AI scribe for psychologists: definition, criteria and use

An AI scribe for psychologists is an assistant that transcribes the session or takes the clinician's dictation, then drafts a structured note that the psychologist reviews, corrects and approves before it goes into the patient record. It does not replace clinical judgement or the therapeutic relationship. It handles the writing, which is often the heaviest part of the day.

This page covers what an AI scribe does and what it changes for a psychologist in private practice. It also covers what is specific to psychology, how to choose a tool and how to use it day to day. For a detailed software comparison, see our guide to the best AI note-taking software for psychologists.

How an AI scribe works

There are three steps. The tool gathers the content of the session. A language model turns that content into a structured note. The clinician reviews and approves it.

There are two ways to gather the content.

• Live transcription. With the patient's agreement, the tool transcribes what is said during the session. The note is ready moments after the session ends.
• Dictation after the session. Once the patient has left, the psychologist dictates their observations in a few minutes. Nothing said in the session is captured. This is the option when a patient declines transcription or when the setting does not suit it.

Most tools also let you add written notes, such as a phrase you jotted down during the session or some context you want in the report. To learn more about the first method, read our page on automatic session transcription.

What it changes for a psychologist

A psychologist's paperwork goes well beyond the session note. An AI scribe can help with several documents.

• Session notes. A short summary, a detailed summary, themes discussed and points to pick up next time. Your notes stay consistent from one session to the next. Our session note templates for psychologists show the most common structures.
• Follow-up over time. Some tools keep a summary of the course of therapy and the goals being worked on, so you can prepare the next session without rereading the whole file.
• Letters. A letter to the GP or a colleague can be drafted from notes you have already approved, then adjusted.
• Certificates and assessments. Statements of ongoing care, psychological assessment reports, end of therapy summaries. See our clinical document templates and our letter to the GP template.

The practical benefit is simple. You no longer have to rebuild six or eight sessions from memory at the end of the day. You review a draft instead of starting from a blank page.

What is specific to psychology

A scribe designed for general practice does not always suit a psychology practice. The material is more personal, sessions are longer, and the note does not follow a symptom, examination, treatment pattern.

Confidentiality and personal notes

The French code of ethics for psychologists (2021 version) states that professional secrecy covers everything the psychologist learns in the course of their practice (article 7). It also says that psychologists collect, process, file and archive their personal notes while protecting people's privacy (article 23). Handing those notes to a digital tool is therefore a decision to make carefully. You need to know where the data goes, who can access it and what is kept. Our article on professional confidentiality and AI goes into more detail.

Patient consent

The same code asks psychologists to always seek the free and informed consent of the people who consult them (article 9). For live transcription, tell the patient before the session, explain what the tool does and what is kept, and let them decline with no effect on their care. If they decline, switch to dictation after the session. A working guide published by the French National Authority for Health (HAS) with the CNIL in 2026 also says clinicians should be able to talk to patients about the AI tool they use and its limits. Our page on patient consent for AI note-taking suggests simple wording.

Your therapeutic approach

A CBT note does not look like a psychodynamic one. In CBT you track exercises, automatic thoughts and homework between sessions. In EMDR you note the target, disturbance ratings and protocol phases. In psychodynamic work you follow the associative thread, repetitions and transference. In systemic therapy you describe interactions, alliances and roles within the family. A good scribe adapts to your approach rather than forcing a single format. See our templates for CBT notes, EMDR notes, psychodynamic notes and systemic notes.

How to choose an AI scribe

Before you subscribe, ask the vendor these questions or look for the answers on their website. If the information is not there, do not assume it.

• HDS-certified hosting. In France, health data entrusted to a provider must be hosted by a certified health data host (HDS). The CNIL also reminds practitioners to check the provider's safeguards and sign a contract with them. See our guide to HDS-certified hosting.
• Where the AI runs. Data may be hosted in France but processed by a model located elsewhere. Ask where processing happens.
• Pseudonymisation. Are the patient's name and identifying details removed before anything is sent to the model?
• Audio retention. Is audio kept after the session, and for how long? The less is kept, the lower the risk.
• Model training. Does the vendor commit in writing never to use your sessions to train a model?
• Language. Does the tool handle spoken French as it is used in sessions, with psychology vocabulary? If you practise in Belgium or Switzerland, test it with your own expressions.
• Fit with your approach. Does the note format adapt to CBT, EMDR, psychodynamic or systemic work?
• Documents beyond the note. Letters, certificates, assessments.
• Published price. A public price including VAT, with or without commitment, and a trial so you can test it on real sessions.

