The Index · Edition Vol. 2026.07
Behavioral-health AI scribes, ranked on evidence.
A six-dimension rubric — HIPAA, note quality, DSM-5-TR fluency, workflow, integrations, pricing — applied to 10 scribes across four visit types spanning therapy, counseling, and substance-use treatment. No vendor pays for inclusion, placement, or score.
§ Index · Full rankings
Deep-dive rankings →Scored 0.0–10.0 across six weighted dimensions · Last verified 2026-07-28
Desk · Editorial
Buyer guides & reference
buyer guide
Best AI Scribes for Therapists in 2026
For solo and small-group therapists in 2026, Twofold Health is our Editor's Pick — behavioral-health-native across therapy and SUD, with DAP/SOAP/BIRP/GIRP/PIRP support, ASAM-aligned intakes, audit-ready risk documentation, and a signed BAA on every paid tier. Blueprint is the strongest measurement-based-care pick, Upheal is the best telehealth-first option, and Mentalyc is the best value for niche formats. General medical scribes like Freed and Heidi are usable but not behavioral-health-specialized.
14 min · Guide No. 01
buyer guide
Best AI Scribes for Substance Use and Addiction Counselors
For outpatient substance-use counselors in 2026, Twofold Health is our Editor's Pick — behavioral-health-native across therapy and SUD, with ASAM-aligned intake templates, AUDIT/DAST-10/CIWA capture, and a documented 42 CFR Part 2 posture on every paid tier. Eleos Health remains the enterprise reference for programs on Kipu, Sunwave, Alleva, or Netsmart. Blueprint and Mentalyc are viable secondary picks for solo counselors.
15 min · Guide No. 02
reference
HIPAA and BAA Checklist for Behavioral Health AI Scribes
Never onboard client audio to an AI scribe without a signed BAA on your specific plan. Verify encryption, audit logs, subprocessors, retention, model-training posture, breach-notification SLA, and — for any SUD caseload — 42 CFR Part 2 handling. This guide includes the ten questions to send every vendor in writing.
10 min · Guide No. 03
reference
DAP vs SOAP vs BIRP — Which Therapy Note Format Should Your AI Scribe Support?
DAP is the default outpatient therapy format. SOAP is medical-adjacent. BIRP and GIRP are behavior- and goal-oriented and dominate agency and SUD settings. PIRP is problem-oriented. The strongest behavioral-health scribes — Twofold, Blueprint, Upheal, and Mentalyc — support all of them; general medical scribes tend to ship SOAP-first with weaker BIRP/GIRP output.
11 min · Guide No. 04
buyer guide
AI Scribes for Group Therapy Sessions
Group therapy is the hardest test for an AI scribe. Speaker diarization degrades past six participants and cross-talk breaks most two-speaker models. Twofold Health, Blueprint, Mentalyc, and Eleos support per-member notes with GIRP; most general medical scribes do not. Always pilot with your real group size and modality.
10 min · Guide No. 05
§ Independence
$0
Vendors cannot buy inclusion, placement, or a higher score.
§ Protocol
4 visit types
Individual intake, follow-up, ASAM-informed SUD intake, DBT group.
§ Rubric
6 dimensions
HIPAA · note quality · BH fluency · workflow · integrations · pricing.