Short answer: it depends which part of the note you hand over. Many therapists say writing the note is where they reflect on the client, spot patterns and plan the next session, and they are not willing to give that up. The workable split is to let a tool take down what was said and keep the formulation, the themes and the plan as your own writing.

The strongest case against AI notes in therapy is not privacy or accuracy. It is that the note is part of the treatment. A therapist who refuses every AI feature in their records system put it plainly, and dozens of colleagues agreed:

“It's part of our case conceptualizations and part of reflection.”

Another clinician, who admits to internal tantrums over progress notes, said that line changed how they saw the job. A newer therapist, still learning to write their own notes, described what the reflection actually looks like:

“I sit there thinking about what they've been presenting, themes, recurring patterns, and I have epiphanies sometimes.”

It costs them 30 minutes to an hour per client, and their supervisor hesitates to add clients because of it.

What goes wrong when AI writes the whole note?

Therapists who use AI tools describe two problems. The first is voice. A licensed professional counselor whose practice pays for a note tool said it steers every note into the same structure, so they end up having to “edit it to death” before it reads as their own note. Their verdict on the tool's makers:

“they just want carbon copies of everyone instead of allowing us to have our own voices.”

The second is what the tool learns from. One psychologist described their records system's note taker this way: it records the session, writes the note from the transcript, then “de-identifies” the transcript and sends it back to train the vendor's model. They do not trust the de-identification.

How do I split the note between me and an AI tool?

Let the tool do the transcription, which nobody misses, and keep the thinking on your side of the page. A scribe can summarize what was said; it cannot write the formulation for you, and it should not try.

If recording is the sticking point, you do not have to record the session at all. One therapist takes brief notes on a legal pad during the session and lets an AI tool format them afterward, so no voice ever leaves the room.

What about therapists who want the help?

Plenty do, and some are the most torn. A therapist with ADHD said they hate the idea of giving AI access to skills they paid a lot to learn, and in the same breath:

“wow would I love the administrative assistance”

A clinician in community behavioral health argued that dictation and organization help can be an accommodation, not a shortcut, as long as the record keeps its guardrails for the client and the clinician.

Frequently asked questions

Is it ethical for therapists to use AI for progress notes?

Many therapists use AI note tools and many refuse them. What decides it for most is consent, where the recording goes, whether it trains the vendor's model, and whether the note is still your own clinical thinking. Check each one before you start.

Can I use AI for notes without recording my sessions?

Yes. Some therapists write brief notes or dictate a summary after the session and let a tool format it, so no session audio is ever captured.

Will Solanto write the whole note?

Solanto will draft what was said and done, in your template, and leave the formulation and the plan to you. You will review, edit and sign every note.

The short version

Writing the note is where many therapists do their thinking, and that part is worth keeping. Hand a tool the transcription and keep the formulation. Solanto will take down what was said, in your template, and leave the thinking to you, in Cloud mode or in Private Mode, where the note never leaves your device.

The price is on the page, not behind a call. Early access is open: solanto.ai/pricing

Send this to a colleague who spends an hour on every note. Ask them which half is the thinking.