Sana Mente Labs · In development

Throughline: documentation that holds together

A connected set of documentation tools for therapists. Your diagnostic reasoning, treatment plan, progress notes and outcome measures share one client record, so every note traces back to the plan and every plan traces back to the reasons for care.

Status: core engine and schema complete · content authoring underway
Why build this

Auditors look for the thread. Most tools don't keep it.

When a chart is reviewed, the question underneath is simple: does the record show why this client needs care, what the treatment is aiming for, and whether each session moved toward it? Reviewers call this the "golden thread."

In most practices, those pieces live in separate places. The plan says one thing, the notes drift, and outcome scores sit in a spreadsheet nobody links back. Good clinical work ends up looking weak on paper, especially on the days a clinician is rushed or tired.

Throughline is being built around a simple idea: the value is in the structure, not in how much you type. A good scaffold helps a busy clinician produce complete, well-linked documentation anyway.

How it fits together

Four tools, one client record

Each tool works on its own. Used together, they share the same record, so the connections are already in place.

1

Diagnostic justification

Documents the reasoning behind the diagnosis you've made.

2

Treatment plan

Goals, measurable objectives and the interventions for each goal.

3

Progress note

Reads the objectives and interventions straight from the plan.

4

Outcome tracking

Charts your clients' measure scores over time and flags reliable change.

What it does

What's being built

Treatment plan

Measurable by design

Every objective carries a measure, a starting point, a target and a timeframe. A completeness meter shows at a glance whether anything is missing or unlinked.

Progress note

One set of facts, any format

Enter the session once and view it as DAP, SOAP, BIRP or GIRP. Choose a lean, standard or thorough write-up; the audit-critical content stays in every version.

Diagnostic justification

Your reasoning, organized

Walk through criteria written in plain paraphrase, note what was considered and ruled out, and get a clear justification narrative. You make the diagnosis; Throughline documents how you got there.

Outcome tracking

Change you can defend

Chart the scores you enter and see whether change is reliable, using the Reliable Change Index. The reliability figures behind each calculation are shown with their sources.

Illustration: how a note stays linked to the plan (fictional example) Client engaged in cognitive restructuring targeting Objective 1.2: reduce avoidance of work-related situations from 5 to 2 episodes per week within 12 weeks. Client reported 3 avoidance episodes this week, down from 4. Continue exposure hierarchy per treatment plan.
Design commitments

Built for the clinical record, not around it

A few decisions shape everything in Throughline. They're deliberate, and they won't change to chase trends.

  • No AI writing your records Notes and plans are assembled from carefully written, clinician-reviewed text, based on the choices you make. Throughline can only produce wording you selected, so there's nothing invented in the record.
  • Your client data stays on your computer Throughline is designed to run on your own device with encrypted save files. It uses client initials, not full identifiers, and creates text you paste into your own records system.
  • You stay in charge of every word Everything Throughline assembles is fully editable. Changes you make to a client's plan stay with that client and never alter the shared library.
  • Your own wording counts just as much The completeness checks look at structure: is it measurable, time-bound, linked and justified? Custom content you write scores exactly the same as library content.
  • Written by a practicing psychologist Clinical content is drafted from authoritative sources and then reviewed and approved by a licensed psychologist before it goes into the tool. Diagnostic criteria are paraphrased in original language, and no proprietary test items are reproduced.
Development progress

Where Throughline is today

Development is moving in phases. The first release will focus on trauma-focused, CBT, DBT, ACT, psychodynamic and EMDR-informed approaches, with broader coverage to follow.

  1. Phase 0

    Foundation: complete

    The shared client record and the assembly engine that builds notes and plans are designed and in place. A working prototype connects all four tools.

  2. Phase 1

    Treatment plan + progress note: in progress

    The first release. Clinical content is being written and reviewed alongside the software.

  3. Phase 2

    Diagnostic justification and broader coverage

    A separate, carefully reviewed criteria library and many more diagnoses.

  4. Phase 3

    Outcome tracking

    Measure scores and reliable-change charts, linked into progress notes and plan reviews.

  5. Phase 4

    Polish and expansion

    More therapy approaches, support for group practices, and desktop and mobile versions.

Throughline is a documentation aid. It doesn't diagnose, recommend treatment, or replace clinical judgment. The clinician makes every clinical decision, and Throughline helps record the reasoning clearly.

Want to hear when it's ready?

If you're a clinician and want updates or early access to testing, send a quick note. Feedback from working therapists is shaping what gets built first.

Get updates

Throughline is a working name and is under development by Sana Mente Labs LLC. Features and timing may change.