AI progress notes for therapists
Facts checked on 16 October 2026.
MentalNote writes AI progress notes for therapists: record the session in your browser and get a progress note draft, as a full Progress note or in DAP, BIRP, GIRP, SOAP or PIRP, to review and paste into your EHR, on a free plan or Premium at $99 a month, with a BAA on every plan.
A progress note has to show what happened, what you did, how the client responded and what comes next, and it has to hold up if a payer asks. MentalNote drafts it from the session, so you start from a structured note instead of a blank page. You review it and sign it.
5 free scribe sessions a month. No credit card. BAA on every plan.
The short answer
- Record the session in your browser, in the room or on a telehealth call in a browser tab, and get a draft note when the session ends.
- Pick the format you chart in: DAP, BIRP, GIRP, SOAP, PIRP, Progress, Intake / Biopsychosocial or Treatment Plan, or your own structure with custom instructions.
- It is told not to fill gaps. The app instructs the AI to write "Not documented in session" for anything the session did not cover, and not to add a denial, a diagnosis or a risk rating you did not state. Check every draft.
- Start free: 5 scribe sessions a month, no time limit, no credit card. Premium is $99 a month or $990 a year.
- MentalNote is HIPAA-compliant, with a BAA included on every plan, the free plan too. Many AI scribes offer only a time-limited trial.
Who it is for
Solo clinicians and small practices that want to sign up today, pay a published price and start without a sales call or an IT project. Premium is for solo clinicians. Practices can apply for the Practice Pilot.
What goes into an AI progress note
- The Progress format has six sections: session overview, presenting concerns and client report, interventions, client response and progress, risk and safety, and plan.
- Interventions appear only as you used them. The app tells the AI not to invent interventions, homework, scores or dates.
- Each note is written in the third person and keeps what the client reported separate from what you observed.
- Prefer a shorter progress note? Pick DAP, BIRP or GIRP instead.
Note formats you can generate
| Format | Sections | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| DAP | Data, Assessment, Plan | Fast, compact progress notes |
| BIRP | Behavior, Intervention, Response, Plan | Showing what you did and how the client responded |
| GIRP | Goals, Intervention, Response, Plan | Tying each session to treatment plan goals |
| SOAP | Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan | Insurance-friendly notes and scores such as the PHQ-9 |
| PIRP | Problem, Intervention, Response, Plan | Problem-focused sessions |
| Progress note | Session overview, client report, interventions, response, risk and safety, plan | A fuller narrative note |
| Intake / Biopsychosocial | History, mental status observations, risk and safety, impressions, plan | First sessions and assessments |
Also available: SIRP, PIE and Treatment Plan, plus custom instructions for your own structure. Guides: Progress notes: templates and examples, Progress notes for LPCs, Progress notes for LCSWs, Progress notes for telehealth.
What an AI progress note draft looks like
A human-written, shortened illustration based on a fictional session (no real client). It is not verbatim app output, and your drafts will vary with what is said.
Fictional example: Session 8, depression and work stress (Progress note)
Session Overview
Individual telehealth session, eighth session.
Presenting Concerns and Client Report
Client reports low mood on 3 days this week, down from most days last month. Went to the gym twice. States: "I still dread Mondays."
Interventions
Reviewed the activity schedule. Used cognitive restructuring on the thought "I am falling behind everyone." Planned two pleasant activities for the weekend.
Client Response and Progress
Client named two pieces of evidence against the thought and rated belief in it at 50 percent, down from 80 percent at the start of session.
Risk and Safety
Not documented in session.
Plan
Continue weekly sessions. Homework: activity schedule and two thought records this week.
Risk and Safety says "Not documented in session." because risk was not discussed in this fictional session. MentalNote is instructed never to write "denies SI" for a question you did not ask.
What it will not do
These are instructions the app gives the AI for every therapy note. They are meant to reduce errors, but they are not a guarantee. Review every line.
| What can go wrong | What MentalNote instructs the AI to do |
|---|---|
| A risk statement that was never asked ("denies SI") | Include risk and safety content only if it was explicitly discussed, and never write that the client denied something the session did not ask about. |
| A diagnosis the AI guessed | Give no diagnosis, diagnostic impression or code unless you stated it in the session. |
| An intervention you did not use | Use only what the session contains: no invented interventions, scores, dates or homework. |
| A gap filled with typical content | Write "Not documented in session" for anything the session did not cover. |
How it works
- Confirm you have your client's consent. The web app asks you to confirm it before every recording.
- Record in the browser, in the room or on a telehealth call in another tab.
- When the session ends, choose a format and get the draft, with the speaker-labeled transcript beside it.
- Review and edit every line, then copy or export it into your EHR.
Prefer Microsoft Word? The optional Word add-in drafts a therapy note from a short typed summary, with no recording.
What it costs
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, no time limit | 5 web-app scribe sessions a month. No credit card. |
| Premium | $99 a month, or $990 a year ($82.50 a month) | Unlimited note generation, browser app and Word add-in. |
| Practice Pilot | Apply | A guided evaluation for practices. |
No sales call needed: sign up and choose a plan yourself. MentalNote is HIPAA-compliant, with a BAA included on every plan. You accept the BAA in the app before your first session.
Frequently asked questions
Can AI write therapy progress notes?
Yes. MentalNote drafts a progress note from the recorded session in the format you pick. It is a draft: you review, edit and sign it.
Is there a free AI progress note writer?
Yes. MentalNote's free plan includes 5 scribe sessions a month, with no time limit and no credit card. The BAA covers the free plan too. Premium is $99 a month or $990 a year.
Which progress note formats does it support?
Progress, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, SOAP, PIRP, SIRP and PIE, plus Intake / Biopsychosocial and Treatment Plan, or your own structure with custom instructions.
Can I write a progress note without recording?
Yes, in the optional Word add-in: type a short summary and get a draft. Recording happens in the web app.
Will it add a diagnosis I did not give?
The app instructs the AI to give no diagnosis, diagnostic impression or code unless you stated it in the session. Review every draft before you sign it.
Is MentalNote HIPAA compliant?
MentalNote is HIPAA-compliant, with a BAA included on every plan. You accept it in the app before your first session.
Write tonight's notes in minutes
Start free: 5 scribe sessions a month, no credit card, BAA included.
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A clinician must review every AI draft. MentalNote does not give medical advice or make diagnoses. Spotted something out of date? Email support@mentalnote.ai and we will fix it.