation, and what we can start doing today in order to start feeling more on-top of our documentation.   

Episode highlights:

• What led Maelisa to create QA Prep
• How staying on top of our documentation fits into self-care
• Factors that contribute to clinicians’ struggles with documentation
• Some warning signs that we need to change our approach to documentation
• One step you can take today to start getting on top of your documentation
• Maelisa’s best non-conventional self-care practice

Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey is a licensed psychologist, nail design enthusiast, and multi-passionate entrepreneur. With her business QA Prep, she empowers therapists through trainings and consultation on clinical documentation. Maelisa focuses on the “why” behind the usual recommendations and encourages clinicians to think outside the box, while also keeping their ethics intact. As someone with ADHD who’s had to figure out what works through trial and error, Maelisa aims to make sure her trainings are practical, while also allowing for plenty of laughter and fun.

Connect with Maelisa:
https://www.qaprep.com/
https://www.instagram.com/maelisamccaffrey/ 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/maelisa-mccaffrey/ 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCytXRIFI17MtbmTh5QTJhsg 

Connect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist:
intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca
https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/

Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at: https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapist

Disclaimer: This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice. Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.