Getting Started with Mental Note AI

Getting Started

Step 1: Open the Web App

Go to app.mentalnote.ai in your browser and create or sign in to your account. The free web-app tier includes 5 scribe sessions per month. The optional Word add-in has a separate allowance of 2,000 AI-writing words per month. No credit card is required.

Step 2: Accept the BAA

Before your first session, the app asks you to accept the Business Associate Agreement (BAA). It is included on every plan and takes a minute. Review the current Security, Privacy, and HIPAA pages for the details.

Step 3: Choose How to Provide Context

Record the session with appropriate consent. The web app drafts the note after the session ends. To draft from a typed or pasted summary instead, use the optional Word add-in.

Step 4: Generate and Review Your First Draft

Choose a note format and generate a draft. Verify it against the encounter, correct any errors or omissions, then copy or export it to your approved system of record.

Prefer Word? The Microsoft Word add-in remains available as an optional workflow.

Generating Clinical Notes

Enter Your Session Information

In the web app, the session recording is the input. In the optional Word add-in, type what you observed, what the client reported, clinical concerns, progress. Details matter—the more specific, the better the note.

Select Your Note Format

Available web-app options include SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, PIRP, SIRP, PIE, Progress, Intake, and Treatment Plan. This guide also explains other common documentation structures.

Generate and Review

Click Generate to create a structured draft. Generation and review time vary; verify accuracy and clinical fit before using the result.

Edit and Insert

Edit the draft in the web app, then copy or export it after review. If you use the optional Word add-in, you can insert the draft into Word and continue editing there.

Common Formats and Workflows

The web app provides several note and planning workflows. The educational template library also covers additional common structures; always confirm which format your setting requires.

SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan)

Four sections: client report, your observation, your interpretation, and your plan. SOAP is widely used, but requirements vary; confirm the format and content your payer, supervisor, organization, and jurisdiction require.

DAP (Data, Assessment, Plan)

Three sections—faster to write. Combines client report and your observations, then assessment and plan. Popular in agencies and community health.

BIRP (Behavior, Intervention, Response, Plan)

Behavioral focus: what you observed, what you did, how the client responded, next steps. Essential for behavioral and school-based work.

SIRP (Situation, Intervention, Response, Plan)

Crisis and intake-focused: presenting situation, your response, client's response, plan. Perfect for urgent sessions.

GIRP (Goals, Intervention, Response, Plan)

Goal-centric: specific goals addressed, interventions delivered, progress made, and adjustments to the plan. Confirm whether GIRP fits your setting and current payer requirements.

PIE (Problem, Intervention, Evaluation)

Brief, focused: problem, what you did, outcome and next steps. Fast and efficient for primary care and consultations.

PIRP (Problem, Intervention, Response, Plan)

Organizes the draft around the identified problem, intervention, response, and next plan.

Progress

A flexible progress-note workflow for documentation that does not need one of the named structures above.

Intake and Treatment Plan

Separate web-app workflows are available for intake drafting and treatment-plan drafting. Review every section and adapt it to your organization's requirements.

The Chat Feature

Beyond note generation, Mental Note AI includes a chat interface for documentation questions and draft refinements. It is not a substitute for clinical judgment, supervision, or emergency guidance.

Chat Features

• Follow-up Questions: Ask Mental Note AI questions about clinical concepts, diagnostic criteria, or treatment strategies.
• Note Refinements: Say things like "Make this more strengths-based" or "Add more detail to the assessment" and the AI will refine your note.
• Drafting Prompts: Ask for alternate documentation language, then verify it against the encounter and your professional judgment.
• Clarifications: Ask the AI to explain a section of a generated note or suggest different wording.

Note: The web app's free plan counts scribe sessions, not words. The monthly word allowance (2,000 AI-writing words on the free plan) applies only to the optional Word add-in.

Managing Your Account

Account Settings

Use the account controls in the Mental Note AI web app to manage available profile and subscription settings. Contact support@mentalnote.ai if the setting you need is not available.

Upgrade to Premium

Free web-app tier: 5 scribe sessions per month. The optional Word add-in separately includes 2,000 AI-writing words per month. Need more? Upgrade to Premium ($99/month or $990/year) for unlimited sessions and generation.

Check Your Usage

On the free plan, the web app shows how many of your 5 monthly scribe sessions are left. In the optional Word add-in, the usage indicator shows how many AI-writing words you have generated this period and how many remain.

Cancel Your Subscription

You can downgrade from Premium back to Free at any time in your account settings. You can also cancel your subscription entirely. No long-term contracts, no cancellation fees. Your subscription remains active through the end of the current billing period.

Tips for Best Results

Be Specific

Replace "Client seemed anxious" with "Client fidgeted throughout, reported sleep disruption from worry, avoided eye contact discussing family." Specificity = better notes.

Include Relevant Clinical Details

Mention the client's presenting concern, relevant history, psychiatric symptoms, medications, current stressors, or significant life events. These details help the AI generate a clinically robust note.

Always Review and Personalize

AI drafts are starting points, not final products. Review for accuracy, add your clinical insights, include client strengths, ensure it reflects your judgment.

Use Chat for Refinements

Say "Make this more strengths-based" or "Add more detail to assessment" instead of manually editing. The AI will refine the note.

Maintain Client Privacy

Before clinical use, follow your organization's privacy policy. The Business Associate Agreement is accepted in the app before your first session.

System Requirements

• Web app: A current Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox browser
• Operating System: Any supported system that can run a current browser
• Internet Connection: Stable internet required for note generation and account access
• Optional Word add-in: A compatible Microsoft Word environment and account; check the current AppSource listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Stuck?

Email support@mentalnote.ai with your question. We aim to reply within one business day.

For more resources, visit our Support page to browse additional articles, troubleshooting guides, and FAQs.