Kudos: a nudge for clients who need one
An opt-in points system you control. No medals, no streak shame, no stickers.
Kudos is a simple points-based engagement system. Clients earn points for things you decide are worth points: homework on time, a streak of three days, a behavioural test attempted, a daily mood log. They see a running total in their portal.
You decide what counts
Per-client toggles. Per-rule point values. Want to reward homework but not streaks? Turn streaks off. Want a client who responds badly to gamification to never see Kudos at all? Turn it off entirely for that client.
Why this works
CBT homework is the hardest part of practice for many clients. A small visible signal that they did the thing matters, especially in the first weeks of work where the therapeutic relationship is still forming. A score going up reinforces the loop in a way that a verbal “good job” once a week does not.
Why no medals
We deliberately don’t ship visual rewards (badges, characters, levels). Adult clients in therapy don’t need to be infantilized, and visual reward systems often produce the opposite effect: shame when the streak breaks. Numbers and labels only.
Therapist-side controls
The whole Kudos configuration is editable per client at any time. Turn it on at week three when the client is ready, off at week six when it has done its job, back on at week ten if engagement drops.