How to Use AI on SimplePractice: Note Taker or Care Aide?

A solo therapist should start with Note Taker at $35 a month, and move to Care Aide at $59 only if the extra tools (treatment plans, client summaries, intake summaries and the telehealth sidekick) will save more than the $24 difference. Both have a 30-day trial. Try Note Taker first.

The mistake is buying Care Aide for the extras and never using them. Care Aide includes everything in Note Taker, so you cannot lose the note-taking by upgrading, and SimplePractice removes the separate Note Taker charge when you switch. The choice is not which features exist; it is which of the extra ones you would actually open every week.

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The decision rule in three questions

Answer these about your own caseload, not the feature list.

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1. Do you write treatment plans or review intakes often? If you take on fewer than two new clients a month, Treatment Planner and Intake Summaries will sit idle. If you take on six, they may save real time.
2. Do you see most clients by telehealth? The Session Sidekick works during telehealth sessions, and SimplePractice says some of it relies on Note Taker recording the session. If you work in person, Sidekick is irrelevant to you.
3. Do you send clients written session summaries? Client Summaries produce a client-facing recap of each appointment. If you never send one now, ask whether you would start, and whether you want an AI-drafted summary leaving your practice under your name.

Three yeses: Care Aide. One yes or none: Note Taker. Two: start on Note Taker and revisit at day 20 of the Care Aide trial, which you can start any time.

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What each one contains, from SimplePractice's own pages

These are list prices as of November 2026, billed monthly on top of your base plan. SimplePractice runs promotions on its base plans; I have left all promotional prices out because they expire and are not what you will pay at renewal. The Note Taker price of $35 is per clinician, which matters only when you add people. In a group practice on the Plus plan, additional clinicians pay $35 for Note Taker or $49 for Care Aide.

The sums: when the extra $24 pays for itself

Care Aide costs $24 a month more than Note Taker for the account owner. That is $288 a year. Convert it to your own time.

Suppose you value an hour of non-client time at $60 (use your own figure). Then the $24 is 24 minutes of your time. Care Aide pays for itself if the extras save you more than 24 minutes a month. Here is what that means for each tool, illustrative:

• Treatment Planner: drafting a treatment plan by hand takes, say, 25 minutes. If a reviewed draft takes 10, you save 15 minutes. One new client a month nearly covers the gap.
• Intake Summaries: if reading and summarising an intake pack takes 8 minutes and the AI summary takes 3 to check, you save 5. Four new clients is 20 minutes.
• Client Summaries: only a saving if you already write recaps. If you write 10 a month at 5 minutes and the draft takes 2 to edit, you save 30 minutes.

A solo therapist with two new clients a month and no recaps saves roughly 40 minutes in the best case: marginal. One taking six new clients a month and sending recaps saves several hours. The rule falls out of the numbers: the extras pay on new-client volume and on recaps, not on session count.

A worked example: a therapist with fourteen sessions a week

Illustrative. A solo therapist sees 14 clients a week, mostly by video, takes on two new clients a month, and writes progress notes that take about 12 minutes each by hand. That is 168 minutes, or 2.8 hours, a week.

With Note Taker, say the draft takes 4 minutes to review and edit. That is 56 minutes a week, a saving of 112 minutes a week, or around 7.5 hours a month. At $60 an hour that is $450 of time against $35. Note Taker clearly pays.

Now the Care Aide question. Two new clients a month save perhaps 40 minutes in intakes and plans combined; there are no recaps. 40 minutes is worth $40 against the extra $24. It passes, but narrowly, and only if the planner drafts are good enough to edit rather than rewrite. So the therapist should take the 30-day Care Aide trial in a month with a new intake, and keep it only if the measured saving beats 24 minutes.

