AI scribe for California counselors (LPCC)
Facts checked on 16 October 2026.
MentalNote is an AI scribe for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCCs) in California: record the session in your browser, pick DAP, BIRP, GIRP, SOAP, Progress, Intake or Treatment Plan, and get a draft to review and sign, on a free plan or Premium at $99 a month, with a BAA on every plan. Associate Professional Clinical Counselors (APCCs) can use it under their supervisor's usual review.
California LPCCs often work alongside LMFTs and LCSWs in group practices and agencies, and every setting seems to want a different note. MentalNote records the session in your browser (with your client's consent) and drafts the note in whichever format the setting uses. You review it, edit it and paste it into your EHR.
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.
Built for LPCCs in California
- LPCCs and APCCs: California clinical counselors are licensed by the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS), the same board as LMFTs and LCSWs. APCCs can draft notes and follow their supervisor's review.
- All-party consent: California requires everyone in a confidential conversation to agree to a recording. MentalNote asks you to confirm consent before every recording.
- Scores only when stated: if you say a GAD-7 or PHQ-9 score aloud in session, it can appear in a SOAP draft. The app tells the AI never to invent scores.
- Speaker labels in couples and family sessions, useful if you share cases with LMFT colleagues.
- Your own structure: save one custom format, up to 500 characters, for an agency template.
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. Format guides for LPCCs: SOAP notes for counselors, DAP notes for clinical counselors, GIRP notes, progress notes for counselors, and the California mental health documentation overview.
What a SOAP 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 6, generalized anxiety (SOAP)
Subjective
Client reports worrying about money and her son's schooling most days, but says the worry "doesn't take over the whole evening anymore." Sleeping about 6 hours, up from 5.
Objective
Client completed the GAD-7 in session; clinician stated a score of 11, down from 15 at intake. Client was engaged and spoke at a normal rate.
Assessment
Anxiety is decreasing with CBT and worry scheduling. Avoidance of opening bills continues.
Plan
Continue weekly CBT. Next session: graded task to open and sort one week of mail. Homework: daily worry time, 15 minutes.
Risk content is not in this draft because it was not discussed in this fictional session. MentalNote is instructed never to write "denies SI" for a question you did not ask.
Documentation notes for California LPCCs
LPCCs document under the Business and Professions Code and the rules of the Board of Behavioral Sciences. No single note format is required, so DAP, SOAP, BIRP and narrative progress notes all work if they are accurate and complete.
- Consent to record: California is one of the states where recording a confidential conversation needs the consent of everyone in it. MentalNote asks you to confirm your client's consent before every recording, and the ACA Code of Ethics expects permission before you record a session either way.
- Associates: APCCs keep the review process their supervisor sets. The AI draft does not change who is responsible for the note.
- Record keeping: Keep the reviewed note in your EHR and follow the BBS's rules, and any payer or employer rules, on how long records are kept. MentalNote is a drafting tool, not your record system.
- Telehealth: record a video call that runs in a browser tab. No bot joins the call.
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
Is there a free AI scribe for California LPCCs?
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.
Can APCCs use MentalNote?
Yes. Associate Professional Clinical Counselors can draft notes and follow their supervisor's usual review and sign-off.
Do I need consent to record sessions in California?
Yes. California requires everyone in a confidential conversation to agree before it is recorded. MentalNote asks you to confirm consent before every recording.
Will it add a GAD-7 or PHQ-9 score?
Only if the score was stated in the session. The app tells the AI not to invent scores, dates or other facts.
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.
Does it connect to my EHR?
Not directly. Copy or export the reviewed note into your EHR or practice management system.
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.