Before using Semble, Lucy worked with endless paper copies of all her documents, completing her clinical notes by hand and storing them in a secure, locked filing cabinet. All paperwork must be kept for seven years, which meant Lucy’s physical copies were becoming overwhelming.
“All of my notes were hand-written. I'd have to scan my referral forms or use Word, and email them to clients, or put them through the post. My filing cabinet was huge, and having to go through the file all the time was really time consuming.”
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Lucy Joy, Creative Arts Therapist |
Lucy found that admin was soon becoming a looming presence in her everyday. The toll of this was significant: not only was it impacting Lucy’s personal time for her own self-care, she was also unable to embrace her creativity through therapeutic theatre performances and trainings.
Crucially, she couldn’t spend as much valuable time expanding her client base offering trainings, supervision and consultancy work. She needed something secure and paper-free, where she could share confidential patient information without worry.
“I’m very good at my job, but I really struggled with the admin. I struggled doing invoices and the calculations. It took away my energy that I wanted to put towards professional development.”
Lucy chose Semble as her practice management system primarily because she wanted to transition to secure digital storing of all her paperwork. Semble’s paperless solution was able to provide her with that security.
“Clients have said they feel the information sent between us is really secure, which is so important because people are sharing very personal events from their lives. Everything is password protected. It gives me peace of mind but also for the families I work with too.”
Lucy’s able to store all her paperwork on Semble, from questionnaires to welcome letters, assessments to referrals, which she can access and send in just a couple of clicks. She can create waiting lists, contact social workers and also automated invoices – and know when they’ve been paid – all from one central location.
“Having everything on one database, it's changed my life. Semble is like having my own admin team for Open Door Drama Therapy.”
The transition to centralised paperwork means Lucy saves over a day a week in admin time, which she now uses to meet with new patients.
“I save about 8-12 hours a week. It’s allowed me to offer new clients free video consultations, which are key; it gives new clients a chance for us to meet face-to-face to see if we’re a suitable fit. The time saved means I can really be with my patients, and hold the space for them.
“I’m also now able to offer online parent sessions, trainings and consultations all over the UK, and just have some protected self-care time for myself, which is crucial because I work with a lot of trauma. And I’ve also started a podcast, ‘Dramatherapy in Colour’ - I definitely wouldn’t have had time for that before.”
Lucy’s video consultations have allowed her to have a much wider reach with her work, nearly doubling her patient numbers. Working with those experiencing challenging times in their lives, and also offering reduced rates to students and those on low incomes, video consultations mean Lucy can provide her services in an easy way, without the stress of travel.
“Most positive feedback I get is about the video consultation. I did one yesterday and the woman said, ‘I clicked it and you appeared! I was just waiting for it to be really complicated like other platforms.’ It's just so simple.”
The weekly hours that Lucy is saving, combined with a wider client reach thanks to video consultations, means her business is thriving and she’s seeing more patients than ever.
“With Semble, my work has grown by 40%. When you're starting out in private practice, it can be really overwhelming and intimidating. I’m a very organised person, but I think Semble has taken me to the next level.
“I now have about 30 different letter and form templates stored which I send out to all different kinds of clients: young adults, parents and other professionals. Everything looks so much more professional. It’s just perfect.”
Lucy Joy specialises in Dramatherapy, is a Practitioner becoming certified in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) and also an Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Trainer working with children, adolescents and adults. She has been using Semble for six months.
Lucy has worked extensively with children for over 15 years. She has a special interest in developmental trauma, racialised trauma and dissociation in children and adolescents under special guardianship or who have been adopted. She is passionate about her work with children and young people who have been placed transracially or through intercounty processes.
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