Some tools and what their websites say

Several vendors target this search. Here is what we read on their official websites on 9 October 2026, and nothing more.

Scribe Medical. According to its website, the tool is aimed at GPs and specialists, psychiatrists, psychologists and midwives. Transcription runs on the clinician's computer, and the audio, encrypted on disk, is deleted at the end of the consultation. The AI part runs at OVH in France, on infrastructure described as HDS-certified. The site lists €59 per month including VAT for one practitioner. It does not say whether data is used to train a model. Its strength is on-device transcription. The site has a shared page for psychiatry and psychology and gives no user count.

Tandem Health. According to its website, Tandem serves healthcare professionals and facilities in Europe, with a scribe, coding support and decision support, CE-marked as Class IIa medical devices. The site claims deployment in more than 10,000 facilities and integrations with more than 130 patient record systems. A mental health page features testimonials from psychologists but names no therapeutic approach. The security page mentions HDS servers in European data centres, without naming the country. It also says audio is deleted after transcription and that Tandem does not train models on patient data. The pricing page shows a free plan, presented for GPs, and a Pro plan at €125 per user per month billed annually, without saying whether VAT is included.

For a wider overview, see the comparison of AI note-taking software for psychologists. If you are a psychiatrist, read our page on the best AI scribe for psychiatrists instead.

Delta, an AI scribe built for mental health

Delta is the clinical assistant for mental health and allied health professionals. During the session, Delta transcribes what is said. Or, after the session, you dictate your observations. You can also add written notes.

Delta then generates the session report (short summary, detailed summary, topics for the next session), taking into account your profession and your approach, whether CBT, EMDR, psychodynamic or systemic. It updates the patient record with a summary of the course of care and the goals being tracked. It also drafts letters, certificates and assessment reports.

On data, Delta stores everything in France with an HDS-certified host, and AI processing takes place in France. The patient's name and identifying details are pseudonymised before the AI step. No audio file is kept, the audio is only used during the session to produce the transcript. Data is never used to train a model.

The Pro plan costs €29 per month including VAT billed annually (€348 a year), or €35 per month billed monthly with no commitment. A free plan is limited to 10 sessions a month, and the 14-day trial needs no credit card. The tools above do better on some points, such as on-device transcription at Scribe Medical or the integrations Tandem advertises. To find out more, read what is Delta.

How to use it in practice

• Before the session. Inform the patient, ideally at the first appointment, and note their answer. Choose the mode, transcription or dictation.
• During the session. If the patient agreed to transcription, start it and forget about it. Otherwise, run the session as usual.
• Right after. In dictation mode, take two or three minutes to dictate the essentials while they are fresh. Add a written note if needed.
• Review. Read the whole note. Fix errors, remove anything that does not belong, and add your clinical hypotheses in your own words.
• Approval. Only keep the version you have reviewed in the file. You are its author.

The limits of an AI scribe

Review is mandatory. A model can mishear a word, attribute a sentence to the wrong person or summarise an important moment too quickly. The HAS and CNIL working guide stresses this. The clinician compares the output with their own reasoning and keeps the decision.

An AI scribe does not make a diagnosis or choose the therapeutic direction. It formats what you observed and said. It does not replace your thinking between sessions or supervision either. And it does not relieve you of your data obligations, such as informing patients or patient record retention periods. For a broader view, see our page on the AI scribe for mental health.

Frequently asked questions

Further reading

• What is Delta?
• The best AI note-taking software for psychologists
• The best AI scribe for psychiatrists
• AI scribe for mental health
• Clinical document templates
• Patient consent for AI note-taking
• Professional confidentiality and AI

Sources

• Code de déontologie des psychologues (French code of ethics for psychologists), 2021 version, articles 7, 9 and 23 (accessed 9 October 2026)
• CNIL, GDPR and healthcare professionals in private practice (in French) (accessed 9 October 2026)
• HAS and CNIL, guidance on the proper use of AI systems in care settings, working document, February 2026 (in French) (accessed 9 October 2026)