AI for therapists

Wondering about AI for therapists and asking the questions “Can I use AI in my therapy private practice?” and, specifically, “Can I use AI to write therapy notes?”

You’re not alone.

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform healthcare, many mental health professionals are exploring how AI tools can streamline their administrative workload.

In fact, a November 2024 survey conducted by SimplePractice, found that half of clinicians use AI for daily tasks such as documentation, email creation, and calendar management.

However, only 13% of clinicians surveyed are using AI for client documentation purposes.

For those clinicians wondering “Can I use AI to write therapy notes?” One of the most discussed applications of AI for therapists  is using generative AI to help write therapy notes and documentation.

However, this raises important questions about ethics, privacy, and clinical effectiveness.

Let’s explore how therapists can thoughtfully incorporate AI tools for therapists into their practice while maintaining professional standards.

Why therapists turn to AI

The growing interest in AI for therapists stems from a universal challenge in mental health practice: administrative burden.

Many therapists spend hours each week writing clinical notes, often sacrificing their personal time or limiting their client capacity.

Additionally, many therapists fall behind on administrative tasks, putting them at risk when they are audited.

This documentation, while essential, can lead to burnout and reduced quality of care.

AI notes for therapists, such as SimplePractice’s AI-powered digital Note Taker, can help streamline the process of clinical documentation.

Through AI assistance, practitioners can summarize client session notes while maintaining consistent documentation standards.

This technology enables therapists to significantly reduce time spent on administrative tasks, allowing them to focus more energy on direct client care.

Furthermore, AI support can help practitioners manage large caseloads while spending less time on documentation without compromising note comprehensiveness.

Defining AI’s role in your practice

Before implementing any tool or feature utilizing AI for therapists, such as Note Taker, it’s crucial to clearly define which aspects of your practice will and won’t involve AI assistance.

When it comes to AI notes for therapists, most therapists use AI primarily for post-session documentation, template creation, and identifying treatment patterns.

Additionally, therapists are using session transcripts to support clients in building self-awareness, as they are able to read back what was said in session.

Some may opt to use AI transcription during sessions to capture conversations more accurately, though this is always implemented as a voluntary choice for both therapist and client.

For those using AI during sessions, the process typically works as follows: The clinician has the client sign a consent form, and then the AI transcription tool runs in the background, capturing the session dialogue while the therapist remains fully present with the client.

After the session, the AI assists in organizing the transcribed content into a structured note, which the therapist then reviews and modifies to ensure accuracy and add clinical insights.

It’s critical that clinicians aren’t skipping this step of editing the AI assisted note. There is a possibility that AI may misinterpret what was said in session. Additionally, it’s possible that sensitive information may need to be reworded in a note for legal or insurance purposes.

The ethics of using AI to write therapy notes

The question “Can I use AI to write therapy notes?” requires careful consideration of ethical principles and professional responsibilities.

While AI can be a valuable tool, its use must align with core therapeutic values:

Confidentiality and privacy

When considering AI for therapists, such as Note Taker, client confidentiality is paramount. Any AI system used must comply with HIPAA regulations and maintain the highest standards of data security.

Therapists should verify that AI tools have proper encryption, data handling, storage, and deletion protocols, and clear privacy policies.

Additionally, clinicians should stay up to date on any updates to their chosen AI system, to ensure it continues to remain compliant with confidentiality requirements.

Keep in mind, the clinicians will be held accountable for the AI system being HIPAA compliant and due diligence is paramount.

Clinical accuracy and oversight

AI should serve as an assistant rather than a replacement for clinical judgment.

Therapists must review, modify, and approve all AI-generated notes to ensure they accurately reflect the session content and clinical observations.

Furthermore, all clinical recommendations and interpretations should be made from the clinician, not the AI.

The therapist remains responsible for the final documentation.

Professional standards

Most licensing boards and professional organizations haven’t explicitly addressed AI use in documentation.

However, therapists must ensure their use of AI aligns with existing documentation requirements and professional standards of care.

Additionally, therapists must stay informed about evolving regulations on AI in healthcare and their regulatory boards.

Obtaining and managing client consent

A crucial aspect of ethically incorporating AI for therapists into practice is obtaining informed consent from clients.

In fact, most AI documentation systems will not allow a clinician to begin the transcription process before getting a client’s consent.

When introducing AI tools for therapists into your practice, transparent communication about data security is essential.

Address client concerns proactively by explaining:

• How their data is encrypted and protected during storage and transmission
• Which specific security measures are in place to prevent unauthorized access. For example, if you are using SimplePractice and/or Note Taker you may want to emphasize to your clients that the data still follows HIPAA compliance and is backed by HITRUST certification
• The limited scope of AI’s access to their information
• Clear policies about data retention and deletion. For example, if it is a recording of a client session, be sure to mention within what time frame the recording is deleted. Additionally, if it is a transcription, mention how long the transcription will be stored for before deletion
• Confirmation that their information won’t be used for training AI models without explicit consent

Emphasize that participation in any AI-assisted aspects of therapy is entirely voluntary.

