Non-billable paperwork is a persistent load for psychologists and therapists.
Documentation Time Commitment:
A survey conducted among 93 health-service psychologists in the United States found that most were working at or beyond what their week could hold: 41% described themselves as "at full capacity" and a further 39% as "over-extended." Non-billable clinical activities — phone calls, chart updates, progress notes — were among the most commonly named sources of work-related stress.
Charting, calls, and progress notes land outside the billable hour.
Consequences for Wellbeing and Burnout:
The same study found alarmingly high levels of burnout among the respondents. Only a small minority (8%) reported no symptoms of burnout, while nearly one-fifth (18%) were experiencing burnout, and 3% were completely burnt out. A significant proportion (over 59%) reported occasional stress, with 21% exhibiting clear signs of burnout. The researchers observed a strong association between the intensity of workload, driven in part by documentation tasks, and the severity of burnout symptoms. I've written more on burnout among therapists and counsellors and on how clinicians cut documentation time without cutting corners. This finding is consistent with patterns observed in other healthcare professions, where excessive paperwork has been linked to increased stress and burnout among professionals. Taking that paperwork down is the whole point of what we build — see a clinician-first alternative to ChatGPT for notes.
