A breakthrough in behavioral health: AI scribes are easing provider burnout while respecting patient privacy.
Grow Therapy is bringing artificial intelligence into one of the most personal spaces in medicine—mental health care. The company has rolled out two AI-assisted tools aimed at improving efficiency for its vast network of over 17,000 behavioral health providers. These new offerings, built on ambient listening technology, automatically translate therapy sessions into clinical notes and after-visit summaries, helping both patients and providers stay on the same page.
The move reflects a growing trend across health care, where AI scribes are reducing administrative burdens and freeing up providers to focus on meaningful human connections. But mental health is different—more intimate, more sensitive, and far more complex. And Grow Therapy is making sure this technology respects that reality.
How AI Scribes Are Changing Mental Health Sessions
AI scribes, or ambient listening tools, aren’t exactly new. Hospitals and clinics around the U.S. have started adopting these systems to handle documentation automatically, cutting down on the time doctors spend writing notes. But Grow Therapy’s decision to develop its own version speaks to the unique challenges of mental health care.
According to CEO Jake Cooper, the company observed that providers who were fully engaged during sessions built stronger connections with their patients. That human connection—the very foundation of effective therapy—can be disrupted when a therapist is busy typing away at notes mid-session.
But there’s a catch: Writing down session takeaways after a meeting helps reinforce the lessons learned during therapy. Cooper and his team started asking themselves, “Can we help providers stay present and capture essential session insights?”
The answer? AI that listens, processes, and drafts notes without disrupting the therapeutic flow.
Privacy First: Tackling Data Sensitivity Head-On
Mental health data is among the most sensitive information in all of health care. Every session touches on deeply personal experiences, emotions, and traumas—areas where trust is non-negotiable. Grow Therapy’s AI tools are designed with this in mind.
Here’s how they’re safeguarding privacy:
- Dual Consent: Both patient and provider must opt in for the AI scribe to activate.
- No Recordings: The system never stores audio recordings; only text-based notes are saved.
- End-to-End Encryption: All data remains encrypted to ensure confidentiality.
Pat Grady from Sequoia Capital, which led Grow Therapy’s Series C funding round, highlighted the importance of this cautious approach. “This isn’t like launching a new social media feature. Trust is everything here,” Grady said.
In a world where health care data breaches are making headlines, this extra layer of privacy protection is a game-changer.
Adoption Rates and Early Results: Patients Are Warming Up to AI Support
Despite concerns over AI’s involvement in such a personal setting, early adoption rates are promising. Just two weeks after the tools became available to all Grow Therapy providers, nearly 50% of patients opted in.
Cooper expects these numbers to climb as providers grow more comfortable using the technology and share their positive experiences with patients. To measure the effectiveness of these tools, Grow Therapy is tracking several factors:
- Patient satisfaction scores
- Self-reported mental health improvements
- The longevity of therapeutic relationships between providers and patients
So far, signs point toward a win-win for both sides of the couch.
AI Eases the Heavy Load of Provider Burnout
The benefits of this technology aren’t just for patients. Mental health professionals often juggle intense emotional responsibilities with endless administrative tasks, a combination that can quickly lead to burnout. Cooper acknowledges this pressure:
“There absolutely is burnout, with respect to both the emotional weight providers are carrying and the administrative workload.”
Grow Therapy’s AI tools aim to lighten that load. By automating note-taking and summarizing patient progress, therapists can focus on what truly matters—connecting with their clients.
In fact, reducing administrative duties could help providers offer more consistent care and avoid the fatigue that often leads to errors or diminished patient interactions.
Why Behavioral Health Is the Perfect Fit for AI Tools
Unlike other areas of medicine that rely heavily on physical exams or lab results, behavioral health is uniquely suited for language-based AI systems. Therapy sessions are built on conversation—an exchange of words, emotions, and ideas. This makes them a natural fit for large language models (LLMs).
Pat Grady puts it succinctly: “The care itself is text in, text out. It’s a bull’s-eye for what AI can do.”
This isn’t about replacing therapists with chatbots. Rather, it’s about using technology to support and enhance human-centered care, not substitute it. Cooper emphasizes that the therapist remains the primary decision-maker, with AI serving as an assistant—not a replacement.
The Road Ahead for AI in Mental Health
The potential for AI in mental health care goes beyond scribes and note-taking. As providers grow more familiar with the technology, future applications could include personalized therapy recommendations, progress tracking, or even predictive analytics to identify when a patient may need additional support.
But for now, Grow Therapy is focused on the essentials: improving provider-patient connections, easing the administrative burden, and ensuring privacy remains paramount.
It’s a delicate balance—one that could redefine how mental health care is delivered in the years to come.
