AI scribe for Illinois social workers (LCSW)
Facts checked on 17 October 2026.
MentalNote is an AI scribe for Licensed Clinical Social Workers and Licensed Social Workers (LCSWs and LSWs) in Illinois: 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. LSWs providing clinical services under supervision can use it with their supervisor's usual review and sign-off.
Illinois social workers work in Chicago group practices, community mental health agencies, hospital systems, school districts and telehealth practices downstate. MentalNote listens to the session (with your client's consent) and drafts the note in the format you chart in. 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 LCSWs and LSWs in Illinois
- LCSWs and LSWs: Illinois social workers are licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). LSWs working under clinical supervision can draft notes and route them through their supervisor's review as usual.
- All-party consent: Illinois law requires everyone in a private conversation to consent before it is recorded, and MentalNote asks you to confirm consent before every recording.
- BIRP for agency work: Behavior, Intervention, Response and Plan drafts, or GIRP when each note must tie to treatment plan goals.
- Your own structure: save a 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 LCSWs and LSWs: BIRP notes for LCSWs, GIRP notes for LCSWs, DAP notes for LCSWs, progress notes for LCSWs, and the Illinois mental health documentation overview.
What a GIRP 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, anger at work for a warehouse supervisor (GIRP)
Goal
Treatment plan goal: respond to conflict at work without yelling, measured by the client's weekly log.
Intervention
Clinician reviewed the log and practiced a time-out and return script for heated moments on the floor.
Response
Client reports one raised-voice incident this week, down from four, and walked away once before answering. States: "I counted to ten and it worked."
Plan
Continue weekly sessions. Homework: keep the log and use the script with one coworker. Next session: role-play a talk with his manager.
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 Illinois social workers
Illinois LCSWs and LSWs document under the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act and the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act, plus any agency, Medicaid or payer rules where they work. No single note format is required.
- Consent to record: Illinois 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 NASW Code of Ethics expects permission before you record a session either way.
- Supervision: LSWs 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 IDFPR 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 Illinois LCSWs and LSWs?
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 Illinois?
Yes. Illinois law requires everyone in a private conversation to consent before it is recorded, and MentalNote asks you to confirm consent before every recording.
Can Illinois LSWs use MentalNote?
Yes. LSWs working under clinical supervision can draft notes with MentalNote and follow their supervisor's usual review and sign-off.
Can I match my agency's note template?
Yes. Save the structure as a custom format, up to 500 characters. The no-invention instructions still apply.
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.