Discharging a Client from Therapy
What This Process Is For:
This discharge process is used when a client has completed their course of therapy at Ruh Care. This typically happens when:
The client has met their identified treatment goals.
The client is not seeking to work on new goals at this time.
The therapist and client have mutually agreed it’s an appropriate time to conclude care.
The client is seeking care with a provider outside of Ruh.
This may occur when either the therapist or the client believes it is time to end therapy, but they do not fully agree with each other.
What This Process Is Not For:
Do not use this process for the following situations:
Clients being referred to a different therapist at Ruh Care (rematch) → Follow the Therapist Rematch Process.
Clients who have become inactive or unresponsive → Follow the steps for Discharging Clients - Inactivity and Other Reasons. https://support.ruhcare.com/en/articles/12963711-discharging-clients-inactivity-and-other-reasons
Clients being referred to a higher level of care → Document this in your note and notify CCT for appropriate care coordination and follow-up.
Discharge Process Overview
When a client is ready to conclude therapy, please watch this video to understand the steps and complete them:
Before the Final Session:
Assign PHQ-9 and GAD-7 questionnaires to capture exit benchmarks.
Ensure all clinical notes are signed and locked and that all forms are signed and complete.
Send any personalized referrals, resources, or follow-up recommendations directly to the client in chat.
Check if the client is currently seeing any other providers within Ruh (eg for family therapy):
If yes, remove yourself from the Care Team in the platform.
If no, proceed to move the client to the “Discharged Clients” group. This will assign them forms and paperwork to fill out that you can review in your final session.
During the Final Session:
Review the client’s treatment goals and assess whether they have been achieved.
Ensure client signs any incomplete forms.
Discuss the client’s overall progress, growth, and skills they can continue using after therapy.
Review any outcome measures (e.g., PHQ-9, charts) to showcase therapeutic gains.
After the Final Session:
Confirm the clients group is “Discharged Clients-Concluded” in the platform.
Document discharge process in note.
Inform any external providers you have been collaborating with of discharge.
Documentation Requirements:
Complete a final note summarizing treatment, including:
Treatment goals and whether they were met.
Interventions used.
Client progress and outcomes.
Any aftercare recommendations provided.
Date of final session (this will serve as the discharge date).
You may use your regular note template for this.
Note: While highly recommended, a detailed discharge summary is not mandatory but it strengthens clinical documentation and risk management. We have provided a template note in the platform for your convenience.
What Happens After Discharge:
The client will receive a platform notification that they have been assigned a form (Transition From Therapy) that details their discharge and provides continued access to resources.
CCT will archive clients in the Discharged Clients-Concluded group on a weekly basis.
Their clinical records will be securely retained for 10 years.
They can still message you and book future sessions at any time, we do not fully disable their account.
We encourage you to refrain from regularly messaging clients to touch base in order to maintain appropriate therapeutic boundaries.
If they request a letter or form after discharge, no reactivation is required; you can process the request and upload it to their Documents tab (standard service fee applies).