Aipedia: Counsellors and psychotherapists

AI-written therapy reports and letters: accuracy and liability

Aipedia, by the Apex broking team · Last reviewed 2026-10-30

You can use AI to help draft reports and letters, but every statement must be accurate and your own, and client data should only go into an agreed tool. Reports to GPs, employers, solicitors or courts are relied on by others, so an AI error can cause real loss.

Part of: AI in counselling and psychotherapy

In short

Therapists write letters to GPs, reports for EAPs and employers, letters supporting housing or benefits applications, and occasionally reports for solicitors or courts. AI can draft quickly but can invent detail, misstate what a client said or overstate conclusions. The BACP Ethical Framework 2026 requires honesty and accuracy about your work (1.2(a)), informed consent before inputting personal data into AI (2.1(e)(iv)), critical evaluation of AI output (2.1(e)(v)) and factual records (3.2(a)). Inaccurate reports are a classic source of PI claims, which cover usually responds to subject to the terms.

How therapists use AI for reports and letters

Report writing takes time, and a generative AI chatbot can produce a fluent first draft from a few notes. Typical uses include turning session notes into a GP update, drafting an attendance and progress report for an EAP, tidying a letter supporting a client's request for workplace adjustments, and structuring a report requested by a solicitor. AI is also used to rewrite letters to clients in a warmer or simpler tone.

The risk is that the draft sounds authoritative. AI can fill gaps with plausible content, attribute statements the client never made, or turn a tentative clinical impression into a confident conclusion.

The duties that apply

The relevant duties are:

1.2(a) of the BACP Ethical Framework 2026: be honest about your work and provide clear, accurate information, including about your qualifications and competence. A report that implies expertise you do not have, or opinions you did not form, breaches this.
2.1(e)(iv): informed consent before entering client personal data into AI tools.
2.1(e)(v): you remain responsible for critically evaluating AI output and for any decisions based on it.
2.1(a): work within your competence; court and medico-legal reports demand specific skills.
3.1: share information with third parties only within agreed limits of confidentiality.
3.2(a): records, including copies of reports, must be factual.

BACP's Ethics essentials session warns against putting identifying information into untested systems.

What can go wrong

Illustrative scenario: a psychotherapist uses an AI tool to turn rough notes into a report for a client's solicitor in an employment dispute. The draft states that the client's symptoms "began following the events at work". The therapist's notes actually record earlier difficulties. The therapist signs the report without spotting the change. It is challenged in the proceedings, the client's case is damaged, and the client complains and threatens a claim. The opposing party also asks how the report was prepared.

Other failures include sending a letter to the wrong recipient after an AI tool merged two clients' details, and including sensitive content the client had not agreed to share.

How PI usually responds

A negligence claim arising from an inaccurate report is the type of claim therapist PI is designed for, subject to the policy terms. Points to check: whether report writing for legal or employment purposes is within your declared activities; whether expert witness work needs to be declared separately; and whether there is any AI or technology wording. Defamation can arise if a report makes damaging statements about a third party; see defamation cover in PI. Professional conduct complaint costs may or may not be included. Our general guide asks does PI cover AI mistakes.

Practical controls

Practical controls include:

Use AI on structure and wording, not on clinical opinion.
Do not enter identifiable client data unless the client has given informed consent and the tool has been assessed.
Check every factual statement against your notes; delete anything you cannot verify.
Make sure the report reflects your competence and the limits of your opinion.
Confirm the client has agreed to what is being shared and with whom.
Keep a copy of the final report and your source notes.

Reports for courts and solicitors

Reports prepared for legal proceedings carry extra weight and scrutiny. Opposing parties may test how a report was produced, what notes it relied on and whether the author had the competence to give the opinions it contains. If you are asked to act as an expert rather than as the treating therapist, that is a different role with different duties, and it may need to be declared to your insurer separately. Using AI to draft such a report increases the importance of being able to show your working: keep your source notes, the drafts and a record of the checks you made before signing.

How Apex helps

Apex arranges PI for counsellors and psychotherapists, including those who write reports for third parties. A broker can check your declared activities match the reports you produce. Related: AI in EAP work, AI-written profiles and the counselling AI hub.

Sources

Frequently asked

Can I use AI to write a report for a GP or solicitor?

You can use it to help with structure and wording, but the content and opinions must be your own and accurate. Only enter identifiable client data into an assessed tool with the client's informed consent, and check every statement before signing.

Should I tell the recipient I used AI?

BACP 2.1(e)(iii) requires honesty and transparency about AI use with the people using your services. Some recipients, such as courts, may ask how a report was prepared. Being able to explain your process, and that you checked everything, protects you.

Does PI cover a claim about an inaccurate report?

Usually, if the work is within your declared activities and subject to the policy terms. Check whether medico-legal or court reports need declaring separately, and whether the policy has any AI wording. Notify a complaint or threatened claim promptly.

Check your PI covers how you use AI

Tell us about your firm and the work you do. A broker will review how your current PI treats AI-assisted work, or arrange new cover. No fee for a quote. Or call 0117 325 0027.

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Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information about how AI is used in the profession and how insurance may respond. It is not legal, regulatory or insurance advice on your circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.