As a solo therapist, which AI note-taker writes compliant progress notes?

For a solo therapist, I’d shortlist Blueprint and Upheal, with Freed as another strong option.

My pick: Blueprint

Blueprint is probably the best fit if your priority is compliant progress notes without having to change your EHR.

• HIPAA compliant + BAA included automatically.
• Generates SOAP, DAP, BIRP, EMDR, narrative, and other clinical documentation formats.
• Works alongside existing EHRs such as SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, and TheraNest.
• You can record, dictate, upload audio, or provide a summary; it drafts the note for your review rather than automatically signing it.
• Particularly attractive for a solo practice because its core platform is free and AI is pay-as-you-go.

Upheal — best if you want an all-in-one clinical workflow

Upheal is excellent if you want note-taking plus treatment plans, session analytics, scheduling/billing, and potentially your EHR in one system.

It supports SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, EMDR and other note types, and its default progress note includes Client Presentation, Therapeutic Interventions, Assessment, and Plan.

Upheal states that it is HIPAA compliant and operates as a Business Associate, with a BAA governing its handling of ePHI.

Freed — best if you want a straightforward AI scribe

Freed is worth considering if you primarily want AI-generated clinical notes and integration with an EHR such as SimplePractice. Freed says its mental-health product is HIPAA compliant, encrypted, customizable, and supports therapist-specific templates.

Important distinction: “HIPAA compliant” ≠ automatically “compliant note”

No AI can guarantee that a progress note is legally or clinically compliant simply by generating it. You remain responsible for reviewing, correcting, and signing the note, and requirements can vary by payer, state, licensure board, and practice setting.

For a solo therapist, I'd rank them:

| Best for | My take --- | --- | --- Blueprint | Existing EHR + excellent AI notes | 🥇 Best overall Upheal | All-in-one practice + documentation | 🥈 Best integrated platform Freed | Simple AI scribing | 🥉 Best straightforward option

If you tell me which EHR you use (e.g., SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, Sessions Health, or none) and whether you need SOAP vs. DAP/BIRP, I can narrow this to the best one for your exact workflow.

As a solo mental health practitioner, choosing an AI note-taker requires balancing strict HIPAA compliance (including a signed BAA) , clinical formatting (SOAP, DAP, BIRP, EMDR), and a pricing structure that fits a solo caseload.

The top dedicated, HIPAA-compliant AI note-takers built specifically for mental health professionals include Mentalyc and Upheal . Both sign BAAs, delete or securely manage audio data, and do not use your client data to train public AI models.

Comparison of Top Solo-Therapist Options

• Mentalyc
  • Best For: Therapists who want precise, structured clinical notes (SOAP, DAP, intake) with strong medical necessity framing and clear data-retention policies.
  • HIPAA / Compliance: Fully HIPAA-compliant, SOC 2 Type II audited, and provides a signed BAA. Audio is securely purged shortly after processing, and data is never used for AI training.
  • Pricing: Tiered by note volume, starting around $19.99/month (approx. 40 notes/mo) up to higher tiers for heavy caseloads ($39.99/mo for 100 notes, scaling higher). Annual discounts are available.
  • Workflow: Record in-person via phone/app, upload audio files, or dictate; generates text that you copy-paste or move into your EHR.
• Upheal
  • Best For: Clinicians who want automated transcriptions combined with unique session analytics (talk ratio, emotional tone, and cadence).
  • HIPAA / Compliance: Fully HIPAA-compliant, acts as a Business Associate, and signs a BAA. Session audio is processed securely and not retained post-generation.
  • Pricing: Flexible plans that scale with usage or cap out around $69/month for busy caseloads (varying depending on exact tier and volume chosen).
  • Workflow: Offers secure in-platform video/audio recording or a Chrome extension to capture telehealth sessions from other platforms.
• EHR-Native AI Add-ons (e.g., SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, Jane App)
  • Best For: Solo practitioners who want zero friction and prefer their notes to live natively inside their existing EHR without copy-pasting.
  • HIPAA / Compliance: Inherits the compliance and BAA of your primary EHR platform.
  • Pricing: Usually ranges from an extra $15 to $40/month added on top of your base EHR subscription cost.

