DEV Community: Robbie Edwards

Why Therapy Notes Feel Harder Than They Actually Are

Robbie Edwards — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 01:57:18 +0000

If you’re building tools for therapists, it’s easy to assume the problem is obvious:

Writing notes takes too long.

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But after talking to clinicians, a different pattern emerges.

The issue isn’t the note itself.

It’s the mental context switch required to write it.

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During sessions, therapists operate in a completely different mode:

listening
pattern recognition
emotional processing

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Documentation requires something else:

structure
summarization
compliance framing

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Switching between those modes is cognitively expensive.

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That’s why you hear this so often:

“Once I start, it’s fine.”

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The bottleneck isn’t writing.

It’s starting.

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Most tools try to optimize the output:

better templates
cleaner formatting

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But the higher-leverage opportunity is reducing the activation energy required to begin.

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That’s also why a lot of newer approaches to AI in this space focus less on generating perfect notes and more on lowering the barrier to getting something started.

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If you’re curious how this is evolving in practice:
👉 AI for Therapists

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Once the first step is easier, everything downstream improves.

Why Most AI Tools for Therapists Miss the Real Problem

Robbie Edwards — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 19:16:15 +0000

If you’re building AI tools for therapists, it’s easy to assume:

Writing notes takes too long.

⸻

So most tools optimize for:
• structure
• formatting
• templates

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But the real bottleneck is earlier.

It’s starting.

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After a full day of sessions, therapists hesitate before writing anything.

Not because they lack information.

But because they have to switch contexts.

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We kept hearing:

“Once I start, it’s fine.”

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That insight changes how you build.

Instead of asking:

“How do we generate better notes?”

You ask:

“How do we remove the friction of starting?”

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That’s the direction tools like AfterSession are taking — letting clinicians speak or type brief observations and turning them into structured notes without requiring full session recordings.

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Once a therapist begins, the rest follows.

So the highest leverage isn’t output quality.

It’s lowering activation energy.

How AI Is Actually Being Used by Therapists

Robbie Edwards — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:43:57 +0000

AI in mental health is often framed as replacing therapists.

But the most practical use of AI today is far simpler: reducing documentation burden.

Therapists spend significant time writing:

Progress notes
SOAP notes
Treatment plans
Session summaries

AI helps by generating structured documentation based on clinician input.

This keeps therapists in control while improving efficiency.

Common use cases:

AI therapy notes
Session summaries
Documentation templates
Workflow automation

Learn more:

AI for therapists
AI therapy notes
Therapy documentation best practices

AI isn’t replacing therapists.

It’s helping reduce burnout and improve workflows.