Does it follow the order of the conversation or the order of the assessment?

The assessment. Whatever order the session took, what was said is arranged by domain: presenting problem, history, social context, mental status, risk, strengths, formulation.

How do my own observations and my formulation get into it?

Say them. The assessment is written only from what the recording contains, so add a short spoken note once the client has left: what you observed, your formulation, your recommendations. They are attributed to you as the clinician.

What does it do when the client says something about self-harm?

It quotes the client's own words briefly in the Risk assessment section, attributed to the client. It records what was discussed. It does not rate the risk or add a safety plan.

How much of the client's own wording is kept?

Short quotes only, for risk statements and key disclosures. Everything else is paraphrased in attributed, behavioral language: “the client reported”, “the client described”.

First session in, intake assessment out, with the gaps marked.

Verbato writes an intake assessment from the recording of your first session. An intake assessment records the first session with a new client: why they came, and their history and current situation, area by area, as the base for the sessions that follow.

For therapists who write a biopsychosocial assessment after the first session.

Start with a recording

YouTube, Spotify, Google Drive, Dropbox and more than 1,000 sites.
Free plan: 2 h of audio a month. Files up to 40 min.
Without an account, your recording is held for 24 hours. It starts when you create your account; if you don't, it is deleted.
Your recordings are never used to train or improve models.

Your recording is saved for 24 hours. It starts when you create your account.

What is said, and the intake assessment you get back

Illustrative example

The transcript excerpt and the document are written to show the format. Every name, figure and quote is invented.

What is said · transcript excerpt

12:04
Therapist
Any medical conditions, or medication you take regularly?
12:09
Client
No, nothing. I don't take anything.
12:20
Therapist
How have you been sleeping?
12:24
Client
I wake up early most days and can't get back to sleep.
12:41
Therapist
And alcohol?
12:44
Client
A couple of drinks on weekends. Two, maybe three.

appears in this excerpt

What comes back · intake assessment

Presenting problem

The client is seeking help for low mood and loss of interest in daily activities, beginning about 4 months ago after a redundancy.

Medical and substance history

The client reported no medical conditions and no current medication. Sleep: early waking most days. Alcohol: 2 to 3 drinks on weekends. Other substance use: not assessed. (appears in this excerpt)

Psychological history

One prior episode of low mood at age 24, untreated. Hospitalizations: not assessed.

Social context

Lives with a partner, described as supportive. Currently unemployed; in contact with two friends.

Mental status

Casually dressed, cooperative. Speech quiet and slow. Affect flat. Thought process linear.

Risk assessment

Risk not assessed in this session.

Strengths and resources

Supportive partner; prior work history the client described as a source of pride; attended on their own initiative.

Formulation and recommendations

The clinician described the presentation as consistent with a depressive episode following job loss, and recommended weekly sessions and a risk review at the next appointment.

Illustrative example

End of the illustrative example. Neither the excerpt nor the document was produced by Verbato.

How your intake assessment is written

Mental status records only what could be observed: appearance, speech, affect, thought process.
Risk is never filled in by inference. If it was not assessed, the assessment says so.
Strengths and supports are written as specifically as the problems.
A diagnosis you state is kept, hedged as you hedged it. Read the formulation before you sign: it can word what you said in clinical terms.

Your format, not ours

The sections of your intake assessment and the way it is written are yours to change. To fix a document, say what is wrong in your own words.

1You correct it
“Keep the Mental status to a few lines.”
That intake assessment changes. Nothing else does.
2You say it again
Make the same correction on a later intake assessment and Verbato asks: “You've changed this before. Always?”
3You decide
Answer “Always” and it is kept as a rule, applied from your next intake assessment on. Answer “Just this once” and nothing is kept. Documents already written stay as they are, and nothing becomes a rule unless you confirm it.
4Your rules
I keep “Mental status” short.Undo
Every rule you have kept is listed, and you can undo any of them. An undone rule stops applying from your next intake assessment.

How it works

Upload a file, paste a link, record in your browser, or send a voice note by Telegram or email. Verbato makes a word-for-word transcript, which you can edit and which stays beside the document. Your intake assessment is written from it, in minutes.

Recording limits

A recording made in your browser can run up to 30 min on every plan; a longer session goes in as a file you upload. A free account takes recordings of up to 40 min each; for longer ones, see pricing.

Your recording

Deleted after 7 days by default, together with its transcript and documents. You can keep a project longer, up to your plan's limit. Deleting a recording leaves a receipt you can download. Nothing you record is used to train or improve AI models.

Questions about the intake assessment

Does it follow the order of the conversation or the order of the assessment?: The assessment. Whatever order the session took, what was said is arranged by domain: presenting problem, history, social context, mental status, risk, strengths, formulation.
How do my own observations and my formulation get into it?: Say them. The assessment is written only from what the recording contains, so add a short spoken note once the client has left: what you observed, your formulation, your recommendations. They are attributed to you as the clinician.
What does it do when the client says something about self-harm?: It quotes the client's own words briefly in the Risk assessment section, attributed to the client. It records what was discussed. It does not rate the risk or add a safety plan.
How much of the client's own wording is kept?: Short quotes only, for risk statements and key disclosures. Everything else is paraphrased in attributed, behavioral language: “the client reported”, “the client described”.

Record the first session. Read the assessment before the second.

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