What to Look Out for Before Deciding

If you'd like to narrow this down, tell me:

• What EHR platform are you currently using?
• Roughly how many client notes do you write per month?
• Do you primarily do telehealth or in-person sessions?

For a solo private practice therapist, choosing an AI note-taker requires balancing strict clinical compliance (HIPAA, signed BAA, secure data handling) with modality flexibility (SOAP, DAP, BIRP, CBT, EMDR, etc.).

Several purpose-built, HIPAA-compliant AI note-takers specifically cater to solo mental health practitioners:

1. Mentalyc (Best Overall for Solo Private Practice)

• Why it fits: Specifically designed for solo mental health practitioners looking to cut down documentation time without enterprise bloat.
• Compliance: Offers a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA) and is fully HIPAA and SOC 2 compliant.
• Note Formats: Generates standard progress notes in multiple clinical formats (SOAP, DAP, BIRP, etc.).
• How it works: You can upload a secure recording or dictate post-session thoughts, and it parses the dialogue into a structured clinical draft.

2. Upheal (Best Purpose-Built Mental Health & Analytics AI)

• Why it fits: Highly popular for mental health specifically, offering features that go beyond basic text generation—such as talk-ratio analytics, thematic breakdowns, and client insights.
• Compliance: HIPAA-compliant with a signed BAA.
• Note Formats: Supports SOAP, DAP, BIRP, and specialized modalities like EMDR templates.
• How it works: Records live telehealth or in-person sessions (via secure app or extension) or allows audio uploads, translating them into robust progress notes and summaries.

3. Blueprint AI (Best for Structured Treatment Documentation)

• Why it fits: If your compliance needs extend heavily past basic progress notes into rigorous treatment planning, intake assessments, and measurable outcomes.
• Compliance: Fully HIPAA compliant with secure data architecture.
• Note Formats: Comprehensive lifecycle documentation (intakes, structured progress notes, and discharge summaries).

4. Berries (Best Lightweight Clinical Scribe)

• Why it fits: Tailored strictly for mental health professionals with a clean, straightforward workflow.
• Compliance: HIPAA and PHIPA compliant, SOC 2 certified, and explicitly does not store session recordings or use PHI to train AI models.

Crucial Compliance Reminders for Solo Practitioners:

• The BAA is Non-Negotiable: Never use an AI tool (even one advertised as "secure") unless they explicitly provide a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA) under HIPAA.
• Informed Consent: You must obtain explicit informed consent from your clients before recording or using AI-assisted documentation in a session. Make sure your disclosure explains how the audio is processed and deleted.

If you'd like, let me know:

• Do you primarily do telehealth, in-person, or a hybrid of both?
• What note format (SOAP, DAP, BIRP) or modality do you use most frequently?

I can help narrow down the exact choice or detail how to handle client informed consent wording for your practice.

If by “compliant” you mean HIPAA-safe and able to produce defensible clinical progress notes, my top pick for a solo therapist right now is Mentalyc, with Upheal a very close alternative.

My shortlist

What I'd choose as a solo therapist

Choose Mentalyc if you already have an EHR such as SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, etc. and primarily want an excellent AI scribe. It supports recording, uploading, dictation, or typing and produces structured therapy notes. Mentalyc says it provides a BAA, SOC 2 Type II, encrypted data, and does not train its models on your data.

Choose Upheal if you're interested in consolidating your practice into one system. Its particularly useful differentiator is the Compliance Checker, which flags missing elements before you sign the note. It also connects progress notes with treatment plans and client history.

One important caveat: no AI makes a note automatically “compliant.” The clinician remains responsible for reviewing, correcting, and signing it. A good system should produce a draft grounded in the actual session—not invent symptoms, interventions, risk assessments, or medical-necessity language. Mentalyc explicitly recommends clinician review before signing, and Upheal describes its notes as generated from the session transcript.

Also, don't put PHI into a consumer AI tool simply because it can write a nice SOAP note. For a vendor processing PHI, I'd require a signed BAA, clear retention/deletion policies, appropriate security controls, and a workflow for client consent where recording/AI processing is involved.