Privacy defaults to check on day one

The one default to confirm or change deliberately is transcript retention. SimplePractice's transcript retention FAQ says anyone who enables Note Taker or Care Aide on or after 17 June 2026 is opted in by default to SimplePractice keeping a de-identified, de-coupled copy of each session transcript to improve its AI features; people who used Note Taker before that date stay opted out unless they opt in. SimplePractice says it uses these transcripts to refine its prompts and workflows, not to retrain the underlying model, and that once a transcript is de-identified it cannot be found or deleted on request. That is a vendor changing a privacy default after launch, so read the setting the day you sign up rather than trusting what a colleague told you last year.

The switch is labelled Retain de-identified data to improve features. For yourself, it sits under Settings, Profile, Profile and security; for one client, open the client's profile and choose Edit, then Privacy; you can also opt out for a single session. Opting out at clinician level overrides the client and session settings, and there is no practice-wide switch, so in a group each clinician sets their own. Write down what you chose and the date.

Two more facts from the same FAQ shape your routine. The session audio is deleted as soon as the transcript is generated, and the transcript stays available for up to seven days or until the note is signed and locked. If the note is not signed within seven days, the transcript and draft are deleted and you write the note by hand, so a therapist who batches notes at the end of a fortnight loses drafts.

What SimplePractice says in its help article:

• It will never sell protected health information, and handles it under its business associate agreement.
• Access to AI content follows the same permissions as the client record.
• AI use is governed by the terms of service and an addendum for add-on AI products. Read that addendum, because it is where data handling and your responsibilities are written down.
• You are responsible for reviewing and editing all generated content, and Care Aide does not guarantee compliance with licensing board or payer requirements.

For a broader checklist, our confidentiality checklist for therapist AI note tools covers questions that apply to every vendor, including what happens to recordings and whether data helps train models.

Telling clients, and letting them say no

SimplePractice describes Care Aide as optional and says you and your clients can opt in or out at any time. The practical step is a short paragraph in your intake paperwork and a spoken confirmation at the first session. Illustrative wording:

"I use an AI note-taking tool in SimplePractice. It records or transcribes our session so it can draft my notes. I read and edit every note before it is saved. The tool is optional: if you would prefer I do not use it, tell me at any time and I will write my notes without it. Do you have any questions about that?"

Add if you keep transcript retention switched on:
"The software company may keep a copy of the transcript with names, dates and contact details removed, to improve the tool. I can switch that off for you."

If a client declines, record the decision in their file and switch the tool off for them. Our tutorial on whether therapists should tell clients they use AI goes into why disclosure builds trust rather than losing it, and when a signed consent adds value.

Three client situations to plan for

1. A client in crisis. Turn the tool off for that session. Risk notes should be written by you.
2. A couple or family. Everyone present needs to agree, and each person's consent should be on file.
3. A client who says yes, then looks uneasy. Offer to pause mid-session. Pausing costs you a few minutes of notes; losing trust costs more.

Three solo therapists, three different answers

The same rule gives different results on different caseloads. These are illustrative profiles, not real people.

The in-person therapist with a steady caseload

She sees 18 clients a week in a rented room, takes one new client a month, and does not write client recaps. Sidekick is a telehealth feature, so it is irrelevant. Intake and planning volume is too low for the planner to matter. Note Taker at $35. The one thing to check is that Note Taker works for her in-person sessions: SimplePractice has a separate help article on using Note Taker during in-person sessions, so read it before the trial, because the recording route differs from telehealth.

The telehealth therapist building a new practice

He is growing fast: six new clients a month, nearly all on video, with a waiting list. Every extra tool applies. Intake Summaries and Treatment Planner touch six clients a month, and Sidekick reminds him of the last session's plan during the call. Six new clients at 15 minutes saved each is 90 minutes, worth $90 at $60 an hour against $24 extra. Care Aide, on the trial first, then keep it if the 90 minutes holds up in practice and the drafts are good enough to edit.

The supervisee working towards licensure

SimplePractice lists Note Checker as part of Care Aide: a tool for pre-licensed clinicians that reviews manually written progress notes and gives structured feedback against documentation standards. If you are a supervisee, this is a reason for Care Aide that has nothing to do with saving writing time, and it works on notes you wrote yourself. Check with your supervisor first about whether AI feedback is acceptable under your supervision agreement, and never let it replace the supervisor's review.

