First-of-Its-Kind Study Confirms AI Tools Cut Psychotherapist Admin Time and Boost Treatment Adherence and Effectiveness

A growing body of research shows that mental health professionals spend a substantial portion of their time on administrative tasks, contributing to burnout, reduced session quality, and decreased patient care time. According to a U.S. report, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals spend approximately 20% of their working hours on administrative tasks — with more than 85% identifying this as a contributor to burnout. Other studies estimate clinicians may spend up to 35% of patient time on documentation. A newly published randomized controlled trial — the first of its kind to assess AI‑assisted note‑taking in psychotherapy — positions AI as a viable solution to this crisis. 

The independent pilot study, published in Psychology (DOI: 10.4236/psych.2025.166044), was conducted with 70 licensed psychotherapists across the U.S. It evaluated the impact of using Yung Sidekick, an AI-powered platform designed to reduce administrative burden for mental health professionals, versus traditional documentation practices over a one-month period. The study confirms that Yung Sidekick significantly reduces therapists' documentation time while freeing more time for patient care, improving adherence to treatment plans, and other critical therapy metrics. 

Key findings include: 

• 55% reduction in average time spent on documentation, from 20 to 9 minutes per session (Cohen’s d ≈ 1.0); 
• 40% drop in preparation time, from nearly 15 to 9 minutes per session; 
• Improved adherence to treatment plans (+0.55 points on a 5-point scale, Cohen’s d ≈ 0.78) and higher therapist-reported progress in client outcomes (+0.18 points, Cohen’s d ≈ 0.48);
• No compromise on privacy or security: the tool is HIPAA-compliant and stores no personal health data. 

This positions Yung Sidekick as the first AI-powered mental health note-taking and analytics platform to demonstrate significant efficiency gains alongside measurable improvements in therapy quality outcomes, all validated through rigorous peer-reviewed research. 

“This study validates what we’re hearing from the field every day,” said Michael Reider, co-founder and CEO of Yung Sidekick. “Therapists are under immense administrative pressure, and automation — when built right — can restore their time and focus back to client care.

Clinics adopting the tool now have clear, evidence-based reasons to expect meaningful improvements in both operational efficiency and therapeutic effectiveness.” 

The study was conducted independently and preregistered with the Open Science Framework, ensuring methodological transparency. While highlighting measurable efficiency gains and improvements in therapist-reported outcomes, the research also calls for further longitudinal studies to assess the long-term effects of AI integration in psychotherapy. Future research is planned to further assess long-term impacts, including direct client outcomes and sustained benefits in clinical practice. 

Founded in 2021, Yung Sidekick pivoted from its original B2C app to focus on private therapists and small group practices after identifying the burden of clinical note-taking as a major driver of burnout and reduced care quality. The company is currently expanding its product suite while preparing for its next fundraising round. 

Unlike other tools that simply summarize sessions, Yung Sidekick consolidates insights into structured progress notes and meta-reports, helping therapists track long-term client trajectories. Its platform also includes experimental features such as real-time mood detection and an AI chat assistant to analyze sessions — empowering providers with faster, more actionable clinical insights.