Bottom line: Mentalyc = my pick for the best solo-therapist AI scribe. Upheal = my pick if you want AI notes + a full practice/EHR platform.

mentalyc.com · upheal.io ·

If you tell me which EHR you use and whether you bill insurance, I can narrow it down to the best one for your workflow and compare price, note quality, BAA/HIPAA, recording retention, and insurance-audit readiness.

For a solo therapist, "compliance" means two critical things: HIPAA compliance (backed by a signed Business Associate Agreement) and clinical/payer compliance (notes that properly reflect medical necessity, interventions, and standard mental health frameworks like SOAP, DAP, or BIRP).

Several purpose-built, HIPAA-compliant AI note-takers fit solo practices well, depending on whether you want an all-in-one EHR or a standalone tool to copy-paste from:

• SimplePractice : Best if you want an all-in-one practice management system. They offer an integrated SimplePractice AI Note Taker built directly into their HITRUST-certified, HIPAA-compliant infrastructure. It drafts SOAP or DAP progress notes automatically without requiring separate third-party subscriptions or data exports.
• Upheal : Best for solo and telehealth-first therapists. It is fully HIPAA, PHIPA, and SOC 2 Type II compliant, handling live virtual sessions, in-person audio, or post-session dictation. It structures notes cleanly and allows you to easily port them into your existing workflow.
• Mentalyc : Best for deep privacy-focused clinical continuity. It is HIPAA-compliant, SOC 2 verified, and provides an immediate BAA. It anonymizes data, doesn't use your sessions to train AI models, and generates robust treatment plans alongside standard progress notes.
• Quill Therapy Solutions : Best if you prefer not to record live sessions to protect the therapeutic space. Instead of a bot or live recording, you hit record post-session and verbally summarize your clinical observations, which Quill then turns into HIPAA-compliant, structured SOAP or DAP notes without storing audio.
• AutoNotes : Best for flexible formatting and high-volume note styles. It supports a variety of mental health templates (SOAP, DAP, BIRP), is HIPAA-compliant with a clear focus on clinician approval control, and adapts smoothly to individual solo workflows.

Note: Regardless of which tool you choose, HIPAA compliance requires obtaining explicit informed consent from your client to use an AI recorder or processor, and final clinical responsibility for the accuracy of the note always rests with you.

To help narrow down the best fit, tell me:

• Do you use an existing EHR (like SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, or Jane) that you want to keep?
• Do you prefer live recording during sessions or post-session dictation?

If you’re a solo therapist, I’d shortlist Mentalyc, Blueprint, and Upheal. The important caveat: no AI can make a note “compliant” automatically—you still need to review it, correct inaccuracies, and ensure it meets your payer/state/EHR requirements.

My pick: Mentalyc

Mentalyc is probably the best fit if your main goal is therapy-specific progress notes rather than replacing your whole practice-management system.

• Built specifically for mental-health clinicians.
• Supports SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, PIE, narrative and other formats.
• Supports individual, couples, family and other therapy sessions.
• Reports HIPAA compliance, BAA availability, and SOC 2 Type II.
• Can work from recording, dictation, or typed summaries.

Best for: a solo clinician who already has an EHR and primarily wants better/faster documentation.

Best if you want an EHR too: Upheal

Upheal combines AI notes with scheduling, telehealth and billing. It explicitly says it is HIPAA compliant and provides a BAA. It also has a free tier that generates SOAP/DAP notes from text or dictation.

Best for: someone who wants to consolidate practice-management tools rather than add another standalone app.

Best for measurement-based care: Blueprint

Blueprint is particularly interesting if you use standardized assessments and want the AI documentation connected to treatment plans and measurement-based care. It supports SOAP, BIRP, DAP, GIRP, EMDR and other note types, and reports HIPAA/PHIPA/SOC 2 compliance.

Best for: therapists who want AI documentation plus clinical measurement/assessment workflows.

Quick recommendation

One thing I would not do is put PHI into a generic consumer AI chatbot unless your specific business/enterprise arrangement provides the required healthcare privacy protections and BAA. “The AI writes good notes” and “the workflow is appropriate for PHI” are two different questions.

