Using Agenda in protocol based Psychotherapy

Agenda can be useful in protocol based psychotherapy. As a practitioner of cognitive-behavioural therapy, I use clinical protocols to treat my clients. The two protocols I use most often are the protocol for insomnia and the protocol for chronic pain.

Both protocols consist of 10 sessions. Each session has a list of objectives and tasks to do, as well as specific homework. There is also a need to make client notes, store the text files with client homework and so on.

So, I created a template project for every protocol I use. It contains notes with session summaries, talk check-lists, homework assignments and everything else I need. I store text files and images, that I give to the client, in the cloud, while keeping the links in respective session note. This way I can easily locate the link and either send it to the patient or print the file with my cloud printer and hand it on paper. I also book visit times by assigning a date to specific session.

This approach helps to streamline the therapy process and save the client’s time (which he pays for) by easily locating the files (good bye, rummaging through folders or Evernote notes). Reviewing the cases is going to become easier also, which is a valuable thing for one, who writes a book with clinical cases.

I tried to use Agenda is other approaches I practice (family history reconstruction and hypnotherapy) but so far it wasn’t superior to simple note taking.

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Have you looked at http://findingsapp.com? It’s by the same people (is very similar to Agenda) and may lend itself even better to your use of protocols etc. It’s designed for use in research but can be used in numerous contexts.

Interested to hear from others that maybe use Findings and/or the developers to see what they think of using which product for what. Is the momentum with Agenda and the focus on developing that?

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Hi, the Findings developer here! Yes this would seem to be a good fit for Findings. And to be clear my main focus is in Findings which is being actively developed. Have a look: findingsapp.com

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Wow I didn’t know about this Findings App. I find this extremely strange. Why not just build whatever unique features Agenda brings into Findings? I haven’t actually tried findings but based on a quick look these look like pretty much the same thing with each app (deliberately?) excluding just enough functionality to (attempt to) justify the existence of the other. Makes little sense to me.

My guess is that Findings aim at very specific audience, while Agenda appeals to the broader spectrum.

My guess is that Findings aim at very specific audience, while Agenda appeals to the broader spectrum.

Indeed, Findings is really aimed at the scientific audience (where we each also have our background in), it knows about scientific protocols, has support for timers, includes scientific resources like the periodic table of elements etc etc. Agenda is aimed at a much broader audience. In many ways think of Findings as the Agenda for science. This means that if you are within the scientific/medical arena Findings is probably a better fit, if you’re not, Agenda is probably better suited.

What exactly is in this “scientific” app that wouldn’t appeal to the broader spectrum? What’s starting to annoying me here is that I have payed a subscription for what appears to be a completely derivative application deviod of features which already exist in the other. So as my subscription slowly dwindles I wait for (IMO) basic features like … changing the font size/spacing (I mean it IS a notes app isn’t it?), attachments, embedding images, tables… Many of which already appear to be in this other very similar looking application. So I’m at a bit of a loss as to what about those already existing features wouldn’t appeal to the “broader audience”. Something just seems off.

What exactly is in this “scientific” app that wouldn’t appeal to the broader spectrum?

A lot, terminology that doesn’t connect to anyone outside science or is pretty much useless (protocols, timers), which translate to feature bloat and confusion, nor does it give the feeling “this app is for me”.

What’s starting to annoying me here is that I have payed a subscription for what appears to be a completely derivative application deviod of features which already exist in the other.

There’s no need to get annoyed because what you claim is simply untrue. First Agenda is no derivative of Findings. Yes they’re from the same larger team of developers, but Agenda is not a version of Findings with some stuff turned off. There are also plenty of features in Agenda that are not in Findings, so also here the claim is wrong.

Perhaps Findings is indeed a better fit for you, I’d suggest you give it a try and if indeed you like it better we’re happy to talk to @cparnot to swap your license.

Ok sure. Appreciate your answer and the offer. I’m good. Thanks.

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For whats its worth I thought I’d give Findings a try. Interesting application and I think there is a lot there that Agenda might benefit from. The applications definitely feel very similar (to me…not suggesting anything necessarily). So here are some (hopefully constructive) thoughts:

  • I think the timer idea could be very useful in Agenda (thinking pomodoro, timing meetings, tasks)
  • I really like the note status(es). I think that would be useful in Agenda
  • i think the journal view is awesome
  • the 3 pane view is (IMHO) much better to Agenda’s current 2 pane.
  • not entirely clear on the difference between the types of notes (stickies vs. experiments vs. meetings) but assuming there is some disctinction beyond just classification its interesting to have different “types” available
  • obivously the things which Agenda does not have yet (inline images, attachments, tables)

These are just some observations. You’re right in that I definitely don’t need any of the science specific stuff (although it seems pretty out of the way) but in some ways Findings does feel better to me. (It’s more mature so not really surprising) But I still can’t help but wonder why not just take something like Findings which is a pretty good start, make the science stuff modular (i mean you could build on that concept, have modules for food specific, diary/journal specifc, geography etc etc.) and build the calendaring piece on top? None of my business for sure and I’m not a developer so perhaps its just a rhetorical. Anyhow, looking forward to the future.

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