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AI for Substance Abuse Counselor
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What you'll accomplish

By the end of this guide, you'll have Mentalyc set up to generate DAP, SOAP, or BIRP progress notes from a 90-second voice memo or brief typed summary after each session — cutting your note-writing time from 20–30 minutes per session to 3–5 minutes. For a counselor seeing 6 individual clients daily, that's 1.5–2 hours back in your day.

What you'll need

  • A free Mentalyc account (free tier available; paid plans for higher volume)
  • A phone or computer with a microphone
  • Time needed: 45–60 minutes for initial setup and first note
  • Cost: Free tier (limited notes/month) / paid plans for higher volume — check {{tool:Mentalyc.price}}
  • Privacy check: Review Mentalyc's HIPAA compliance documentation and your facility's AI tool policy before using with real client content; use deidentified summaries if unsure

How-To Guide: AI-Assisted Progress Note Writing

Step 1: Create your Mentalyc account

  1. Go to mentalyc.com
  2. Click Get started free or Sign up
  3. Enter your email, create a password, and verify your email
  4. Select your role: Addiction Counselor or Therapist
  5. Complete the brief onboarding questions about your note format preferences

What you should see: A dashboard with options to start a new note or recording.

Troubleshooting: If you don't receive a verification email, check spam — it arrives within 5 minutes.

Tools:Mentalyc