How Session Sidekick fits, and its limits

Sidekick appears as a button in the telehealth session toolbar. SimplePractice describes it as showing reminders from earlier sessions, treatment-plan details and client context, plus quick actions, during the call. It also says some Sidekick features rely on Note Taker and may only be available while Note Taker is recording the session. That has two consequences. First, if a client declines recording, parts of Sidekick may not work for that client. Second, looking at a screen of prompts during a session has a cost to attention. Some therapists will find it useful for a client with a complex history; others will find it a distraction. Try it on three sessions before deciding it is a benefit.

Client Summaries: the feature that needs the most care

Client Summaries are AI-drafted, client-facing recaps of a session with key points and next steps, which you review and can share. This is the only Care Aide feature whose output leaves your practice, so the standard is higher. Before sending any, check four things: no content the client did not say, no clinical label the client has not heard from you, no third-party detail (a partner, a child), and nothing that would alarm the client if read alone on a phone at midnight.

An illustrative before and after. A draft might say, "You are experiencing symptoms consistent with generalised anxiety." You would change it to, "We talked about the worry you have had at work and the breathing practice you agreed to try three times this week." The first is a diagnosis you may not have given; the second is a recap. If you find yourself rewriting most of every summary, switch the feature off and write two lines by hand.

A mistake that shows up in the second month

Illustrative. A therapist is happy after the trial and stops tallying corrections. In month two, a draft records that a client "reported improved mood and no safety concerns" because the client said "I'm doing much better." The therapist had not asked a safety question that week. The note is wrong in a way that matters, and it sits in the record looking tidy.

Two habits prevent it. Read the risk line of every draft against what you remember asking. And once a month, pull three notes at random, compare each with your own memory and any contemporaneous scribbles, and count the errors. If the error rate is rising, the problem is usually your reading speed, not the tool.

What to do when the tool is wrong

SimplePractice's help article says AI content may contain mistakes, missing details or irrelevant information, and tells you to edit or discard anything that does not match the client's situation and your judgement. It also points to a feedback route in its Care Aide introduction. Use it: reporting a recurring fault is the only way a vendor hears about it. In the meantime, a few fixes inside your control: use the Refine feature on the draft flyout to correct specific items, add session content by dictation when the audio was poor, and always use "Load into note" only after you have read the draft, not before.

A two-week trial plan that gives you a fair answer

Run the trial on your most ordinary week, not a quiet one. The goal is a number, not an impression.

1. Before you start (20 minutes). Time ten recent progress notes by hand. Write down the average.
2. Week one: Note Taker only. Use it with clients who agree. After each session, time the review and edit. Keep a tally of corrections: a wrong date, an invented intervention, a missed risk statement.
3. Week two: Care Aide features. Start the 30-day Care Aide trial. Use the planner on any new client, Intake Summaries on any intake pack, and Client Summaries on a few sessions if you send recaps.
4. Day 10: compare. Minutes per note, minutes per plan, and corrections per note.
5. Day 20: decide. If the extras saved under 24 minutes in a representative month, stay on Note Taker.

The trial detail to remember: if you already pay for Note Taker, you keep paying it during the Care Aide trial, and the charge switches when the trial ends. Cancel before the trial runs out if you do not want Care Aide; set the reminder on day one.

What a draft looks like and what to correct

Here is an illustrative fragment from a Note Taker draft for a hypothetical session, followed by what to fix.

Client reported increased anxiety at work over the past two weeks. Discussed breathing techniques and agreed homework: practise daily. Client denied suicidal ideation.

Problems to catch: "denied suicidal ideation" appears only if you actually asked; an AI draft can slip in a standard phrase. "Practise daily" may overstate what was agreed ("three times this week"). And the draft omits the intervention type you must bill. The rule is simple: every risk statement, every intervention and every plan item in a draft must trace to something said in the room, or it is deleted.

A second illustrative fault: a client mentions a sister by name in passing, and the draft turns the sister into a "partner". Names and relationships are the most common slips, so re-read them first.