If you tell me which EHR you use (e.g., SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, Sessions Health, etc.) and whether you want recording or just dictation, I can narrow this to the best 1–2 options and compare price, BAA/HIPAA, EHR integration, and note quality.

For a solo therapist, choosing an AI note-taker comes down to balancing HIPAA compliance (specifically a signed Business Associate Agreement, or BAA), workflow preference (live recording vs. post-session dictation/summaries), and EHR integration.

Several purpose-built, HIPAA-compliant platforms cater effectively to solo practitioners:

• Mentalyc stands out as a dedicated mental health platform that converts session audio, dictation, or typed notes into structured progress notes (SOAP, DAP, BIRP) with CPT code suggestions. It offers a BAA on all plans and handles long-term clinical continuity well, though higher tiers are needed for unlimited notes or advanced data-retention controls.
• Upheal works well for solo and telehealth-first practices. It handles video/in-person sessions, generates structured progress notes, and allows for non-recording workflows via quick dictation or text summaries if privacy-conscious clients prefer not to be recorded. It is fully HIPAA, SOC 2, and PIPEDA compliant.
• SimplePractice AI Note Taker fits solo practitioners who already use or want an all-in-one practice management ecosystem. Because the AI tool is embedded directly into their secure infrastructure, it eliminates separate vendor management and auto-applies encryption and audit logs within your existing workflow.
• Supanote is designed specifically for mental health providers, featuring automatic PII scrubbing, customizable clinical voices/tones, and support for major formats like SOAP, DAP, and BIRP while providing a signed BAA on paid plans.
• Speakwise or AutoNotes suit solo therapists who prefer not to record live sessions. They allow you to dictate a quick post-session verbal summary or text prompt, instantly formatting it into a compliant clinical note without storing sensitive session audio.

Note: Regardless of the tool chosen, true compliance requires obtaining explicit informed consent from your clients to use AI processing, ensuring a signed BAA is in place with the vendor, and maintaining final editorial responsibility for the clinical accuracy of every note.

To help narrow down the best fit, tell me:

• Do you prefer to record live sessions or dictate/type a summary after they end?
• Do you already use an EHR system (like SimplePractice or TherapyNotes) that you want to integrate with, or do you prefer a standalone app?

Yes. If by “compliant progress notes” you mean an AI scribe that produces therapy-specific documentation while giving you the HIPAA/BAA safeguards you need, there are a few I’d seriously consider for a solo practice.

My top picks

For a solo therapist, I'd lean Mentalyc

The reason is that it's more focused on the actual therapy documentation workflow, rather than being a general medical scribe. It can generate multiple therapy-specific formats, connect the note to treatment goals, and export to common EHRs.

If you don't want to record your clients, that's also worth noting: Mentalyc supports dictating or typing a brief session summary instead of recording the session.

Blueprint would be my second choice if you're interested in eventually consolidating scheduling, records, billing, telehealth, and documentation into one system. Its AI assistant can generate SOAP, DAP, or narrative progress notes from session material.

One important distinction

No AI tool can make a note automatically compliant just because it says “HIPAA compliant.” You still need to review and sign the note, make sure it accurately reflects the session and treatment plan, and follow your state's documentation requirements and your payers' requirements. Mentalyc itself explicitly says the clinician remains responsible for reviewing the AI draft.

Also, I'd specifically verify (1) signed BAA, (2) audio/transcript retention, (3) whether data is used for model training, (4) audit trail/edit history, and (5) EHR integration before putting PHI into any AI tool.

If you tell me what EHR you use (SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, Sessions Health, etc.) and whether you want the AI to listen live or work from your own dictated summary, I can narrow this to the best 1–2 options for you.

For a solo therapist, "compliance" means two non-negotiable things:

1. Data Security/Legal Compliance: The platform must be HIPAA-compliant, encrypt data in transit and at rest, and provide a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA).
2. Clinical/Format Compliance: The output must match the structure required by insurance guidelines and licensing boards (e.g., SOAP, DAP, BIRP, or modality-specific layouts) while keeping you—the licensed clinician—in full control of reviewing, editing, and signing the final draft.

