AI scribe for mental health, a guide for every profession

An AI scribe for mental health is software that drafts the clinical documents of a session from a transcript of what is said or from the clinician's dictation. It produces session notes, psychiatric assessments, assessment reports, letters and certificates. It is built for psychologists, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, psychotherapists and teams in child psychiatry or addiction care. The clinician always reviews and approves the text before it goes into the patient record.

This guide covers the whole field of mental health. It explains how a mental health scribe differs from one built for general practice, what each profession needs, how to choose a tool and which limits to keep in mind. For profession-specific comparisons, see our guide to the best AI scribe for psychiatrists and our page on the AI scribe for psychologists.

How an AI scribe for mental health works

There are three steps. First, the tool captures the content. Either it transcribes what is said during the session, with the patient's agreement, or the clinician dictates observations right after the session, so nothing of the conversation itself is captured.

Next, the AI shapes that content into the document you chose (session note, DAP note, assessment, report, letter). Finally, the clinician reviews and approves it.

A good scribe does more than summarise. It keeps track of themes, treatment goals and what to pick up next time. It also drafts documents that leave your practice, such as a letter to the GP or a confirmation of ongoing care.

What is different from a general practice scribe

The first AI scribes were designed for medical consultations (presenting complaint, history, examination, plan). That format fits mental health poorly. Five differences matter.

Highly sensitive content

A session holds intimate material, such as family history, relationships, trauma, substance use or dark thoughts. The French data protection authority (CNIL) states that health data also covers a person's mental health (CNIL, what is health data). This data gets stronger protection, so the choice of tool and hosting matters more than elsewhere.

Third parties mentioned in session

Patients talk about partners, children, parents and colleagues who never agreed to anything. A good scribe pseudonymises names before AI processing, and the clinician decides what stays in the final note.

The clinician's personal notes

Many clinicians keep working notes (hypotheses, their own reactions, ideas to explore) apart from the formal record. The tool should let you add written notes and leave you in control of what enters the record. On patient access to these notes, see our page on patient access to therapy notes.

Consent, and the patient who says no

Transcribing a session means informing the patient and getting their agreement. Some say no, which is their right. The scribe must then offer another route, dictation after the session. You summarise what you observed in a few minutes and the tool produces the same structured note. Our guide on patient consent for AI note-taking offers simple wording.

Therapeutic approaches

A CBT note does not look like a psychodynamic one. In CBT you track exercises, homework and scales. In EMDR you note targets and disturbance ratings. In psychodynamic work you follow associations, repetitions and transference. In systemic therapy you describe interactions and hypotheses about the family system. A good scribe respects that. Compare our CBT note template with our psychodynamic note template.

What each profession needs from an AI scribe

Psychologists and psychotherapists

The core need is the session note, then a summary of the therapy over several months. Add letters to the GP, confirmations of ongoing care and, for some, assessment reports. Respecting the approach (CBT, EMDR, psychodynamic, systemic, ACT) is often what makes the difference. See our session notes template and our page on the confirmation of ongoing care.

Psychiatrists

Psychiatrists write structured assessments with a mental status examination, diagnostic hypotheses they form themselves, and a plan. They write many letters (GP, colleague, discharge) and certificates with strict rules. The scribe must use the right clinical vocabulary without inventing any sign. See our mental status examination template and the psychiatric consultation report template.

Neuropsychologists

Most of the writing is the assessment report (history, tests given, results, interpretation, recommendations). The scribe mainly helps draft the history and the clinical summary from the clinician's dictation. Scores are still entered and checked by the neuropsychologist. More on our page about software for neuropsychologists and our assessment report template.

Child and adolescent psychiatry

Sessions often bring together the child, one or both parents, and sometimes the school or other professionals. The note must show who said what, what was observed (play, drawing, behaviour) and what was reported. Dictation after the session is often easier here. See our guide to child psychiatry session notes.

Addiction care

Follow-up covers use, goals (cutting down or stopping), lapses and motivation work. This is among the most sensitive information there is, so pseudonymisation matters a lot. See our addiction session notes and the addiction consultation report template.

