Writing subjective, objective, assessment, and plan (SOAP) notes has always been part of the quiet work of therapy, but new artificial intelligence (AI) tools for SOAP notes are beginning to change how documentation fits into modern therapy work. Owl Practice is a made-in-Canada solution that can help you take and draft compliant notes for your sessions.
SOAP Notetaking That Lets You Focus on Care
Rewriting session details can blur important nuances. Handwritten notes can be hard to revisit later. The transition toward digital documentation therapy practice tools has helped, but many clinicians still spend hours catching up. Digitized notes alone can still mean having to transcribe session notes or retype entries.
This is why interest in AI for SOAP notes is growing. Artificial intelligence can help mental health professionals capture in-person and virtual session notes automatically, freeing therapists from the task of writing and retyping information.
How AI Can Support SOAP Notes
Used appropriately, AI for taking therapy session notes can help therapists stay present during sessions while easing the documentation process afterward. Instead of starting from a blank page, AI notetaking tools like Smart Notes can organize key themes, observations, and interventions from each session into the SOAP format therapists already use. Smart Notes also lets therapists choose which format to generate notes in: SOAP, DAP, or a general overall summary.
When therapists use Owl Practice for telehealth, they can press “Scribe” to transcribe each session, with full control over what’s recorded. When using Smart Notes, the platform will generate a note after each session from the transcript, and it will automatically format the note into the style of the therapist’s choosing. For example, if using the pre-loaded SOAP notes template, Smart Notes will take information from the session transcript and categorize information into the following sections:
- Subjective accounts
- Objective facts and observations
- Assessment
- Plan
Therapists can also use audio files from dictated notes or recorded in-person sessions to generate SOAP notes or any other available format using Smart Notes.
Smart Notes creates an immediate, objective jumping off point for therapists to finalize their notes using their own clinical judgement. For example, if Smart Notes picks up the therapist sharing the plan for the next session in the transcript, those details will go into the “Plan” section of their automatic SOAP note. After the session, they can add additional context or otherwise adjust the note how they need.
Smart Notes takes the mental load off of having to take 15 minutes to complete every note immediately after each session. When documentation feels lighter, therapists have more space to reflect, review progress, and prepare for the next session with intention. With the heavy work taken care of, therapists are freer to place their full focus on clients in session.
What to Look for in an AI Notes Tool
Privacy and confidentiality are some of the most important considerations for clinicians. Because of that, it’s important for therapists to be aware of how different AI notetaking tools handle privacy and data. To best protect their clients and their practices, therapists should look for the following things in an AI notes tool:
- Compliance: Without exception, any tool that deals directly with client data needs to be PIPEDA-compliant and meet regional compliance standards.
- Data storage: The right platform will house its servers exclusively in Canada. When clients’ data stays in the country, it remains subject to Canadian privacy laws.
- Informed consent: Client consent is essential when dealing with their data electronically. It’s best to choose a notetaking tool that makes client consent workflows simple and seamless.
- Speaker anonymization: It’s important for a progress notetaking tool to have the option to anonymize names, so look for a tool that does this reliably.
- Full clinician control: The therapist’s clinical judgement is what clients come back for, and that should be reflected in the notes. The right AI notetaking tool will allow therapists full control to add, delete, or edit anything in the note before it enters the record.
Privacy and Clinician Control in AI SOAP Notes
Mental health professionals in Canada carry a legal responsibility to protect client information. Part of that responsibility is choosing a secure and compliant AI notetaking tool. Thoughtful digital record-keeping supports secure client data, consistent organization, and easier retrieval of notes when needed for legal or clinical purposes. In Owl Practice, all client data stays within our own platform, client consent can be shared securely through the Client Portal, and transcripts are deleted after seven days.
AI tools are most helpful when they work quietly in the background, supporting clinicians without disrupting their voice or clinical reasoning. AI-supported notes can act as a bridge, offering structure without removing personal language or professional insight. For both group practices and solo practices, digital record-keeping can enhance continuity of care. Notes are easier to review, tag, and reference over time, helping therapists see patterns and progress.
Looking Ahead With Owl Practice
Owl Practice is purpose-built for mental health professionals who want technology that helps them do their best clinical work. Therapists using Owl Practice can use Smart Notes to complete their SOAP notes save hours each week, while keeping clinical judgement and privacy at the core of every client interaction.
If you are curious about how AI-supported notes can save you hours each week, reach out to learn more about Smart Notes.
