# Practice Pad - Therapy Notes — Apple Pencil HIPAA Charting

> Digital therapy notes from handwritten input with HIPAA compliance. (iPhone/iPad app by Perry Emerick.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/practice-pad-therapy-notes/id6760620208 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Perry Emerick](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885364768)
- Category: Medical, Productivity
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 51 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-05-18
- Data updated: 2026-08-22
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/practice-pad-therapy-notes/id6760620208/reviews.md

## What is Practice Pad?

Finish the session. Tap Finalize. Done.

Practice Pad is the clinical documentation app built by a licensed counselor for therapists who handwrite their notes. Capture them by hand with Apple Pencil and they become finished, signed clinical documentation — no retyping, no double work.

WRITE BY HAND, FILE AUTOMATICALLY
Handwrite session notes with Apple Pencil on your iPad
On-device OCR turns your handwriting into clinical text — nothing leaves your iPad during conversion
Built-in DAP, SOAP, BIRP, and Narrative templates organize your writing
Browse and install community note templates — including EMDR specialty formats — right into your library (Cloud plan)
Review section by section, then sign and lock the note

TRACK PROGRESS OVER TIME
Administer PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5, ACE, and C-SSRS with automatic scoring
Re-administer assessments and see each client's scores charted over time, with severity bands behind the line
Progress is ready the moment you open a session — see where a client stands at a glance

KEEP YOUR RECORD CLEAN AND DEFENSIBLE
Append-only addenda let you add dated, signed amendments to a finalized note without altering the original record — designed to support proper clinical amendment practices under HIPAA
Biometric Face ID / Touch ID lock protects your sessions
AES-256 encrypted on-device storage

YOUR DATA, YOUR ACCOUNT
Sync finished notes to your own Google Workspace — Drive, Sheets, and Calendar (Cloud plan)
Or copy note text and export PDF into any EHR (every plan)
Your templates and your clients live in your account, not ours

PRIVATE BY DESIGN
We never collect your clinical data or PHI
No PHI touches our servers
A Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is available for your practice

BUILT BY A CLINICIAN, NOT A BILLING COMPANY
Practice Pad started because its founder — a Licensed Professional Counselor — was tired of paying for software that held his data hostage. It does one thing exceptionally well: turn your handwriting into a clean clinical record, then get out of your way.

Plans start at $15/month with a 14-day free trial. Practice Pad is a documentation tool, not an EHR — no scheduling, billing, or client portal, by design.

## Key features

- Handwrite notes with Apple Pencil
- On-device OCR for text conversion
- Built-in DAP, SOAP, BIRP templates
- Progress tracking with assessments
- Append-only addenda for amendments
- Biometric and encrypted data security
- Export notes to PDF or sync to Google Drive

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Practice Pad Secure | $15.00 | per month |
| Practice Pad Cloud | $22.00 | per month |


## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/practice-pad-therapy-notes/id6760620208/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Extremely helpful for a therapist!

*2026-07-30*

This app works amazingly well alongside the Google suite to help maintain notes for a clinical practice. It has good functions to maintain some basic chart info but really shines with creating notes during or after a session. I like the blend of using the Apple Pencil and keyboard, and you can create custom the templates to fit your practice. You can also issue some screening tools to track progress over time. As someone who bills insurance, I can set it up to check every box I need for documentation and everything gets converted to a locked PDF with my signature. Also important to note that the developer has been very responsive to feedback and is continually making improvements. If you want a convenient way to make notes easier and are avoiding the expensive EHR companies, this is the way to go.

## Frequently asked questions about Practice Pad

### What is Practice Pad's primary function?

Practice Pad is designed to convert your handwritten therapy session notes, captured with Apple Pencil, into finalized, signed clinical documentation. It aims to eliminate the need for retyping by offering on-device OCR and secure storage.

### Does Practice Pad support HIPAA compliance?

Yes, Practice Pad is built with HIPAA compliance in mind. It offers on-device processing for sensitive data, AES-256 encrypted storage, and biometric locks (Face ID/Touch ID) to protect patient information. A Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is also available.

### What are the subscription options for Practice Pad?

Practice Pad offers two subscription plans: Practice Pad Secure at $15.00/month and Practice Pad Cloud at $22.00/month. Both plans include a 14-day free trial.

### Can I track client progress with Practice Pad?

Yes, Practice Pad allows you to administer and automatically score common assessments like PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PCL-5. You can re-administer these assessments and view client scores charted over time, providing a clear overview of their progress.

### How does Practice Pad handle note amendments?

Practice Pad uses an append-only addenda system. This allows you to add dated, signed amendments to a finalized note without altering the original record, which is crucial for maintaining defensible clinical records under HIPAA guidelines.

### What devices is Practice Pad compatible with?

Practice Pad is designed for use on iPads and iPhones, leveraging the capabilities of Apple Pencil for handwriting input on compatible devices.

### How often is Practice Pad updated?

The latest version of Practice Pad is 1.2.0, and it was last updated on August 10, 2026. This indicates a relatively active development cycle for the application.

### Does Practice Pad have ads?

No, Practice Pad does not contain advertisements. Its monetization is based on its subscription plans, offering an ad-free experience for users.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.2.1 — 2026-08-18

This update improves the reliability of assessment scoring and refines how results are displayed. It also includes dark mode improvements across clinical screens and general stability fixes. As always, built by a working therapist. Thanks for the notes and feedback that shaped this release.

### 1.2.0 — 2026-08-10

Track client progress over time.

Practice Pad 1.2 introduces longitudinal score trends. Re-administer PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PCL-5 to the same client and see their scores charted over time, with severity bands shaded behind the line — so a client's trajectory is ready the moment you open a session.

• New: score trend charts on the client detail screen
• New: re-administer a single assessment without resending the whole intake packet
• New: at-a-glance trend summary when you open a session
• Improved: intake assessment scores now reliably reach the results screen
• Refinements to subscription plan details and in-app copy

### 1.1.0 — 2026-07-28

This update improves reliability across subscriptions, intake assessments, and clinical record syncing.

• Smoother, more reliable subscription and upgrade experience
• More accurate intake assessment scoring and syncing to your Google Workspace
• Behind-the-scenes stability and data-integrity improvements

Thank you for using Practice Pad. Questions or feedback? Reach us at support@practicepadapp.com.

### 1.0.17 — 2026-06-16

Hotfix for Community Template Library feature (Cloud tier). A security key rotation broke the feature for existing users. No new features or UI changes.

### 1.0.16 — 2026-06-14

The Template Library is here.

- Community Template Library — browse a growing library of ready-made note formats and install them right into your app (Cloud plan).

- EMDR session templates — purpose-built formats for EMDR-trained clinicians, with structured fields for targets, SUD and VOC ratings, and the phases of an EMDR session.

- Smarter handwriting conversion — on-device text conversion now captures every section of a multi-section note, not just the one you're working in.

- Apple Pencil refinements — your pen tool and stroke width stay consistent as you move between sections of a note.

- Stability and reliability improvements under the hood.

Your notes stay encrypted on your device, and your data stays yours.

## Related topics

[lexapr](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/lexapr)

---

*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-22.*