P
AI for Mental Health Counselor

Use SimplePractice's AI Note Taker to Draft Progress Notes

Tool:SimplePractice
AI Feature:AI Note Taker
Time:10-15 minutes to set up
Difficulty:Beginner

What This Does

SimplePractice's AI Note Taker listens to your therapy sessions (with client consent), transcribes them, and generates a draft progress note in SOAP, DAP, or BIRP format — reducing note-writing time from 15–20 minutes to 3–5 minutes of reviewing and editing a draft. This feature is HIPAA-compliant and HITRUST-certified, meaning it's safe to use with real client session content.

Before You Start

  • You have an active SimplePractice subscription (any paid plan)
  • You have updated your informed consent documents to include AI-assisted documentation (see Step 2)
  • Your clients have given verbal or written consent to session recording for documentation purposes
  • You are using SimplePractice's telehealth feature or have a microphone available for in-person sessions

Steps

1. Enable the AI Note Taker add-on

  1. Log in to SimplePractice (app.simplepractice.com)
  2. Click your profile icon in the top right → "Account settings"
  3. Click "AI Note Taker" in the left sidebar
  4. Click "Start 30-day free trial" (then $35/month per clinician after trial)
  5. Review the HIPAA authorization and click to accept

What you should see: A confirmation that the AI Note Taker is active. A new "Note Taker" option will appear in your session workflow. Troubleshooting: If you don't see "AI Note Taker" in settings, your account plan may not include it yet. Contact SimplePractice support to verify eligibility.

2. Update your informed consent to include AI documentation

This is a professional and ethical requirement — clients must know that AI tools assist with their documentation.

  1. Go to Settings → "Client portal & forms"
  2. Find your standard consent form and click "Edit"
  3. Add a paragraph similar to: "Session content may be transcribed by a HIPAA-compliant AI tool (SimplePractice AI Note Taker) to assist with clinical documentation. AI-generated notes are reviewed, edited, and finalized by your licensed clinician before being included in your record."
  4. Save the form and re-send to existing clients for signature

What you should see: Updated consent form with the AI documentation disclosure.

3. Set your preferred note format

  1. In Settings → "AI Note Taker"
  2. Choose your default note format: SOAP, DAP, or BIRP
  3. You can change this per session if needed

What you should see: Your selected format saved as the default.

4. Start a session with AI Note Taker enabled

For telehealth sessions:

  1. Open the session in SimplePractice telehealth
  2. Click the "Note Taker" icon in the session toolbar (microphone with a sparkle symbol)
  3. Click "Start recording"
  4. Conduct your session as normal

For in-person sessions:

  1. Open the client's chart before the session
  2. Click "Start AI Note Taker"
  3. Keep your device microphone close enough to capture both speakers clearly
  4. Conduct your session — the client should be informed that AI is transcribing

What you should see: A recording indicator showing the session is being captured.

5. Review and finalize the AI-generated note

  1. After the session ends, click "Stop recording"
  2. SimplePractice processes the recording (typically 3–5 minutes)
  3. A draft note appears in the client's chart — review it carefully:
    • Check that it accurately represents the session content
    • Add or correct any clinical observations, interventions, or your clinical assessment
    • Remove any information that was discussed but shouldn't be in the clinical record
  4. Edit the note to reflect your clinical judgment and sign it
  5. The signed note becomes the official documentation in the client's chart

What you should see: A signed progress note in your preferred format, completed in under 5 minutes of review.

Real Example

Scenario: You see 8 clients on Tuesdays. Without AI Note Taker, you write notes after each session or at the end of the day — 2.5–3 hours total. With AI Note Taker:

You enable recording at the start of each session. After each session, you spend 4–5 minutes reviewing and editing the AI draft — correcting any transcription errors and adding your clinical assessment. By the end of the day, all 8 notes are signed. Total documentation time: 35–40 minutes instead of 2.5–3 hours.

The draft typically captures: presenting complaint for the session, interventions discussed, client response, and a plan for next session. You add: your clinical assessment of progress, any safety concerns, and specific clinical observations that didn't translate clearly from speech.

Tips

  • Tell clients about the AI Note Taker during the consent process and answer questions honestly — most clients are comfortable when they understand it's for documentation (not surveillance) and that you review everything
  • Review the transcription during slow processing days — occasional errors occur, especially with clinical terminology or when clients speak quietly
  • If a session involves particularly sensitive content (trauma disclosure, suicidal ideation), review the AI draft even more carefully and add your clinical framing explicitly

Tool interfaces change — if a button has moved, look for similar AI/documentation options in SimplePractice's settings or contact their support.