Counselor and Coach FAQs

How do I use the Coordinated Assistance Network platform?

Please take a moment to view the training video and instructions.

• Watch the Video
• Read the Instructions 

How long do I have to conduct the counseling session once assigned?

1. Please make contact with the client within 24 hours and change the status accordingly to always reflect the current status of the case.
2. You should change the status of an assigned case to “Accepted” via the Status Tab immediately after assigned.*

*If you do not change the status of an assigned case within 48 hours, the Task Force Leadership may choose to retrieve that case form you and re-assign it to another counselor. A client is more likely to engage in counseling if timely contact is initiated.

Do I need to use all the tools in Coordinated Assistance Network with my clients?

You’ll see in the training video that this platform offers a lot of great tools, but you don’t need to use them all. Use what you and your client need to have a successful engagement. But BEST PRACTICE is to complete the counseling questionnaires (pre and post engagement) and counseling assessment with your clients.

Do I meet with each client once, or multiple times?

To receive the stipend, you are required to complete initial sessions with three different clients. Please complete the counselor questionnaire (pre and post session with each client). Coordinated Assistance Network will pay $20/hour for each new-client session completed after the first three. We encourage you to work with as many clients as you are willing and able. You are welcome to meet with a client more than once, but the follow-up is not paid.

Can I see more than three clients?

You may continue seeing clients via the Coordinated Assistance Network and receive compensation directly from Coordinated Assistance Network. If you wish to complete more than 3 sessions and earn an additional $20.00 per completed session, please contact the Task Force Leadership via email at vpadmin@veteransplus.org to receive further instructions on case assignment and additional compensation instructions.

How do I know if a client has been assigned to me? 

There are two simple ways to see if a client has been assigned to you.

1. As a counselor you will need to log in to your Coordinated Assistance Network (CAN) account and look in the File Management portion of your account. This is where client names and files will be available to you.
2. In the Messages portion of your account click “Notify of New Messages” and you can receive any new messages from the CAN team and push notifications about new files assigned to you.

What is the expected client outreach time?

Our expectation is that you reach out to your client within 24-48 hours of receiving your assignment.

What if my assigned client is unresponsive?  

If you do not hear back from a client within 1 week, or if they stop being responsive during the counseling or scheduling process, let the CAN leadership know ASAP.

This will allow the client to be placed in Admin Hold and you can receive another client. Please review this process on pages 7 and 8 of the Training Instructions.

How many attempts should I make before deeming a client unresponsive?  

Three (3) attempts, including one CAN Message for documentation, should be made.

What do I do if a client does not want to participate in the counseling once contact is made? 

Place the file in Admin Hold status by choosing it from the drop down on the Status Tab for that client in the File Management Section. Then click the Submit button to change the status. You do not need to contact anyone. AFCPE Task Force Leadership at CAN will be notified of the status change.

What happens when I place a file in Admin Hold status?

1. The client file will move to the “Closed Files” Table of your File Management Section. You can see it by clicking that button above your Active
   File Management Table.
2. A notification is sent to the client informing them that you have placed their file in Admin Hold Status, and they should contact you if they wish to re-engage and continue or start the counseling process.
3. A notification is sent to the AFCPE Task Force Leadership at CAN.

Can I remove a file from Admin Hold status?

Yes. You can view the Admin Hold file by clicking the Closed Files button in the File Management Section to reveal the cases you have Completed or place on Admin Hold. If needed, you can move any case on this list back to your Active File Table in File Management by opening them and changing the status back to an active status (Accepted, Contacted, or In Counseling).

Can I be notified via email when I am assigned a counseling case? 

YES, You will always receive a CAN Message when you are assigned a new case, but if you also want to be notified via email you need to check the appropriate box in the CAN Messages Section. The check box to be notified via email of a new CAN message is located in the Messages Section of your CAN account, under the Folder navigation section. The box is defaulted to unchecked, so users must check it to opt in to the email notifications. You can uncheck it at any time to stop receiving them.

Please note that because the CAN is a HIPAA compliant platform, we must be careful of what is pushed to outside email servers. The email notification you receive will not show you the content of the CAN message for security reasons, but will simply notify you that you have a new CAN message that you can then log in to read.

Can I share my credentials with my client?  

Yes!  We encourage you to upload any certifications, endorsements, and/or licenses, etc you hold to the My Certifications Section.  If you would like to proactively share those credentials with your clients, for your credibility and their peace of mind, ensure that the bubbles on the table for Hero Share and Proactive Share are both clicked and showing green.  This will allow the clients to view your credentials in their view of their file. 

If you wish to share the credentials on demand, only click the bubble green for Hero Share on the table.  This will make them available on the Documents Tab of your file management module but hidden from your clients until you choose to share them using the icon on the Documents Tab’s table.  (You can also always upload individually to files on this tab as well).

How can my client see what I look like?

If you want the client to see your headshot prior to the counseling session you can upload an image to the My Certifications Section. Once uploaded, ensure that the bubbles for Hero Share and Proactive Share are clicked and show in green. This will allow your client to view the images in their view of their own file (along with any other certs you may have chosen to upload and share).

You are also encouraged to upload a picture to your Profile Section. This is the image that will stamp any recent activity entries in the File Management module for each client.