# Client Communication Protocols — v1.0 (DRAFT)

**Owner:** Fabian + Kelly | **Started:** 2026-05-02 | **Trigger:** Erin W. crisis (live case study at `~/Desktop/AVINA-HOME-DETOX/clinical/case-studies/erin-w-2026-05/`)

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## Why this exists

Kelly's existing client communication approach failed to prevent the Erin crisis from escalating to a police-attended welfare check + 72-hr involuntary psych hold. On the 05-02 debrief call, Fabian directed: *"in real time, we're going to create this amazing thing. This amazing protocol... we're gonna find a way to do this at the highest possible fucking level."*

This module is the system of record for that protocol. It must be built tight enough that it could be handed to another case manager tomorrow and produce identical, repeatable, defensible results.

## Design principles (from the 05-02 debrief)

1. **Outcome → milestones → tasks.** Every case starts with a defined end state. Each outcome decomposes to milestones; each milestone decomposes to tasks. Everything is "a combination of tasks regardless of scale."
2. **If-then consequence logic.** Every milestone has explicit if-then consequences. If a task is not completed, what happens immediately? Options must adjust dynamically based on non-compliance ("this option is off the table").
3. **Weekly operating rhythm.** One-page status report at the start of each week: where things stand, what must happen by week's end, explicit consequences if outcomes are missed. Each session opens with that status check.
4. **Client owns the alternative.** If client disagrees with the plan, they propose an alternative with equal rigour, then are held accountable to their own chosen approach.
5. **Total information capture.** Every interaction recorded. Every document collected. No off-the-record conversations on case-management matters.
6. **Legal-first communication.** Every client engagement begins with the safety contract + recording consent + ROI signed before substantive work.
7. **Crisp terminology.** Avoid phrasing that can be challenged later (e.g., "things that work your way don't work" — Fabian flagged this as escalating defensiveness; recast to elicit the client's alternative plan).

## Module contents

| File | Purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|
| `safety-contract.md` | Template safety contract clients sign at intake. Covers: duty to report, suicidal ideation handling, recording consent, repercussions. | TBD |
| `recording-policy.md` | State-by-state US recording law matrix (one-party vs two-party consent), client-facing consent language, record-retention rules. | TBD |
| `12-week-case-management.md` | Standard 12-week structure for case management engagements (Erin's plan was already 12 weeks; this codifies it with milestone gates and consequence logic). | TBD |
| `crisis-protocol.md` | Welfare check procedures, 72-hr psych hold playbook, ROI procurement, family/landlord/police communication scripts. | TBD |
| `weekly-status-report-template.md` | One-page weekly status report template referenced in design principle 3. | TBD |
| `client-intake-checklist.md` | What must be in place before any substantive case work begins (contracts signed, ROIs, baseline records). | TBD |

## Source material driving this build

All in `/clinical/case-studies/erin-w-2026-05/`:
- Pre-crisis call (04-30, 128min) — what client refusal looked like for 3+ weeks before crisis
- Strategic crisis call (05-02, 10min) — the 72-hr hold + ROI mechanics
- **Debrief call (05-02, 60min) — the design conversation Fabian and Kelly had; this module is largely a cleanup of that call**
- Communication breakdown call (05-02, 7min) — the existing failure mode in tooling
- Incident report PDF — Kelly's working document for family communication

## Build sequence

1. Lift the design rules from the 60-min debrief into structured templates.
2. Validate against the Erin case (would this protocol have prevented the police call?).
3. Test against a hypothetical Avina Home Detox client (the actual go-forward scope, not legacy case management).
4. Get Kelly's signoff before activating.

## Cross-reference

- Live case study: `../../../clinical/case-studies/erin-w-2026-05/`
- Avina Home Detox compliance core: `../../README.md`
- Legal templates: `../../../legal/`