The Clinician’s Sidekick
YOUR PRIVATE CLINICAL COMPANION · SIGNATURE EDITION
✦ THE CLINICIAN'S SIDEKICK YOUR PRIVATE LEARNING SPACE

Find your next
thoughtful step.

The little bit of guidance you need, right when you need it. Learn what to notice, what to ask, and why it matters—without losing your own voice.

NOTICE MORE ✧ ASK BETTER QUESTIONS ✧ GROW INTO YOUR OWN STYLE
YOUR EVERYDAY CLINICAL TOOLKIT

Where would you like to begin?

✦   learn • notice • grow   ✦
✳
A LITTLE REMINDER FOR TODAY

Curiosity before certainty.

Notice → get curious → ask one good question → listen for what matters → choose your next step together.

Sidekick is for clinical learning, not client records. Keep identifiable information and official documentation in TherapyNotes. Diagnostic checklists support—not replace—full assessment and supervision.
Your live thinking workspace · practice only

Listen closely. Find your next move.

Jot a short, nonidentifying concept like “child doesn’t want to do the volcano,” “corrected my example,” or “wants free play.” The Pivot Coach will suggest an actual next move. You can also write with your keyboard or use Apple Pencil Scribble in the text box. The Sidekick will offer possible connections—never a diagnosis. No names, quotes tied to a real person, or session records.

✎ My Thinking Pad

Keep it brief: “loneliness,” “shaky before school,” “sertraline,” “avoids friends.” iPad Pencil Scribble works in this text field when enabled in iPad Settings.

Handwriting / concept sketch

Optional freehand space for diagrams. Freehand ink cannot yet be read as keywords; use Pencil Scribble above for searchable words.

Temporary learning pad. Clear after each use. It is not clinical documentation; official client records stay in TherapyNotes.

Your next thoughtful step

Quick & gentle
Try “I feel alone,” “nervous and shaky,” “Zoloft,” or “panic.”
Before any interventionListen first → reflect the feeling → ask one question → follow the client's response. Explore safety and consult your supervisor when indicated.
Personal practice · no names

My Clinical Thinking Page

Quick self-check

Browser storage isn't secure or guaranteed. Export the practice page if you want to keep it. Do not store clinical records here.

Apple Pencil practice pad

Draw concepts, map questions, or take general learning notes.

Pause and ask yourselfAm I observing or assuming? What more would I need to know? What would I ask next?
Symptom-based learning

DSM Detective

Search symptoms or conditions. These are orientation guides, not reproduced DSM-5-TR criteria or diagnostic decisions.

Pick a topic

You'll get plain-English teaching, what to notice, what to ask, and why.

Medication literacy · not prescribing guidance

Medication Learning Library

Search a generic name, brand name, or a medication class. For example: Prozac, sertraline, stimulant, benzodiazepine.

Select a medication

Learn what it is, why it may be prescribed, side effects to recognize, and what you can ask as a counselor.

Medication uses vary by diagnosis, age, formulation and country. Never suggest starting, stopping or changing a dose. For complete current warnings and interactions, check a verified drug reference and the prescribing clinician.
For me → for my client

Teach Simply

Choose a topic and age. The script is a starting point—ask whether it fits the person's experience.

Select a topic

Purpose · steps · what to say

Activity Matchmaker

Pick an activity

Each activity explains its purpose, steps, age adaptations, sample language, and what to notice.

YOUR IN-THE-MOMENT SUPPORT • NO NAMES OR CLIENT DETAILS

Pivot Coach ↝

The activity isn't landing? A child corrects your example? You don't know what to ask next? Choose what is happening. Get one natural response, then a real next move—without turning the session into an interrogation.

ONE THING AT A TIME · QUICK HELP
SAY THIS FIRST

Anonymous prompts only. Don't enter client names or identifiable details. Not a diagnosis or safety assessment.

SELECT A REAL MOMENT

Pick what's happening →

You'll see what to say, what to notice, what to try next, and what the moment is teaching you.

Your permission slipYou do not have to complete the volcano, monster, or any other activity for a session to be useful. A child showing you preferences, refusing a task, playing, or correcting your assumption is giving you information. Stay curious about what matters to them; do not treat a refusal as a symptom by itself.
Right here, right now

I'm Stuck! Help Me Think

These are natural starting lines, not scripts you have to memorize. Stay curious and sound like yourself.

Choose what's happening

CBT skill · gently explore, don't interrogate

Socratic Questions: Help Me Get Curious

A guided conversation to help a client examine a thought or belief—not persuade them it's wrong. Ask one question, reflect the answer, and follow the client's lead.

Choose your next kind of question

RememberStart with validation. Don't challenge a belief before understanding its context; for trauma, discrimination, or safety concerns, avoid arguing away real experiences.

Your next question

One search for everything

Quick Find

If a term isn't in the built-in library, use the official NIMH and MedlinePlus reference links below. A missing result never means a condition or medication doesn't exist.

NIMH mental health topics · MedlinePlus drugs A–Z

Your companion editions · Apple Pencil friendly

Goodnotes Library

Two coordinated 152-page digital books with linked references and writing pages. Import either PDF into Goodnotes as a document. Your handwriting in Goodnotes stays separate from this app.

PORTRAIT • STUDY + REFLECTION

Portrait Edition

Best for reading clinical explanations, checking medication entries and learning terminology.

Download portrait PDF ↓
LANDSCAPE • QUICK LOOKUPS

Landscape Edition

Best for seeing clinical teaching and your handwritten takeaways side by side.

Download landscape PDF ↓

How to use the clickable tabs

In Goodnotes, switch to read-only mode or press and hold a linked tab, then choose Open Link. Return to handwriting mode to annotate the page.

Goodnotes cannot automatically hyperlink a word you handwrite. Use this web app’s Live Thinking Coach for suggested connections from typed or Scribble-converted terms.

A boundary worth keepingUse the app and books for general clinical learning only. Never add client names, dates of birth, or identifying session details. Official documentation stays in TherapyNotes.
The Clinician's Sidekick · your own learning studio

Record & Reflect ✦

Practice how you would respond, talk through a counseling concept, or capture a personal learning reminder in your own voice.

VOICE PRACTICE / PRIVATE REFLECTION

Make space for your thinking.

Try a 1–3 minute voice reflection. There is no need to sound polished—this is practice.

00:00Ready to record
Microphone access requires the app to be opened from a secure HTTPS website in Safari. The Files app's HTML preview cannot record.
WHEN YOU NEED A STARTING POINT

Try a voice prompt

My starting pointWhat did I learn today, and what do I want to practice next?
Not for recording counseling sessions.

This is a personal practice recorder, not a HIPAA-compliant clinical recording system. No real-client recordings or identifying case details belong here. Use your practicum site's approved tools for clinical material.