Free AI progress notes, from your session summary.
Turn a short session summary into a SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, PIRP or Narrative draft. You review it before it goes into your record. No session recording. 20 free notes every 30 days with a free account, no credit card.
Direct answer
If you want AI therapy notes without recording sessions, the right category is text-based note generation. You type a short session summary after the session. The AI structures it into the format you need. Reframe is built around that workflow, not around transcripts, microphones, or ambient recording.
A fictional case, shown in the actual tool
See a note before you try it.
Start with a short summary. Inspect the draft, check its interpretation, and decide what belongs in your record.
What we entered
Fictional demonstration. Adult client reported feeling overwhelmed by competing work deadlines. They described their thoughts as a browser with too many tabs open. We listed the tasks, separated urgent tasks from tasks that could wait, and chose one manageable next step. Client said the list helped them see where to start. Agreed to try a written task list once before the next session and discuss what helped. No diagnosis, risk assessment, mental status findings, or session duration supplied.
What the tool returned
The SOAP draft kept the client’s browser metaphor and the agreed task-list plan. Its Objective section read “[Therapist to complete]”.
Its Assessment also used “significant overwhelm” and inferred difficulty starting tasks. Those interpretations go beyond the supplied facts. A reviewer should remove or verify them.
One captured output, September 14, 2026. Results vary. This is not a client record or evidence of a treatment outcome.
Read the original Assessment and an editorial revision
Original generated Assessment
Client presented with significant overwhelm related to work demands, expressing difficulty in initiating tasks due to perceived magnitude. The intervention of externalizing and prioritizing tasks appeared to provide immediate clarity and a sense of direction, as evidenced by the client’s reported ability to “see where to start.” This indicates an initial positive response to structured organizational strategies for managing work-related stress.
Editorial revision for this fictional demonstration
Client reported feeling overwhelmed by competing work deadlines and said the task list helped them see where to start. Review of the agreed task-list practice is planned for the next session. Further clinical assessment: [Therapist to complete].
This revision is an example of removing unsupported interpretation, not a complete clinical assessment. The treating clinician supplies the assessment, missing observations, and any required risk documentation.
Silent walkthrough assembled from actual screenshots. It does not show elapsed generation time. Pause or expand the video to inspect the interface.
- Enter the fictional summary and choose SOAP. Generate a draft only when you are ready.
- Review the output. Verify interpretations and complete missing information before using a note.
- Select “Create the worksheet” to carry the context into the worksheet tool. Review that context and the suggested activity before generating or using a worksheet.
The example opens in the real generator. It uses the same free allowance as any other note. Sign in with a free account to start. See current free limits and Pro pricing.
Need session recording, billing, or a full client record system? Reframe’s note generator does not provide those functions. Keep the tools your practice needs for that work.
What this workflow includes
6
Supported note formats
Typed
Session summaries, no recording
Your review
Before a draft enters the record
The text-based difference
What are text-based therapy notes?
Text-based notes start from a short summary you type after the session. No recording, no microphone, no transcript cleanup.
If you want documentation help but do not want recording in the room, text-based notes are the right fit. You keep control over the input, and the AI handles the structure.
You choose the input
You decide what is clinically relevant, then the AI handles structure. That keeps the therapist’s judgment at the front of the workflow.
No recording setup to manage
No microphone permissions, no transcript cleanup, and no shift toward transcript-first documentation when that is not how you work.
Smaller privacy surface
A typed summary is narrower than a full session capture. For many private-practice therapists, that is the more natural privacy-conscious workflow.
Choose by workflow
Which way of writing notes fits your practice?
| Option | Starting point | Consider it when |
|---|---|---|
| Your existing template | You write each section. | Your current documentation process already works well. |
| Reframe | A typed summary becomes a draft in your selected format. | You want to review a draft and keep your existing record system. |
| Upheal | Its site lists session capture and typed or dictated summaries. | You want to evaluate recording options or a broader EHR workflow. |
Typed summaries are not exclusive to Reframe. Compare the actual output, editing effort, current terms, and privacy requirements for your setting. Reframe publishes this comparison and sells the product described here.
Text vs recording
How are text-based notes different from recording-based tools?
Recording tools start from session audio. Text-based tools start from the therapist's own summary, giving tighter control over what enters the system.
This page is not arguing that every therapist should avoid recording. It is arguing that text-based notes deserve their own category. If you already know you prefer not to record sessions, that choice should narrow the field fast.
What goes into the tool
Text-based workflow
Only the summary you choose to type
Recording-based workflow
Audio or video from the session
Primary workflow
Text-based workflow
Post-session summary to structured note
Recording-based workflow
Recording to transcript to note draft
Best fit
Text-based workflow
Private practice and clinicians who prefer not to record
Recording-based workflow
Teams or settings already built around recording
Editing posture
Text-based workflow
You supply the clinical core, AI handles structure
Recording-based workflow
You review what the transcript-first workflow captured
Privacy surface
Text-based workflow
Smaller by default because the therapist curates the input
Recording-based workflow
Broader because the session capture itself becomes the input
Choose text-based notes if
- You already write quick post-session summaries and want the structure done for you.
- You want tighter control over what enters the tool.
- You want notes to connect naturally into worksheets or session prep after the note is done.
Choose recording-based tools if
- Your team is already built around recording, transcription, and transcript review.
- You want the note workflow to start from session capture rather than therapist summary.
- You care more about documentation automation than about the note leading into the next clinical tool.
Privacy-conscious workflow
Good. You should be skeptical about AI notes.
A progress note is still a clinical document. The right role for AI is to structure your written summary, not to pretend it observed the session for you. Reframe keeps the boundary narrow: you provide the clinical core, the system organizes it into the note format, and you review the result before it goes anywhere.
