AI therapy notes for therapists who prefer text, not recording.
Type a short session summary after the appointment. Get a structured note in SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, PIRP, or Narrative. Built for therapists who want a privacy-conscious notes workflow without turning the room into a recording setup.
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.
Why therapists trust this workflow
<30s
Average note generation time
0 bytes
Client data stored
8.5/10
Avg. rating from early users
Early user proof
“I've been hesitant to use AI tools because I don't trust them with client info. The zero-retention thing actually made me try it. Nothing leaves the room means I can describe my client without worrying.”
LCSW, Community Mental Health
6 years experience
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.
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.
Reframe uses Google Vertex AI with a Business Associate Agreement in place. Session text is processed for the request and not retained in Reframe’s main database afterward. 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 10 free notes 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.
Is Reframe HIPAA-compliant?
Yes. Reframe uses Google Vertex AI with a Business Associate Agreement in place. Session text is processed for the request and not retained in Reframe’s main database afterward. The clinician still reviews and finalizes every note.
Will the AI invent clinical details?
No. Reframe uses anti-hallucination prompting and [Therapist to complete] placeholders when required information is missing. If you did not include a detail, the note flags the gap instead of guessing.
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.
How many free notes do I get?
You can generate 10 free progress notes per month with no account required. Create a free account and progress notes become unlimited. 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.