The best AI for therapists is usually an AI note tool that turns a session or your dictation into a draft note you then review, either alongside your current records system or inside a full practice platform. Check data handling and client consent before anything else. This page lists ten in no particular order, then covers privacy and choosing.
Notes are the part of practice nobody trained for and everybody carries home. That's why AI note tools have spread so quickly among therapists and counsellors. They draft the paperwork; you stay responsible for every word, and for how your clients' information is handled.
Below are ten tools in alphabetical order and in no particular order, from AI note takers that sit alongside your current records system to full practice platforms with notes built in. Each description comes from the tool's own website, re-checked today. Nothing here is clinical, legal or compliance advice, and none of these tools replaces your professional judgement.
AI note tools for therapy practices
Most of these tools offer a free trial or a limited number of free sessions rather than an ongoing free plan, so the column says Trial only for those and Yes where the site describes an ongoing free plan.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| AutoNotes | AI therapy progress notes | SOAP, DAP and BIRP format notes | Trial only |
| Blueprint | AI documentation and EHR | Notes alongside or inside an EHR | Trial only |
| Carepatron | Practice management with AI notes | Scheduling, client records and notes together | Trial only |
| Clinically AI | Notes added inside your EHR | Notes written within an existing web EHR | Trial only |
| Freed | AI scribe for clinicians | Quick notes for solo and group clinicians | Trial only |
| JotPsych | Behavioural health AI notes | Quick notes for prescribers and therapists | Trial only |
| Mentalyc | AI therapy note taker | Session notes plus treatment plans | Trial only |
| Supanote | AI progress notes | Consent forms and a BAA alongside notes | Trial only |
| TheraPulse | AI therapy notes from audio | Notes from recorded sessions, quickly | Trial only |
| Upheal | AI notes with telehealth | Ongoing free plan with video sessions | Yes |
Ten AI tools for therapists and counsellors
AutoNotes
Best for: Counsellors and clinicians wanting typed or dictated notes in standard formats without switching records system, with treatment plan generation as an option.
Blueprint
Best for: Therapists who want AI notes added to their current EHR, or a full practice system with scheduling, billing and telehealth built in.
Carepatron
Best for: Small practices wanting AI note taking built into one system for scheduling, telehealth, client records and billing rather than a separate scribe.
Clinically AI
Best for: Independent practices with a web-based EHR that want AI notes added through a browser widget, without an IT project or changing systems.
Freed
Best for: Clinicians in solo or group practice who want an AI scribe with individual and group plans and a free try first.
JotPsych
Best for: Psychiatric prescribers and therapists after quick notes the site describes as compliant, with add-ons such as audits and forms to switch on later.
Mentalyc
Best for: Solo and group practices wanting session notes in many formats alongside AI treatment plans and progress tracking.
Supanote
Best for: Psychologists and counsellors who'd like treatment-plan aware notes, couple session support and a signed business associate agreement available on its plans.
TheraPulse
Best for: Solo practitioners who want session audio turned into notes quickly, with HIPAA and PHIPA compliance stated and a free start.
Upheal
Best for: Anyone practising alone who wants an ongoing free plan covering notes and telehealth, bearing in mind availability varies by country.
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What HHS says about psychotherapy notes
This is a US rule, and it matters before you let any tool write into your records. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) explains that psychotherapy notes get special protection under the HIPAA Privacy Rule. It describes them as a mental health professional's notes documenting or analysing a counselling session that are kept separate from the rest of the patient's medical record, and says they don't include medication monitoring, session start and stop times, treatment modalities and frequencies, or clinical test results.
So if an AI tool drafts your note and saves it into the main chart, check whether you're creating an ordinary progress note or separately kept psychotherapy notes, because HHS treats the two differently. Know which one you're making and where it's stored. Outside the US, other privacy laws apply, so check your own regulator's or professional body's guidance.
Questions to put to any AI note vendor
- Data handling: where are session audio and text stored, for how long, and are they used to train models?
- Agreements: in the US, will they sign a business associate agreement?
- Recording: does it need session audio, or can you dictate or type a summary instead?
- Deletion: can you delete recordings once the note is done?
- Formats: does it write in the note formats your practice already uses?
Introducing AI notes into your practice
- Decide whether you want a tool alongside your current records system or a full practice platform.
- Read the vendor's data handling and security pages, and ask for any agreements in writing.
- Write a short, plain consent explanation for clients, including how to opt out.
- Start the trial with a few sessions where clients have agreed.
- Review and edit every draft before it's saved; the note is still yours.
- After a month, weigh the time saved against any concerns clients raised.
Where therapists get caught out
- Recording without clear consent. Clients should know what's recorded, why and who can access it.
- Signing notes you haven't read. AI drafts can miss nuance or add things that weren't said.
- Mixing note types. Keep process notes and progress notes where they belong.
- Assuming a vendor's claims cover you. A compliance statement on a website isn't the same as your own obligations being met.
If you're building a private practice from scratch, my notes on setting up a therapy clinic cover the groundwork, and this look at what AI notetakers do with recordings is worth reading before you switch one on.
Do you make AI tools for therapists or counsellors? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My advice for therapists weighing AI note tools
Start with your obligations, not the features. Read each vendor's data handling terms, confirm any agreements your rules require, and work out how you'll explain recording to clients before you open a trial.
If you're happy with your records system, the lighter change is an AI note tool that sits alongside it. If you're also tired of juggling scheduling, telehealth and billing, a practice platform with notes built in may be worth a trial. Either way, every note stays your responsibility, so read each draft as carefully as one you wrote yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Is AI note taking allowed for therapists?
It depends on your country, your professional body and your clients' consent. Check your regulator's guidance and get clear consent before recording sessions.
Are AI therapy note tools HIPAA compliant?
Some vendors state HIPAA compliance and offer a business associate agreement. Ask for it in writing and check how data is stored and deleted.
What are psychotherapy notes under HIPAA?
HHS describes them as a mental health professional's notes on a counselling session kept separate from the main record, excluding things like medication monitoring and session times.
Does using AI notes mean recording sessions?
Not always. Some tools accept dictated or typed summaries instead of session audio.
Will clients mind AI notes?
Some will and some won't. Explain plainly what's recorded and why, and offer a way to opt out.
Is there a free AI note tool for therapists?
Most offer a free trial or a few free sessions, and a small number describe an ongoing free plan. Check what the free option includes.
