AI scribe for California marriage and family therapists (LMFT)
Facts checked on 17 October 2026.
MentalNote is an AI scribe for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists and Associate Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs and AMFTs) 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. Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapists (AMFTs) can use it with their supervisor's usual review and sign-off.
California marriage and family therapists see couples, families and individuals in private practices, community agencies and county programs from San Diego to Sacramento. MentalNote records the session in your browser (with everyone's consent) and drafts the note in the format you use. 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 LMFTs and AMFTs in California
- LMFTs and AMFTs: California marriage and family therapists are licensed by the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS). AMFTs are registered with the BBS while they gain supervised hours, and drafts can go through their supervisor's review as usual.
- All-party consent: California law requires everyone in a confidential conversation to consent before it is recorded. In a couples or family session, that is everyone in the room.
- Couples and family sessions: one speaker-labeled transcript and one draft per recording. Labels are generic, so confirm who is who before you sign.
- Your own structure: save one custom format (up to 500 characters) to match an agency template or a section for each family member. It controls structure only.
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 LMFTs and AMFTs: DAP notes for LMFTs, GIRP notes for LMFTs, BIRP notes for LMFTs, progress notes for LMFTs, and the California 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 5, a couple arguing about chores and screen time (GIRP)
Goals
Reduce escalating arguments and agree on a weekly check-in.
Intervention
Clinician slowed down one recent argument, reflected each partner's underlying need and coached a soft start-up.
Response
Both partners report two arguments this week, down from five. Partner A said: "When she asked instead of told, I listened." Partner B agreed to try the check-in.
Plan
Continue weekly couples sessions. Couple to hold one 20-minute check-in. Next session: review the check-in and one argument.
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 marriage and family therapists
California LMFTs and AMFTs document under the BBS regulations and the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, plus any county, Medi-Cal or payer rules where they work. No single note format is required.
- Consent to record: California is one of the states where recording a confidential conversation needs the consent of everyone in it, and the AAMFT Code of Ethics expects written consent before a session is recorded. In a couples or family session, that means everyone in the room. MentalNote asks you to confirm consent before every recording.
- Supervision: AMFTs 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 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. 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 California LMFTs and AMFTs?
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 I record a couples or family session?
Yes, with everyone's consent. You get one speaker-labeled transcript and one draft per recording. Speaker labels are generic, so confirm who is who before you sign.
Can AMFTs use MentalNote?
Yes. Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapists can draft notes with MentalNote and follow their supervisor's usual review and sign-off.
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.