Private session notes for therapists, coaches and counsellors

Published 28 October 2026

Few conversations are as private as a therapy, coaching or counselling session. People share things there they don’t share anywhere else, and that trust depends on knowing the conversation stays in the room.

AI recorders promise to save time on notes. For many practitioners, though, a tool that records and transcribes every word of a session isn’t an option, or doesn’t feel right. This guide is about keeping good session notes yourself, privately, and using AI only where it actually helps.

Why recording sessions is a hard question

Trust. Knowing a session is recorded can change what a client is willing to say. Even with consent, a visible recorder in a vulnerable conversation is a lot to ask.

Consent has to be real. Recording a session needs the client’s clear, informed agreement, and many clients will say yes only because they feel they should.

A transcript is a lot of sensitive data. A word-for-word recording of a session contains far more personal detail than your notes ever would, and it usually ends up stored with an outside service.

Your professional rules come first. Depending on your profession and country, there may be specific rules about recording sessions and keeping client records. Check what applies to you.

What good session notes need

Your notes don’t need to capture everything that was said. They need to help you remember what matters for the next session. Many practitioners use a simple structure, for example:

SOAP: Subjective (what the client reports), Objective (what you observe), Assessment (your understanding), Plan (next steps).
DAP: Data (what happened in the session), Assessment, Plan.

Even a few lines per heading are enough. Short, structured notes are easier to read before the next session than any transcript.

Keep notes about the work, not about identities

A habit that protects clients whatever tool you use: keep your working notes non-identifying.

Use initials or a client code instead of full names.
Leave out details that would identify someone, such as addresses, employers or family names.
Keep identifying records in the system your profession requires, separately from your working notes.

Using AI, carefully

AI can help after a session: turning rough bullet points into a clear summary, or a list of themes and next steps. The safest approach is:

AI only when you ask, on a note you choose, never on a recording of the session.
Only non-identifying text. If you use an AI summary, make sure the note doesn’t contain names or other identifying details first.

How Quill Note fits

Quill Note was made for conversations that stay in the room:

No bot, no recording, no transcript. Nothing listens to your session. You write your own notes.
AI Summary only when you click. Your note is sent to the AI (OpenAI) only when you press the button, and it isn’t used to train AI models. Keep it to non-identifying notes.
Encrypted notes, organised in notebooks and sections, for example one notebook for your practice and a section per client code.
Float Mode keeps a small notes window on top of your video call for online sessions.

Please note: Quill Note is a private note-taking app, not a clinical records system, and it isn’t certified for regulated health records (for example under HIPAA in the United States). Use it for your own working notes, and keep official client records in the system your profession requires.

Questions people ask

Taking your own notes is a normal part of most practice, and nobody is recorded. Follow your professional guidelines on note-keeping and on what you tell clients. (This is general information, not legal or professional advice.)

Can I use AI on my session notes?

You can, as long as the note doesn’t identify the client and your professional rules allow it. In Quill Note, AI only sees a note when you press AI Summary.

Can I use Quill Note as my official client record?

No. Quill Note isn’t a clinical records system. It’s for your own private working notes.