AI scribe for Washington counselors (LMHC)
Facts checked on 17 October 2026.
MentalNote is an AI scribe for Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs) in Washington: 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. Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associates (LMHCAs) can use it with their supervisor's usual review and sign-off.
Washington LMHCs see clients in Seattle group practices, community behavioral health agencies and telehealth practices that reach across the state. MentalNote records the session in your browser (with your client's consent) and drafts the note while you get ready for the next client. You review it, edit it and copy 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 LMHCs in Washington
- LMHCs and LMHCAs: Washington mental health counselors are credentialed by the Washington State Department of Health. LMHCAs can draft notes and follow their approved supervisor's review.
- All-party consent: Washington requires everyone in a private conversation to agree before it is recorded, and MentalNote asks you to confirm consent before every recording.
- Couples and family sessions: speaker labels keep each person's words apart, so the draft attributes statements correctly.
- DAP and BIRP for compact progress notes, GIRP and Treatment Plan to tie notes to the goals you set.
- Telehealth: capture a video call from its browser tab plus your microphone. No bot joins the call.
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 LMHCs: DAP notes for LMHCs, BIRP notes for LMHCs, GIRP notes for LMHCs, progress notes for LMHCs, and the Washington mental health documentation overview.
What a DAP 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 5, couples session on communication (DAP)
Data
Both partners attended. Partner A reports feeling dismissed when plans change at the last minute; Partner B reports feeling criticized as soon as he walks in the door. Each used one speaker-listener turn at home this week. Partner A states: "It helped when he repeated back what I said."
Clinician coached a soft start-up and a repair attempt during a live disagreement about weekend plans.
Assessment
The couple is using the new skills more often, mostly when calm. Escalation under stress is still the main pattern.
Plan
Continue every other week. Homework: one 20-minute check-in using speaker-listener turns, twice this week.
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 Washington LMHCs
Washington LMHCs document under chapter 18.225 RCW and the Department of Health rules in chapter 246-809 WAC, plus any agency, Apple Health or payer rules where they work. No single note format is required, so pick the one your setting expects and keep it consistent.
- Consent to record: Washington 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.
- Supervision: LMHCAs keep the review and sign-off 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 Department of Health'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. Most boards look at where the client is located during the session, so check your license covers that state.
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 Washington LMHCs?
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.
Do I need my client's consent to record in Washington?
Yes. Washington requires everyone in a private conversation to agree before it is recorded, and MentalNote asks you to confirm consent before every recording.
Can LMHCAs use MentalNote?
Yes. Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associates can draft notes and follow their supervisor's usual review and sign-off.
Does it handle couples sessions?
Yes. Speaker labels keep each person's words apart in the transcript, and the draft follows the format you pick. Get consent from everyone in the room.
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.