Several purpose-built, HIPAA-compliant AI note-takers and scribes fit a solo practice workflow well, depending on whether you already use an EHR or want a standalone tool:

• SimplePractice AI Note Taker : Best if you already use SimplePractice for your practice management. It features a built-in AI add-on that operates entirely inside your existing secure ecosystem (HITRUST/HIPAA certified). It handles both telehealth and in-person audio capture, auto-deidentifies data after locking, and formats notes into SOAP, DAP, or BIRP templates.
• Mentalyc : Best for template depth and clinical continuity. Mentalyc provides robust HIPAA, PHIPA, and SOC 2 Type II compliance with a BAA available right from account settings. It shines for solo practitioners who want over 20 specific clinical formats (SOAP, DAP, BIRP, CBT, DBT, etc.) and deep tracking of treatment continuity over time.
• Upheal : Best for telehealth-first or hybrid solo practices. Upheal is SOC 2 Type II certified and HIPAA-compliant, offering built-in secure video sessions alongside ambient AI note generation. It also provides unique session analytics (like talking ratios and sentiment trends) if you like quantitative data for your treatment planning.
• Twofold Health : Best for EHR-agnostic flexibility. Twofold provides a dedicated solo tier with full HIPAA compliance, individual BAAs, and robust formatting for SOAP/DAP notes. It allows you to generate structured notes quickly without forcing you into a specific practice management platform.
• Speakwise : Best for minimalist, mobile-first solo workflows. If you practice primarily in-person or do not want a heavy cloud EHR setup, this iPhone-native voice-to-notes app provides strict encryption, a strict policy against training AI on user data, and quick adaptation into SOAP or DAP formats.

Note: Regardless of which tool you choose, ethical practice requires obtaining explicit, documented informed consent from your clients before recording or running AI processing on any session.

To help narrow down the best fit, are you currently using a specific EHR platform (like SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, or Jane), or are you looking for a standalone AI tool that operates outside your EHR?

If you’re a solo therapist, I’d narrow it to Upheal, Blueprint, and Mentalyc. All three are specifically built for behavioral-health documentation rather than generic medical dictation.

My pick: Upheal

Upheal is probably the best all-around choice for a solo practice if you want the AI note-taker to do more than just generate a progress note.

• AI progress notes + EHR: notes, treatment plans, client records, scheduling and billing are integrated.
• Compliance checker: specifically flags documentation gaps before you submit a note.
• HIPAA + BAA: Upheal says it provides a BAA for every account.
• Solo-friendly pricing: currently $1/session, capped at $69/month for its EHR; unlimited AI notes are available on the free plan.
• Particularly attractive if you want to eventually replace your separate EHR, rather than simply copy AI notes into it.

Best for note quality/custom formats: Mentalyc

Mentalyc is my other strong recommendation.

It generates SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, PIE, SIRP and custom formats, and supports different modalities including CBT, DBT, EMDR, IFS and psychodynamic therapy. Mentalyc says it is HIPAA/SOC 2 compliant, offers a BAA, doesn't train models on your data, and deletes recordings rather than retaining them.

I'd lean Mentalyc over Upheal if you already love your EHR and primarily want an excellent therapy-specific scribe.

Best if you want an EHR + AI: Blueprint

Blueprint is another particularly strong option. It was built specifically for therapists and generates notes, treatment plans and summaries. Blueprint says it's HIPAA/SOC 2 compliant, and importantly, its BAA is automatically included in its Terms of Service.

One important distinction about "compliant"

No AI can make a progress note automatically compliant simply because the software is HIPAA compliant. HIPAA compliance concerns how PHI is handled; the clinical/documentation requirements depend on your payer, state, license, practice, and documentation standards.

You should still review and sign every AI-generated note. Mentalyc itself explicitly describes the generated note as a draft until the clinician reviews it.

My ranking for a solo therapist:

If you tell me which EHR you use (SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, Sessions Health, etc.) and whether you want the AI to listen to the entire session or work from your own brief summary, I can tell you which one I'd choose for your workflow.