Here are two short notes, both made up and both written by "AI for therapists."
Both are therapy notes. Only one is a physical therapy note.
If you searched "AI therapy notes" and ended up on Upheal, this is why. Upheal is a very good product for Note A. This page is for the people who write Note B.
What Upheal is
Upheal is an AI notes platform, and increasingly a full EHR, for mental health clinicians: counselors, psychologists, social workers and psychiatric providers. And it's good at that. People seem to like it, too. It has 4.6 stars on Trustpilot from about 90 reviews.
- It writes progress notes in the formats therapists use, like SOAP, DAP and BIRP.
- It builds treatment plans and keeps what it calls the "golden thread," so each session note ties back to the diagnosis and goals. That's what insurers look for in behavioral health.
- It has a compliance checker for notes, telehealth, scheduling and billing if you use it as your EHR.
- It has a free plan, and unlimited AI notes cost $39 a month.
- It runs on web, iOS, Android and Mac, in 8 languages, and deletes recordings by default.
If you're a counselor reading this, honestly, go try Upheal. Mentalyc is worth a look too.
Why it doesn't fit a PT visit
The problem isn't quality. It's what the tool expects to hear.
A therapy hour is a conversation. Upheal listens for themes, interventions like CBT or motivational interviewing, risk, and progress toward a goal.
A PT visit is a conversation plus a physical exam plus an exercise session. The most important parts of the note are things you measured or did: 118° of flexion, a 4/5 quad, a negative Lachman, three sets of step-downs. A mental-health model has no section for those, and it doesn't know a Lachman from a lunch order.
Then there's everything around the note. PTs need the home exercise program, the note in a PT EMR like WebPT or Prompt, and daily notes that build on the initial eval. None of that is what Upheal is for.
What Claire does with the same hour
Claire is built specifically for physical therapy, so here's what Note B's visit looks like:
While you treat, Claire records from a side panel next to your EMR. It separates your voice from the patient's and keeps recording if the Wi-Fi drops.
When you stop, it writes the note in your PT template. ROM, MMT grades and special-test results go into Objective, with interventions and dosage. The assessment refers back to the eval goals because Claire wrote the note with the eval and last visit in view.
In one click, the note goes into your EMR's own fields. That works in 80+ EMRs, and you set up the field layout once for your whole clinic.
From the same recording, Claire drafts the HEP: the TKEs and step-downs you actually did, with sets, reps and a video for each. It also drafts a short plain-language summary email for the patient.
Over time, when you edit a note and press Learn, Claire saves the edit as a rule, like "write AROM in degrees, no words" or "always list the HEP reviewed in Plan."
Side by side
| Claire | Upheal | Edge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Physical therapy: evals, daily notes, HEPs. | Mental health: counselors, psychologists, social workers, psychiatric providers. | Even |
| Note formats | PT SOAP and SOTAP templates for general, ortho, sports and pelvic health. | Progress notes in SOAP, DAP, BIRP and more, written for psychotherapy sessions. | Even |
| Objective findings | ROM, MMT grades, special tests, outcome measures and interventions go into Objective. | Mental status and session themes. Not designed for physical measurements. | Claire |
| Treatment plans | Goals from the eval carry forward into each daily note. | Full treatment plans with the 'golden thread' linking diagnosis, goals and each session. | Upheal |
| Home exercise program | Drafted from the session with sets, reps and videos, ready to email. | No. | Claire |
| Getting the note out | One-click push into 80+ PT EMRs (WebPT, Prompt, Jane, Raintree, Net Health and more). | Upheal can be your EHR. For an outside EHR, a Chrome extension fills supported systems, or copy-paste. | Claire |
| Free plan | 7-day free trial, then paid. | Free plan with text-to-note, dictation and uploads. | Upheal |
| Price | From $49/mo for 50 visits ($45/mo billed annually), shared by unlimited therapists. Larger plans up to 400 visits, plus an unlimited-visit plan for solo PTs. | AI Notes $39/mo unlimited. EHR from $1/session or $99/mo for EHR Pro. | Even |
| Apps and languages | Records right beside your EMR note, no separate app to switch from. Web app works in your phone's browser. English. | Web, iOS, Android and Mac. 8 languages. | Upheal |
| Compliance | HIPAA, BAA signed in-app. Audio deleted after 14 days. | HIPAA, PHIPA, GDPR and SOC 2. Recordings deleted by default. | Even |
- Built forEven
- Claire: Physical therapy: evals, daily notes, HEPs.
- Upheal: Mental health: counselors, psychologists, social workers, psychiatric providers.
- Note formatsEven
- Claire: PT SOAP and SOTAP templates for general, ortho, sports and pelvic health.
- Upheal: Progress notes in SOAP, DAP, BIRP and more, written for psychotherapy sessions.
- Objective findingsClaire
- Claire: ROM, MMT grades, special tests, outcome measures and interventions go into Objective.
- Upheal: Mental status and session themes. Not designed for physical measurements.
- Treatment plansUpheal
- Claire: Goals from the eval carry forward into each daily note.
- Upheal: Full treatment plans with the 'golden thread' linking diagnosis, goals and each session.
- Home exercise programClaire
- Claire: Drafted from the session with sets, reps and videos, ready to email.
- Upheal: No.
- Getting the note outClaire
- Claire: One-click push into 80+ PT EMRs (WebPT, Prompt, Jane, Raintree, Net Health and more).
- Upheal: Upheal can be your EHR. For an outside EHR, a Chrome extension fills supported systems, or copy-paste.
- Free planUpheal
- Claire: 7-day free trial, then paid.
- Upheal: Free plan with text-to-note, dictation and uploads.
- PriceEven
- Claire: From $49/mo for 50 visits ($45/mo billed annually), shared by unlimited therapists. Larger plans up to 400 visits, plus an unlimited-visit plan for solo PTs.
- Upheal: AI Notes $39/mo unlimited. EHR from $1/session or $99/mo for EHR Pro.
- Apps and languagesUpheal
- Claire: Records right beside your EMR note, no separate app to switch from. Web app works in your phone's browser. English.
- Upheal: Web, iOS, Android and Mac. 8 languages.
- ComplianceEven
- Claire: HIPAA, BAA signed in-app. Audio deleted after 14 days.
- Upheal: HIPAA, PHIPA, GDPR and SOC 2. Recordings deleted by default.
Which one is for you
Go with Claire if…
- You're a PT, PTA or physio. That's most of the decision.
- Your notes need measurements, special tests and interventions in the right place.
- You send a home exercise program after most visits.
- You already have a PT EMR and want the note to land in it.
Upheal is probably the better fit if…
- You're a counselor, psychologist or social worker writing progress notes.
- Treatment plans and insurance-ready documentation are your main headache.
- You want an all-in-one EHR with telehealth and billing included.
- You want to start free.
Built for Note B
Upheal is excellent because it picked one kind of therapist and built everything around them. We did the same thing, for a different therapist.
Claire was built for the PT who has to document a knee they measured, a special test they ran and three exercises they dosed, then send the patient home with a program. Every part of the product is built around that visit, from the Objective section to the push into your PT EMR. A mental-health scribe, however good, was never meant to do that.
If your notes look like Note B, Claire's 7-day trial is free. Record one eval and two dailies and see whether you'd sign the notes.