Clients should understand they can opt out of AI features while continuing traditional therapy services.

The power differential between clinician and client should also openly be discussed and addressed. For example, many clients who are working on their tendency toward “people pleasing” naturally are more apt to say and do things to gain approval from their therapists. Consequently, they may feel pressure to agree because they think it’s what their therapist wants. Discussing this dynamic ensures for more informed consent throughout this process.

Explain how AI enhances rather than replaces the therapeutic relationship by allowing you to:

• Focus more fully on the session instead of note-taking
• Capture important details more accurately through transcription
• Identify patterns and themes that inform treatment planning
• Spend more time preparing for sessions and less on administrative tasks
• Cut back on hours worked on admin tasks, allowing more time for self-care

How therapists use AI

Use of AI in psychology private practice typically focuses on enhancing rather than replacing human expertise.

When considering if you can use AI to write therapy notes, it’s important to understand its practical applications.

Documentation time savings

AI for therapists saves time on administrative tasks such as documentation. SimplePractice’s survey found 13% of clinicians are using AI for documentation, and 37% of clinicians want to learn how to use AI more effectively to save time.

Documentation enhancement

Rather than generating notes from scratch, many therapists use AI to expand their brief session notes into properly formatted clinical documentation. This ensures the therapist’s observations and insights drive the content while AI helps with structure and clarity.

Template customization

AI tools for therapists can help create and maintain documentation templates that align with specific therapeutic approaches or insurance requirements.

These templates can be refined over time to better serve individual practice needs.

Language refinement

AI for therapists can help practitioners use more precise clinical language and ensure notes meet professional standards while maintaining readability. This is particularly valuable for new practitioners developing their documentation style.

Best practices for using AI in clinical documentation

To maximize the benefits of AI for therapists while upholding ethical and professional standards, clinicians should implement the following best practices.

1. Select secure and HIPAA-compliant AI tools

Ensure compliance by choosing AI tools specifically designed for healthcare and psychological documentation that maintain HIPAA compliance and proper security protocols.

Document your AI use in policies and procedures and maintain transparency with clients and regulatory bodies.

These tools should:

• Offer strong data security measures.
• Comply with HIPAA or other relevant privacy regulations.
• Provide user control over data storage and deletion.

2. Maintain clinical oversight

To effectively and ethically incorporate AI for therapists into your practice, always maintain thorough clinical oversight of AI-generated content.

AI should serve as an assistant, not an autonomous decision-maker.

Your professional judgment and understanding of the client should guide any modifications needed.

Therapists must:

• Review and modify AI-generated notes before saving them.
• Ensure that notes accurately reflect session content and therapeutic interventions.
• Avoid over-reliance on AI suggestions.

3. Use AI to enhance, not replace, the human element

Focus on preserving personal connection by using the time saved through AI assistance to enhance direct client care and therapeutic relationship building.

Therapists should leverage AI to reduce administrative burdens, allowing them to:

• Focus more on client engagement.
• Spend less time writing notes and more on treatment planning.
• Improve client outcomes through better organization and efficiency.

4. Train staff and stay updated 

Additionally, implement regular consent reviews to periodically update procedures as AI capabilities and applications evolve.

For clinicians working in group practices, it’s essential for the group owner to:

• Train staff on ethical AI use and security measures.
• Regularly review AI updates and policy changes.
• Stay informed about new AI advancements and professional guidelines.

5. Evaluate AI’s impact on your practice

Periodically assess how AI is affecting your workflow and clinical outcomes by:

• Gathering feedback from clients and colleagues.
• Reviewing documentation quality and efficiency improvements.
• Adjusting AI use based on practical and ethical considerations.

Conclusion

AI represents a powerful tool for modern therapy practice, particularly in documentation and administrative tasks.

When used ethically and thoughtfully, with proper client consent and understanding, AI for therapists can help clinicians reduce administrative burden while maintaining high-quality clinical documentation.

The key lies in viewing AI as an assistant rather than a replacement for professional judgment and ensuring its use aligns with ethical standards and client care goals.

Remember that while AI can help streamline documentation, the essence of therapy remains a deeply human connection.

Use these tools to create more space for what matters most: supporting your clients’ mental health journey.

Learn more language

We’re excited to be developing our first fully-integrated AI-powered digital Note Taker to help you write progress notes faster. If you would like to learn more about SimplePractice Note Taker or sign up to be an early adopter of the feature, click here.

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