Progress notes, worksheets, session prep and Thinking Partner run on Amazon Web Services under Amazon’s Business Associate Agreement with Reframe. Session text is processed for the request and not stored by Reframe on the server. Sign in with a free account to use them. If you want the deeper technical version, go to the security page.
How it works
Three steps. One note. No microphone.
Type the session summary
Write the essentials the way you would say them in supervision: themes, interventions, response, and plan.
Choose the note format
Pick SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, PIRP, or Narrative based on your practice, supervisor, or payer requirements.
Review the draft
Edit the output, complete any placeholders, and paste the final version into your EHR. You remain the clinician of record.
Formats
Six note formats. Same text-based workflow.
The difference is not one format. It is the workflow. You can keep the same text-based input style and still generate the note your setting expects.
SOAP
Strong default for private practice, supervision, and cross-discipline documentation.
Open guideDAP
Cleaner three-part structure for outpatient and agency settings.
Open guideBIRP
Useful when intervention and response need to be explicit.
Open guideGIRP
Goal-oriented format for treatment-plan-driven settings.
Open guidePIRP
Problem-focused format often used in more structured programs.
Open guideNarrative
For therapists who prefer the clinical story in prose.
Open guideUse this page with
Where to go next.
If you want to go deeper, these pages cover the specific note tool, the security model, the broader AI notes guide, and a side-by-side comparison of the options.
Free progress note generator
Start with 20 free notes in a free account and see the text-based workflow for yourself.
Security architecture
See how Reframe handles PHI, subprocessors, and request-level processing.
AI therapy notes guide
Read the broader guide on note workflows, compliance, and rollout decisions.
Best AI therapy note generator
Compare text-based and recording-based tools in one ranked overview.
Quill alternative
Compare one text-based notes workflow to another.
Mentalyc alternative
Compare a typed-notes workflow against a recording-based one.
Product workflow
See how notes connect into worksheets and session prep.
ChatGPT HIPAA guide
Use this when the real question is compliant AI for clinical text.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What are text-based therapy notes?
Text-based therapy notes are AI-generated clinical notes created from a short written session summary you type after the session. No audio recording, microphone, or transcript is required. You choose the note format, review the draft, and finalize it before it goes into your EHR.
Do AI therapy notes require session recording?
No. Some note tools are recording-based, but others are text-based. Reframe is text-input only. You type a short summary in your own language after the session ends and generate a structured note from that summary.
Who is a text-based note workflow best for?
It is usually the best fit for private practice therapists, clinicians who prefer not to record sessions, and anyone who wants tighter control over what enters the tool. It also fits therapists who already think in brief post-session summaries and want the formatting done for them.
How is this different from recording-based note tools?
Recording-based tools start with session audio or video. Text-based tools start with the therapist’s own post-session summary. The main tradeoff is workflow shape: recording tools can suit transcript-first documentation, while text-based tools give the therapist more control over what information is included from the start.
How does Reframe handle client information?
Progress notes, worksheets, session prep and Thinking Partner run on Amazon Web Services under Amazon’s Business Associate Agreement with Reframe. Your session text is processed for the request and not stored by Reframe on the server; Reframe keeps usage counts and, for progress notes, audit records, without session text, and anything you save to your library stays in your browser. Review our Security page and your own practice safeguards. The clinician reviews and finalizes every note.
Will the AI invent clinical details?
The system is instructed to use [Therapist to complete] placeholders when information is missing, but AI can still make mistakes or add an unsupported detail. Check every draft against the session and correct it before adding it to your record.
What note formats are supported?
Six formats: SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, PIRP, and Narrative. You can use the format your setting, supervisor, payer, or practice style requires.
What is a SOAP note?
SOAP stands for Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan. It is the most widely used clinical note format in healthcare and a strong default for private practice and supervision. Reframe generates SOAP notes from a short typed session summary in seconds.
What is a DAP note?
DAP stands for Data, Assessment, and Plan. It collapses Subjective and Objective into one Data section, which makes it cleaner for outpatient and agency settings. Reframe generates DAP notes from a short typed session summary.
What is a BIRP note?
BIRP stands for Behavior, Intervention, Response, and Plan. It is useful when you need the intervention you used and the client response to it documented explicitly, common in case management and behavioral health. Reframe generates BIRP notes from a short typed session summary.
What is a GIRP note?
GIRP stands for Goal, Intervention, Response, and Plan. It is a goal-oriented format used in treatment-plan-driven settings where each note ties back to a specific treatment goal. Reframe generates GIRP notes from a short typed session summary.
What is a PIRP note?
PIRP stands for Problem, Intervention, Response, and Plan. It is a problem-focused format often used in more structured outpatient programs and in settings that require explicit problem-tracking. Reframe generates PIRP notes from a short typed session summary.
BIRP vs SOAP: which should I use?
Use SOAP when you want the most widely recognized format for cross-discipline supervision and insurance review. Use BIRP when your setting needs the intervention and the client response to it documented explicitly, which is common in case management, behavioral health, and many community mental health settings. Reframe supports both, so you can switch by note rather than committing your whole practice to one format.
Is there a free PIRP, GIRP, BIRP, or DAP note generator?
Yes. Reframe is a free progress notes generator for all six common formats (SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, PIRP, Narrative). A free account includes 20 free notes every 30 days. No credit card required.
How many free notes do I get?
A free account includes 20 progress notes every 30 days. Free accounts also open the broader note to worksheet to session prep workflow before Pro removes the remaining limits.
Notes first
Start with the note. Keep the next clinical step ready.
If the note is the first job, this is the right front door. If the same case later needs a worksheet or session prep, Reframe keeps that workflow close without making recording the center of the product.