Tool Types
When you author or allocate a Client Tool, two related ideas matter:
- Library kind — the chip and label you see in the library (what the client does).
- Underlying type — how the tool is built and stored (form canvas, timed series, spatial diagram, bundle, practice deep-link, and so on).
Practitioners allocating work mainly see the library kind, name, delivery mode, and due date. Clients see friendly labels such as Form, Questionnaire, Tracker, Practice, Learning, and Programme.
Library kinds at a glance
| Library kind | Best when… | Typical examples |
|---|---|---|
| Form | The client answers once and submits | Thought record, intake, safety plan |
| Measure | You need a scored questionnaire over time | PHQ-9, GAD-7, DASS-21 |
| Tracker | Trend data over days or weeks | Mood, sleep, pain, food logs |
| Practice | A guided activity (often with audio) | Breathing, grounding, meditation |
| Module | Multi-section psychoeducation over several sittings | Anxiety skills course (PRO+) |
| Programme | An ordered package of mixed activities | Home exercise package, multi-step plan |
Search still understands older words: “worksheet” finds Forms; “assessment” finds Measures; “diary” finds Trackers.
Forms
Structured fields with a single submission. Classic intake forms, consent forms, thought records, worksheets, and many safety plans.
- When it wins: one-shot data capture; you review the result later.
- Delivery: usually client-self-serve; practitioner-led or collaborative for in-session work.
- Body charts and genograms appear as forms you annotate on a diagram (spatial canvas), not as a separate library chip.
Measures (questionnaires)
Scored instruments designed to be repeated over time. On the practitioner side they appear under Measures; clients see Questionnaire so the word “assessment” is not confused with an intake appointment.
- When it wins: outcome tracking, session-to-session change, clinical reporting.
- Requires: a validated instrument with scoring configuration when presented as a true measure.
Trackers
Recurring timed entries with a chart view — daily mood, food intake, sleep log, pain diary, hydration, and similar.
- When it wins: trend data over days or weeks beats seven separate form submissions.
- Reminders: clients can get a push (native app) or email reminder at the time of day you set.
- Positioning: trackers work best when the client uses the native portal app; web reminders still work as a fallback.
Practices
Guided activities the client does — breathing, grounding, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, journaling prompts, and similar.
- When it wins: between-session skills practice, regulation tools, homework that is an activity rather than a questionnaire.
- Library dual life: the same practice catalogue powers the client portal Library (self-serve) and practitioner allocation into My Plan when you prescribe a practice.
- Enrolment rules: some programmes (for example gut-directed hypnotherapy) require the client to enrol and consent themselves; you may recommend them, but only the client can start them.
Modules (learning)
Multi-section psychoeducation courses. See Learning Modules for the full assign and track flow. Modules require PRO or ENTERPRISE.
Programmes (bundles)
Synchronous composition: the client completes children in one go and submits once — for example a home exercise sequence or a short package of mixed steps.
- When it wins: children belong together in a single sitting of work.
- Not the same as a Care Pathway: pathways are temporal (weeks, gating between steps). Bundles / programmes are “do these together now”.
Programme vs Care Pathway
| Axis | Programme (bundle) | Care Pathway |
|---|---|---|
| Composition | Synchronous | Temporal |
| Duration | One sitting | Weeks |
| Assignments | One | One per step |
| Gating | None between children | Previous completed, days elapsed, practitioner approval |
| Example | Home exercise sequence | Eight-week CBT-for-anxiety programme |
| Revocation | Revoke the package | Revoke a step independently |
If the client does everything in one sitting, it is a programme. If steps unfold across weeks with gating rules, use a Care Pathway.
Picking the right kind
When authoring or choosing a template, ask:
- Does the client answer once and submit? → Form
- Is it a scored instrument for tracking change? → Measure
- Does the client record something daily or weekly? → Tracker
- Is it a guided activity (often with audio)? → Practice
- Is it a multi-section course? → Module
- Is it a sequence of things in one sitting? → Programme
- Do steps progress across weeks with gates? → Care Pathway (not a library kind)