If you later add a clinician or change platform

Pricing for additional clinicians in a group practice is $35 for Note Taker and $49 for Care Aide on the Plus plan, so a two-clinician practice moving to Care Aide pays $59 plus $49 a month, $108 against $70 for two Note Takers. Our seat cost comparison for group practices sets that against other tools. And if you are not committed to the platform, Tebra against SimplePractice is worth reading before you add any AI add-on, since a platform switch changes every number above.

A short checklist before you pay anything

• Timed ten notes by hand, average recorded.
• Read the privacy settings and the AI addendum; chose and dated each setting.
• Client paperwork and spoken wording ready; a place to record declines.
• Trial start date and cancel-by reminder set.
• Notes signed within seven days of each session, or the draft is deleted.
• Decision numbers agreed in advance: minutes saved per note, and 24 minutes a month for the Care Aide extras.

If you would rather work through it with someone, that is what my AI implementation consultation covers; get in touch and we can set up the trial together.

SimplePractice AI questions from solo clinicians

Do I pay for Note Taker and Care Aide together?

No. Care Aide includes everything in Note Taker, and SimplePractice says adding Care Aide removes the separate Note Taker charge automatically. If you are on a Care Aide trial while paying for Note Taker, you keep paying for Note Taker until the trial ends, then the charge switches.

Is there a free trial?

SimplePractice's help centre says all new Care Aide subscriptions include a 30-day free trial, and its pricing page shows a 30-day trial for Note Taker too. Use it with a handful of consenting clients first, and set a calendar reminder before it ends.

Do my clients have to use it?

No. SimplePractice says Care Aide is optional and that you and your clients can opt in or out at any time. If a client declines, you document without it. Record the client's choice in their file so it is applied every session.

Who else can see the AI-generated content?

SimplePractice says access follows the same permissions as the rest of the client record. Anyone who can open the record can see the AI content too. If you add clinicians later, check their access before they join.

Does either tool guarantee my notes meet payer rules?

No. SimplePractice states that Care Aide does not guarantee compliance with regulatory, licensing or payer requirements, and that you must review and edit all AI content. Check your note against your own board and payer standards before saving.

Further reads

• Best AI Note Taker for Therapists: Recording or Dictation Style? — Recording versus dictation styles, once you pick a tool.
• Blueprint AI for Therapists: Notes, Cost and Alternatives to Check — A non-SimplePractice option to price against.
• AI Software for Psychologists: Practice Systems With AI Built In, Compared — Practice systems with AI built in, compared.
• Best HIPAA-Compliant AI for Therapists: Which Vendors Sign a BAA? — Which vendors sign a business associate agreement.
• AI Scribe for Counsellors: A Safe Trial Plan With Consent and Opt-Out — A safe trial plan with consent and opt-out.
• Automated Booking Systems for Therapists: Which Ones Automate What? — Booking automation, a separate cost from AI notes.
• AI Tools for Psychotherapists: Diary, Invoices and Referral Replies — An admin-only AI set-up for a therapy practice: diary, invoice wording and referral replies, with no session content anywhere near it.
• BACP AI Guidance: A Checklist for UK Counsellors Before Using AI — BACP's published ethics resources turned into a practice-owner checklist with dated actions, from consent wording to what to do if a tool fails.
• How Can AI Help Therapists With Superbills and Client Invoices? — Use AI for a therapy practice's billing: superbill and invoice templates, a monthly batch routine and checks, with no clinical content near the tool.
• Can AI Draft Mental Health Treatment Plans? The Review Steps — A clinician review checklist for AI-drafted treatment plans: who owns the goals, what the AI may format, and what to check before sign-off.
• AI Tools and AI Development: The Complete 2026 Guide — the AI hub, including every tutorial in the AI-for-business series.

Sources: SimplePractice pricing page; SimplePractice help centre articles Care Aide FAQs, Introducing Care Aide and Transcript retention FAQs (all read 4 November 2026). List prices only, no promotional pricing.