The burden of session notes: 5 quotes from therapists

Providing mental health care is stressful and emotionally draining as is — why are we letting documentation bury clinicians, too?Ask any therapist, counselor or social worker their least favorite part of the job and there's a good chance they'll point to documentation.For many, therapy session notes take hours, forcing them to work late or squeeze work in between appointments. This limits their time with current clients and their space for new clients.For others, documentation piles up, looming in the shadows — that which shall not be named. This creates a constant hum of anxiety that can only be avoided for so long.Something's got to give.While taking notes during sessions or using pre-built documentation templates can help, these approaches still require too much manual effort or force clinicians to divide attention between clients and admin.At Verbal, we think AI is the game-changer clinicians have been looking for.With AI, you can not only automatically generate the documentation you need as soon as a call ends, but also get unique insights into key themes and topics discussed, allowing for truly personalized care.Here's a quick look at what makes documentation such a massive burden for therapists and how AI can help.See related: Low-hanging fruit for AI in virtual therapy

What therapists have to say

Whether in-person or virtual, mental health care comes with a huge admin burden. This leads to less time with clients and a higher chance of burnout. Not only do fewer people get the help they need, but clinicians are also more likely to feel exhausted or detached from their work. They may even leave their practice.

"I spend four hours a day on notes alone, unpaid. It's bringing me down."

One study found clinicians spend 35% of their time on documentation on average, instead of actually providing care. Can you blame them for feeling burnt out?

"I'm in community mental health and my notes are each five pages long."

Some care settings and insurance reviewers reqire extremely thorough documentation. Falling behind or blazing through notes quickly may not be an option.