Therapists are using AI to take notes. Is it a useful tool or a breach of trust?
Therapists in the U.S. are increasingly using AI tools like Berries to record sessions and generate notes, raising privacy concerns among clients such as Molly Quinn, who felt violated after discovering her session was recorded without explicit consent. Companies like Berries claim compliance with HIPAA and no use of therapy content for AI training, but surveys show widespread public distrust in AI for mental health care, with only 11% open to using it and 77% worried about health data privacy.
A growing number of therapists in the U.S. are adopting AI tools to automate note-taking during sessions, but the practice has sparked ethical concerns. Molly Quinn, a 31-year-old librarian from Fayetteville, Ark., discovered her therapist was using an AI tool to record their session without her prior knowledge. She described feeling violated and betrayed, stating that the therapist disregarded her trust by recording private conversations without explicit consent. Companies like Berries offer AI platforms that record sessions, transcribe them, and generate draft clinical notes for therapists to review. CEO Tal Salman claims the system reduces administrative burden while ensuring privacy, with audio deleted post-session and transcripts stored on HIPAA-compliant U.S. servers. The company asserts therapy content is never used to train AI models, and clinicians retain full responsibility for patient care and documentation. Similar services are provided by SimplePractice and Blueprint, with monthly fees ranging from $19 to $99, targeting solo practitioners overwhelmed by paperwork. Despite potential efficiency gains, public trust remains low. A YouGov survey found only 11% of Americans would use AI for mental health care, and 8% trust it, with concerns over privacy, human understanding, and inaccurate advice. A separate KFF poll revealed 77% of Americans worry about how their health information is handled in AI systems. Critics argue the technology risks eroding patient trust, particularly when clients are unaware of recordings. Quinn’s experience highlights the tension between AI’s administrative benefits and ethical concerns over consent and privacy. Therapists using these tools must balance efficiency with transparency to maintain client confidence.
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