Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
In our last installment in this series we discussed, briefly, the importance of meeting the needs of each individual in the recovery program. To do this most effectively, a process of documentation is essential, using paper forms or computer-based data collection. In residential recovery programs for the homeless, it is also important to adopt a team approach to working with our clients.
![](http://christians-in-recovery.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/people-counseling-2.jpg)
A. Developing a system of documentation.
The essential elements include:
Regularly updated recovery plans/contracts
Daily progress notes
Summaries of one-on-one counseling sessions
When all of these elements are in place, supervisors can get a good picture of what each counselor or chaplain is doing with each of the individuals with whom he or she is assigned work. Besides serving as a measure of job performance, proper documentation makes it easier for another counselor to step in and keep working with the client if that is necessary. Good documentation provides a permanent record that can be accessed if the individual leaves the program and returns at a later date. And, it provides valuable information that may be used by other ministries or agencies that work with the client in the future.