Using Session Sidekick

Session Sidekick is an AI-powered feature within Care Aide that helps you prepare for appointments and access relevant information during telehealth sessions.

It includes tools such as Session prep, Session reminders, Quick replay, and Session recap, which surface information from the client’s record at different points before and during your appointments.

Note: Session Sidekick is part of Care Aide. For more information, see Introducing Care Aide.

In this guide, we'll cover:

• Viewing Session prep
• Loading your last progress note
• Using Session reminders
• Understanding Quick replay
• Generating a Session recap
• FAQs

Important: If your state requires specific consent for AI use in client care, you can customize the Consent for Use of AI Tools with De-Identified Transcript Retention form. For more information, see Preparing to use Care Aide. 

Viewing Session prep

Session prep provides an overview of key information you can review before an appointment, including reminders and a summary of your last session. 

Session reminders are a component of Session Sidekick, which is a Care Aide feature. Your last session summary is a component of Note Taker, which is also included in Care Aide. For more information, see Generating pre-session summaries with Note Taker. 

You can access Session prep from the appointment flyout, the client’s appointment page, or the telehealth warmup screen. 

To access Session prep from the appointment flyout:

1. Navigate to your calendar
2. Select the upcoming appointment 
3. Click Prepare to open Session prep in the client’s appointment page 

4. Click Draft prep 

Note: Progress notes and psychotherapy notes are now accessed from a single Note tab within your appointment page. We’re in the process of updating content to reflect this change.

After a few seconds, Session reminders and your Last session summary will appear. 

To view Session prep materials before a telehealth session: 

1. Join the telehealth session
2. Before starting the appointment, click Sidekick

3. Click Session prep

Session reminders and a summary of your last session will appear in the sidebar. 

You can also view your previous progress note from the sidebar. For more information, see Loading your last progress note. 

After reviewing the summary, click Start appointment in the top right to begin the session. 

Note: Session prep isn't available for a client's first appointment and can only be generated for the next upcoming appointment. If a client has multiple future appointments, you'll need to wait until the earlier one has passed before generating prep for the next.

Loading your last progress note

While preparing for a telehealth appointment, you can view the client’s last progress note. 

Note: This option isn’t available if this is your first session with the client or if no previous progress notes have been saved.

To do this:

1. Join the telehealth session 
2. Before starting the appointment, select Sidekick

3. Click Last progress note

The previous session's progress note will appear in the sidebar.

Using Session reminders

Session reminders surface key details from a client's previous sessions. These reminders are AI-generated using information from the client's record, such as previous progress notes and pre-appointment summaries. 

Reminders may include:

• Homework or assignments 
• Upcoming important dates 
• Key topics or themes from recent sessions
• Treatment goals documented in the client record

Note: Reminders aren’t available for a client’s first appointment, as there’s no previous session history.

Session reminders appear at the top of the Sidekick sidebar. To view reminders:

• Before starting the telehealth appointment, select Sidekick from the telehealth warmup screen

• During a session, click the Sidekick button in the bottom toolbar 

To edit a reminder, click directly into the text of an item to update it.

To add a reminder:

1. Click the + icon in the top right corner

2. Enter your reminder
3. Press Enter or return, or click anywhere else on the screen

The new reminder will appear at the bottom of the list. You can scroll down within the side panel to view it. 

Managing reminders

• Mark complete: Click the circle next to the item

• Undo completion: Click the circle again to undo the completion 
• Delete: Hover over the item and select the trash icon

• Reorder: Click and drag the item 
• Collapse sidebar: Click the X in the top right corner

Understanding Quick replay

Quick replay provides a transcript of the last 30-60 seconds of conversation, which can help you confirm or recall what you or your client just said.

Quick replay is only available if the session is being recorded using Note Taker. To use Quick replay, make sure to select Record audio at the start of the session. 

Important: It’s your practice’s responsibility to understand the legal requirements of your state, including whether consent from one or both parties is required when recording telehealth sessions. If you have any questions, we recommend consulting your legal counsel or licensing and/or governing body.

To use Quick replay:

1. During a recorded telehealth session, select the Sidekick button
2. Click Quick replay

The most recent part of the conversation will appear with timestamps and speaker names.

Note: Quick replay uses AI and the live session transcript to generate the readout. You can provide feedback using the thumbs up or thumbs down buttons.

Generating a Session recap

Session recap generates a clinician-facing summary of the key points discussed so far in the session. This can help you review what’s been covered and identify anything you may want to revisit. 

Session recap is only available if the session is being recorded using Note Taker. To use Session recap, make sure to click Record audio at the start of the session. 

Important: It’s your practice’s responsibility to understand the legal requirements of your state, including whether consent from one or both parties is required when recording telehealth sessions. If you have any questions, we recommend consulting your legal counsel or licensing and/or governing body.

To generate a Session recap:

1. During a recorded telehealth session, click the Sidekick button in the bottom toolbar
2. Click Session recap

A summary organized by themes or topics will appear in the sidebar.

Note: The recap reflects the conversation up to the moment you request it. At least 5 minutes of recorded audio is required to generate a recap. If the recording isn’t long enough, the recap won’t generate. 

FAQs

• Can clients see Session Sidekick features during an appointment?
• How are Session reminders generated?
• Can I turn off Session reminders?
• Why don't I see the Session prep or Last progress note buttons on the telehealth warmup screen?
• Why won’t Quick replay or Session recap generate?
• Do I need to be recording the session to use all Session Sidekick features?

Can clients see Session Sidekick features during an appointment?

No. Session Sidekick features are only visible to the clinician and don’t appear on the client's screen during a telehealth session.

How are Session reminders generated?

Session reminders are AI-generated using information from the client's record, including previous progress notes and pre-session summaries. You can also manually add, edit, and remove reminders as needed. For more information, see Using Session reminders.

Can I turn off Session reminders?

Session reminders only appear with the Session Sidekick sidebar. If you don’t want to see them during a session, you can collapse the Session reminders section or close the sidebar by clicking the Sidekick button in the bottom toolbar.

Why don't I see the Session prep or Last progress note buttons on the telehealth warmup screen?

These options won’t appear if it’s the client's first session or if there’s no previous progress note available. 

Why won’t Quick replay or Session recap generate?

Quick replay may not generate if there hasn’t been enough conversation. If you try to use it too early in the session, you may see a message indicating that more conversation is needed. 

Session recap requires at least 5 minutes of recorded conversation. 

Do I need to be recording the session to use all Session Sidekick features?

Session prep, Last progress note, and Session reminders don’t require recording with Note Taker. 

Quick replay and Session recap are only available when the session is being recorded using Note Taker, as they rely on the live transcript. If you pause recording during a session, you won’t be able to use Quick replay or Session recap.