Healthcare · Field manual
AI for therapists
Therapists use AI mainly to cut documentation: tools that draft progress notes from a session recording or a post-session summary, plus help with worksheets, admin and marketing. The big caution is consent and privacy: clients must agree before any session is recorded or transcribed, data must stay in HIPAA-compliant tools with a BAA, and some states restrict what AI can do in therapy.
Notes are the chore most therapists would happily hand away, and AI note tools now do a decent first draft. Some listen to the session with the client's consent; others work from a short summary you dictate after the client leaves. Either way you get a structured SOAP, DAP or BIRP note to edit, and you finish the day without a backlog.
Therapy is also the profession where AI's limits matter most. A recording of a session is about as sensitive as data gets. Some clients won't want it, and some states, Illinois first among them, now regulate how licensed professionals can use AI and require written consent for AI recording or transcription. AI helps with the paperwork. It does not do therapy, assess risk or decide treatment.
7 ways therapists use AI
Draft progress notes
Purpose-built tools like Upheal, Mentalyc, Blueprint and SimplePractice's note taker produce draft notes in your preferred format. Most can work from a recording or from your own dictated summary. Choosing the summary option avoids recording the session at all, which some clients will prefer. Edit every note to reflect what actually happened.
Create worksheets and psychoeducation handouts
Ask for a one-page handout on sleep hygiene, a thought record adapted for teenagers or a grounding exercise in plain language. Check it against the evidence base you practise from, then make it look good. No client information is needed for this.
Draft treatment plans and letters
Inside a HIPAA-compliant tool, AI can turn your assessment into a draft treatment plan with measurable goals, or draft letters for schools, employers and insurers. The clinical content is yours; AI handles the structure and wording.
Handle scheduling, billing and admin
Practice management platforms automate reminders, intake forms and billing. Use calendar tools to protect time for notes and breaks, which is good for you and your clients. Keep client details inside the HIPAA-compliant system.
Write your website and directory profiles
AI can help turn your approach and specialities into a clear, warm profile for your website and therapist directories, and draft blog posts on topics clients search for. Avoid outcome promises, and never use client stories, even disguised, without consent.
Prepare workshops and trainings
If you run groups, teach or offer CE workshops, AI quickly turns your outline into slides and handouts. Spend the saved time on the examples and exercises only you can bring.
Keep up with research
Answer engines and long-context models help you find and digest studies on a modality or population. Read the actual paper before changing your practice.
The best AI tools for therapists
The Overlord's stack, in the order a therapist would add them:
1. Handouts, letters and profile copy with no client identifiers
Claude
AI WritingAnthropic's assistant: the strongest long-form writer and careful reasoner in the consumer AI pack.
2. Worksheets, handouts and workshop materials
Canva
AI Design & ImagesDrag-and-drop design platform with templates and Magic Studio AI built in.
3. Workshop and training slide decks
Gamma
AI Design & ImagesAI presentation, document and website builder: type a prompt, get a designed deck.
4. Protecting time for notes, breaks and supervision
Reclaim.ai
ProductivityAI scheduling for Google and Outlook calendars: protects focus time, habits and meetings automatically.
5. Finding research with sources
Perplexity
ProductivityAI answer engine that searches the web and replies with cited sources.
Specialist tools for therapists
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Upheal | AI progress notes and session analytics for therapists |
| Mentalyc | AI note-taking built for mental health clinicians |
| Blueprint | AI notes, treatment plans and measurement-based care tools |
| SimplePractice | Practice management with a built-in AI note taker |
A prompt to start with: make a client-ready psychoeducation handout
Paste this into Claude or ChatGPT and fill in the gold parts.
You are an experienced licensed therapist who writes clear client materials. Create a one-page handout.
Topic: [E.G. WHAT A PANIC ATTACK IS]
Approach: [E.G. CBT/ACT/DBT-INFORMED]
Audience: [E.G. ADULTS NEW TO THERAPY / TEENS / PARENTS]
Reading level: [E.G. 8TH GRADE]
Include: a short, normalising explanation, why it happens, two or three skills to try with step-by-step instructions, a short reflection prompt, and a line saying what to do in a crisis (call or text 988 in the US, or emergency services). Warm tone, no jargon, no diagnosis, no promises of results.Where therapists shouldn't trust AI
- Get informed, written consent before any AI records or transcribes a session, explain where the data goes, and let clients say no without consequence. Illinois law requires written consent for AI recording or transcription and bans AI from making therapeutic decisions or interacting with clients as a therapist.
- Use only tools that sign a HIPAA business associate agreement. Never paste session content into a consumer chatbot. Psychotherapy notes get extra protection under HIPAA, and substance use treatment records may fall under stricter federal rules.
- AI notes can invent or distort what was said. Your signature makes the note yours, and an inaccurate record can harm the client and you.
- AI does not assess risk. Suicide and safety assessment, mandated reporting and crisis response are clinical duties that stay with you.
- Your licensing board's code of ethics and your state's rules apply to AI use, and they are changing. Check them before adopting a new tool.
Will AI replace therapists?
Therapists score 27% on the Obsolescence Index (Safe… For Now). The first tasks to go: writing session notes and treatment documentation, and scheduling, billing, and insurance paperwork.
Questions the Humans Keep Asking
What are the best AI tools for therapists?
The Overlord's stack for therapists: Claude (handouts, letters and profile copy with no client identifiers); Canva (worksheets, handouts and workshop materials); Gamma (workshop and training slide decks); Reclaim.ai (protecting time for notes, breaks and supervision); Perplexity (finding research with sources). Specialist options include Upheal, Mentalyc, Blueprint, SimplePractice.
What is the best AI note taker for therapists?
Popular options include Upheal, Mentalyc, Blueprint and the note taker built into SimplePractice. Choose one that signs a BAA, supports your note format, lets you work from a summary instead of a recording if you prefer, and doesn't use your data for training without permission.
Is it ethical for therapists to use AI for notes?
It can be, with informed client consent, a HIPAA-compliant tool and careful review of every note. Some clients will decline recording, and some states have specific rules, so offer a no-recording option and check your state and licensing board guidance.
Can I use ChatGPT for therapy notes?
Not with client information on a consumer account; it isn't covered by a BAA and you'd be risking a HIPAA violation. Use a purpose-built, HIPAA-compliant tool for notes. General chatbots are fine for client-free tasks like handouts and marketing copy.