For Substance Abuse Counselors ·
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
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.
What you should see: Your preferred format is now selected and will be used for all notes going forward.
Immediately after a session (not during — audio should not include client voice):
Example of what to say: "Client presented with moderate anxiety. Reported urge to use over the weekend after an argument with a partner. We identified the trigger using the chain analysis model and practiced the urge surfing technique. Client was engaged and completed the worksheet. Plan: review urge surfing next session; discuss safety planning if partner conflict escalates."
What you should see: A "Processing" indicator — the note generates within 30–60 seconds.
What you should see: A structured, formatted progress note matching your chosen format — typically 150–300 words.
Troubleshooting: If the note is too generic, re-record your summary with more clinical specifics (name the technique you used, name the treatment plan goal referenced).
What you should see: A complete progress note in your EHR, ready for your signature.
Use these voice memo scripts immediately after common session types:
Individual session (relapse prevention focus): "Client presented [mood]. Main topic: [topic]. Triggers discussed: [list]. Intervention used: [technique]. Client's response: [engaged/resistant/partial]. Treatment goal addressed: Goal [#]. No safety concerns. Plan: [next steps]."
Group session entry (for one member): "[Client] participated in group on the topic of [topic]. Level of engagement: [high/moderate/low]. Notable contributions or behaviors: [observation]. Plan: [follow-up if any]."
Crisis session: "Client presented in [state]. Safety concern: [describe]. Safety assessment conducted. Safety plan reviewed/updated. Actions taken: [list]. Client agreed to [plan]. Follow-up: [when and how]."