How to choose an AI scribe for mental health

• HDS-certified hosting. In France, any provider hosting health data on behalf of a practitioner must hold HDS certification, as the CNIL reference framework for medical and allied health practices reminds readers. Ask for the certificate, not just a line on the home page. See our page on HDS-certified hosting.
• Pseudonymisation before AI. The patient's name and identifying details should be removed before anything reaches the AI model.
• Audio kept or not. Ask whether an audio file is stored, where and for how long. Fewer copies mean less risk.
• Model training. The vendor should state clearly whether your data trains any model. Also ask where the AI runs.
• Profession and approach. The note should follow your profession and therapeutic approach, not just a medical specialty.
• Two ways to take notes. Live transcription and dictation after the session, so you can respect a patient who says no.
• Prices shown including VAT. Private practitioners often cannot reclaim VAT. Compare prices including VAT, monthly and yearly, and check for a free trial.
• Data processing agreement. GDPR (Article 28) requires a contract with any provider processing data for you. See our page on GDPR obligations in private practice.

In Belgium and Switzerland, HDS is a French rule and local frameworks differ. The same questions still apply (hosting location, processing agreement, audio, model training).

Some tools on the market, according to their websites

On 9 October 2026 we looked at the websites of two tools that come up in these searches. The facts below come only from their official sites.

Scribe Medical

According to its website, Scribe Medical targets GPs and specialists, including psychiatrists and psychologists, as well as midwives and speech therapists. Audio stays encrypted on the computer and is deleted at the end of the consultation, and only the transcribed text goes to an AI hosted by OVH in France, described as HDS-certified. The Practitioner plan is listed at €59 per month incl. VAT and the Practice plan at €129 per month per practitioner incl. VAT. The site does not say whether data is used to train models and shows no user count. Its strengths are on-device audio handling and pre-filled certificates. The standard report on its home page follows the medical consultation format (complaint, history, examination, plan). Its psychiatry and psychology page offers an outline suited to the interview (complaint, verbatim, mental state findings, plan), without naming a therapeutic approach such as CBT or EMDR.

Tandem Health

According to its website, Tandem serves healthcare professionals and organisations across Europe, with more than 50 specialties. Its mental health page covers therapy sessions and psychiatric assessments, with testimonials from psychologists, but names no therapeutic approach. Its security page mentions HDS servers in European data centres, without naming the country. It says audio is deleted after transcription and that Tandem does not train models on patient data. The site claims deployment in more than 10,000 healthcare facilities. Its pricing page shows a free plan, presented for GPs, and a Pro plan at €125 per user per month billed annually, for independent practitioners and small practices, without saying whether VAT is included. It does better on scale and on its published safeguards.

Delta

Delta is the clinical assistant for mental health and allied health professionals. During the session, Delta transcribes what is said. After the session, the clinician can instead dictate observations, and add written notes. Delta generates the session report (short summary, detailed summary, topics for next time), adapts to your profession and approach (CBT, EMDR, psychodynamic, systemic and more) and updates the patient record (therapy summary, goals tracked). It also drafts letters, certificates and assessment reports.

Data is hosted in France by an HDS-certified host and AI processing happens in France. The patient's name and identifying details are pseudonymised before the AI. No audio file is kept, and data is never used to train a model. The Pro plan costs €29 per month incl. VAT billed annually (€348 a year) or €35 per month with no commitment. A free plan covers 10 sessions a month, and the 14-day trial needs no credit card (pricing). Learn more about what Delta is, or see our wider list of the best AI note-taking software for psychologists.

Limits and good practice

• Review every document. AI can get a name, a date or a negation wrong. You sign it, so you are responsible for it.
• No diagnosis by the tool. The scribe shapes what you observed. Diagnostic hypotheses stay yours, and generated text must not add any.
• Inform the patient. Tell them which tool you use, what happens to the data and that they can say no. The CNIL framework says information must be given at collection, by a notice or a handout.
• Filter what leaves your practice. A letter does not repeat everything said in therapy. Share only what is useful and agreed with the patient. See our page on professional confidentiality and AI.
• Crisis situations are outside the tool's scope. They depend on your clinical judgement and usual procedures. The scribe only helps document.

Frequently asked questions

Further reading

• Best AI scribe for psychiatrists
• AI scribe for psychologists
• What is Delta
• Best AI note-taking software for psychologists
• Clinical document templates
• Risks of AI in clinical psychology

Sources

Pages accessed on 9 October 2026.

• CNIL, Qu’est-ce qu’une donnée de santé ? (in French)
• CNIL, reference framework for the management of medical and allied health practices (in French)
• Scribe Medical, official website
• Tandem Health, official website