How therapists use AI and ChatGPT to tackle admin work

Since ChatGPT’s release in late 2022, I’ve been exploring AI (artificial intelligence) applications specifically for therapists in private practice to help tackle their admin work

After publishing my initial findings on SimplePractice’s blog, I was flooded with inquiries from therapists eager to learn more about implementing AI solutions in their practices.

The most common questions I received through LinkedIn, email, and social media were straightforward:

• “What specific administrative tasks can ChatGPT help with?”
• “How much time can it actually save?”
• “What’s the learning curve for implementing it?”

This article addresses these questions by showcasing real-world examples of how therapists are using AI tools to revolutionize their practice management and reclaim valuable time.

Understanding ChatGPT as a practice management tool

Launched in November 2022, ChatGPT is built on OpenAI’s GPT-3 family of language models. The standard version is free to use, with a Plus subscription available for $20 per month that offers additional features and faster response times.

What makes ChatGPT particularly valuable for practice management is its ability to:

1. Process and generate natural language text for various administrative purposes
2. Learn from interactions to better match your writing style and practice needs
3. Integrate with other practice management tools through APIs

These capabilities make it an ideal solution for therapists looking to automate repetitive administrative tasks that consume valuable time that could otherwise be spent with clients.

Time savings and practice efficiency

A November 2024 survey conducted by SimplePractice revealed that 50% of clinicians now use AI for daily administrative tasks.

Among those therapists using AI tools, the most significant benefit reported was time savings.

The survey found that therapists using AI for administrative work save an average of 13 hours per week.

When asked how they use this reclaimed time:

• 48% reported spending more time with clients
• 32% dedicated it to professional development
• 20% improved their work-life balance with personal time

This makes AI an ideal tool for automating repetitive administrative tasks that therapists often perform, such as scheduling appointments, answering common questions, sending appointment reminders, and more.

Therapists transforming their administrative workflows

Case study 1: Streamlining clinical documentation

Matthew Hitchcock, MD, a family physician in Chattanooga, Tennessee, reported to the New York Times that AI assistance reduced his documentation time from two hours to just twenty minutes per case—a 6x efficiency improvement.

Mental health professionals are experiencing similar benefits. A licensed professional counselor in private practice shared:

“I write a free-form account of the session content (omitting any PHI), then ask ChatGPT to format it into a proper DAP or SOAP note. It does a remarkably good job, and I just review and edit the final product,” he said. “I’ve trained it over time by providing feedback about my preferred note structure, making it increasingly effective.”

Hitchcock noted that this approach eliminated his documentation backlog entirely: “It’s much easier to motivate myself to do a free write soon after the session, rather than facing the daunting task of creating a formal note from scratch.”

Case study 2: Automated client communications

A clinical psychologist reported saving several hours weekly by implementing an automated client communication system.

Using Zapier to connect Google Calendar with OpenAI’s API, she created a system that:

1. Automatically sends appointment confirmations
2. Delivers personalized session reminders
3. Follows up with post-session resource recommendations

“The messages sound natural and personalized,” she explained, “and clients appreciate the consistent communication. They have no idea it’s partially automated, and I’ve eliminated hours of routine email writing.”

Case study 3: Practice growth and marketing

Another therapist leveraged ChatGPT to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy that dramatically improved client acquisition:

“I used it to create a content calendar, draft blog posts addressing common client concerns, write my newsletter, and even generate social media captions with relevant hashtags. My practice visibility increased significantly, and I’m now consistently booked with a waitlist—all without hiring a marketing consultant.”

Administrative tasks some therapists use AI and ChatGPT to tackle

Based on interviews with practicing therapists, here are the most effective ways mental health professionals are using ChatGPT to streamline their practices:

1. Documentation assistance

• Converting session notes into formal clinical documentation
• Creating treatment plan templates tailored to specific conditions
• Generating progress reports for insurance submissions
• Summarizing client history for referrals

2. Client communications

• Crafting professional email responses to common inquiries
• Creating personalized appointment reminders
• Developing post-session resource guides
• Writing client newsletters

3. Practice management

• Creating intake questionnaires and forms
• Developing practice policies and procedures
• Writing clear billing explanations and financial policies
• Generating end-of-year summaries for accounting purposes

4. Practice growth

• Writing SEO-optimized website content
• Drafting professional bio and service descriptions
• Creating educational blog posts
• Developing social media content strategies

5. Professional development

• Summarizing research articles
• Creating continuing education notes
• Drafting supervision summaries
• Organizing conference presentation materials

Implementation tips from experienced users

Therapists who have successfully integrated AI into their practice management offer these practical suggestions:

1. Start with a single task: Choose one administrative task that consumes significant time and focus on optimizing it with AI before expanding.
2. Create clear templates: Provide ChatGPT with examples of your desired output format for consistent results.
3. Maintain professional oversight: Always review and edit AI-generated content, especially for clinical documentation.
4. Use integrations when possible: Tools like Zapier can connect ChatGPT with your existing systems for seamless workflows.
5. Train the system gradually: By providing feedback on outputs, you can “teach” the AI to better match your practice needs over time.

Maximizing productivity while maintaining clinical excellence

The therapists interviewed consistently emphasized that AI tools should enhance, not replace, professional judgment. The goal is to automate routine administrative tasks while reserving human expertise for clinical work.

One psychologist summarized this philosophy: “I leverage AI to handle the predictable paperwork so I can be fully present and creative in my actual therapeutic work. My clinical thinking remains entirely my own, but I no longer spend evenings drowning in documentation.”

Looking forward: The future of practice management

As AI technology continues to evolve, therapists can expect increasingly sophisticated tools designed specifically for mental health practice management.

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

Several interviewees expressed interest in upcoming features like:

• Integration with electronic health record systems
• Voice-to-documentation capabilities for immediate post-session recording
• Specialized therapy note templates with condition-specific prompts
• Administrative workflows that connect scheduling, documentation, and billing

Reclaiming time for client care

Mental health professionals who have implemented AI tools for administrative tasks report not just time savings, but a fundamental shift in their relationship with practice management. Rather than viewing administrative work as a necessary burden, they see it as a streamlined aspect of practice that no longer compromises client care time.

By embracing AI tools for appropriate administrative tasks, therapists can focus their energy and expertise where it matters most—on providing exceptional care to their clients.

How SimplePractice streamlines running your practice 

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If you’ve been considering switching to an EHR system, SimplePractice empowers you to run a fully paperless practice—so you get more time for the things that matter most to you.

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