{"id":6305,"date":"2026-11-11T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/complicated.life\/blog\/?p=6305"},"modified":"2026-11-10T11:42:47","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T10:42:47","slug":"session-notes-templates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/complicated.life\/blog\/session-notes-templates\/","title":{"rendered":"Session notes for therapists: SOAP, DAP and BIRP templates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SOAP, DAP and BIRP are three structures for writing therapy session notes. SOAP splits a note into Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan; DAP merges the first two into Data; BIRP focuses on Behaviour, Intervention, Response and Plan. Pick the one that fits how you work, use it consistently, and keep notes factual, brief and secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For my first many years in practice I wrote my session notes free form, and only what the client said, in their words. Now I use SOAP, because the categories help me go beyond what the client tells me. That part goes in Subjective, and then I also note how the client appears, what my assessment of their situation is and what plan I&#8217;ve suggested in the session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A good session note does three jobs at once. It helps you pick up where you left off next week, it shows your clinical thinking if you ever need to explain a decision, and it is a record your client may one day ask to see. A template does not do your thinking for you, but it does make sure the same things get written down every time, which is most of the battle on a Thursday evening after six sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What a therapy session note is for<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A session note is a short, factual record of what happened in a session and what comes next. It supports continuity of care, both for you and for anyone who takes over if you are ill or refer a client on. It documents your reasoning, which matters for supervision, complaints and insurers. And in Europe it is personal health data under the GDPR, which means your client generally has a right to access it (Article 15), and in some countries national law adds its own rules, such as Germany&#8217;s \u00a7 630g BGB on patients inspecting their records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The last point changes how many therapists write. If you could assume the person you are writing about might read the note, you tend to write more carefully and more respectfully, which is rarely a bad thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SOAP notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SOAP comes from medicine, where it grew out of Lawrence Weed&#8217;s problem-oriented medical record in the 1960s, and it is still the format most practice software offers first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>S, Subjective:<\/strong> what the client tells you, in their words where it matters: their mood, concerns, events since the last session.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>O, Objective:<\/strong> what you observe: presentation, affect, engagement, any measures or scores you used.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A, Assessment:<\/strong> your clinical interpretation: progress towards goals, changes in risk, working hypotheses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>P, Plan:<\/strong> what happens next: homework, focus for the next session, referrals, date of the next appointment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SOAP suits therapists who work with measures or in settings where notes are shared with other health professionals. Its weakness in talking therapies is the line between subjective and objective, which can feel artificial when most of the session is the client&#8217;s own account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Fictional example.<\/em> S: Client reports sleeping better, two panic episodes this week, both on the commute. O: Calm, good eye contact, engaged with exercise; GAD-7 score 11 (previously 14). A: Gradual improvement; avoidance of train travel persists. P: Graded exposure, two short train journeys before next session; review in one week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">DAP notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DAP keeps the same logic but merges subjective and objective information into one section, which many psychotherapists and counsellors find more natural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>D, Data:<\/strong> what the client said and what you observed, together.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A, Assessment:<\/strong> your interpretation and progress.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>P, Plan:<\/strong> next steps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Fictional example.<\/em> D: Client described an argument with her sister and felt &#8220;dismissed again&#8221;; tearful when talking about their mother; engaged well with the chair exercise. A: Familiar pattern of feeling unseen in family relationships, now named by the client herself, which is new. P: Continue exploring the family pattern; client to notice moments of feeling dismissed this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">BIRP notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BIRP centres the note on what you did and how the client responded, which makes it popular in behavioural approaches and in settings that need to show which interventions were used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>B, Behaviour:<\/strong> the client&#8217;s presentation and what they brought.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>I, Intervention:<\/strong> what you did: techniques, exercises, psychoeducation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>R, Response:<\/strong> how the client responded to it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>P, Plan:<\/strong> next steps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Fictional example.<\/em> B: Client arrived late, irritable, reported a difficult week at work. I: Introduced cognitive restructuring for the thought &#8220;I always mess up&#8221;. R: Initially resistant, then generated two alternative thoughts; reported feeling &#8220;a bit lighter&#8221;. P: Thought record daily; review at next session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">GIRP notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">GIRP swaps behaviour for goals: <strong>G<\/strong>oal, <strong>I<\/strong>ntervention, <strong>R<\/strong>esponse, <strong>P<\/strong>lan. It suits goal-focused work and coaching-style approaches, where every note starts from what the client is working towards, which keeps progress visible over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n    <div class=\"post-cta-banner-container\" style=\"max-width:800px;margin:0 auto;\">\n      <div class=\"post-cta-banner\" style=\"display:flex;gap:64px;background:#ddf4ef;color:#363637;padding:40px;border-radius:12px;align-items:center;\">\n        <div style=\"flex:1 1 0%;min-width:0;\">\n          <div style=\"margin-bottom:16px;font-family:'General Sans Variable',Inter,Arial;font-size:24px;line-height:140%;letter-spacing:0%;\">Grow your practice<\/div>\n          <div style=\"font-family:'General Sans Variable',Inter,Arial;font-size:14px;line-height:22.5px;letter-spacing:0.14px;\">The therapist playbook includes structured advice from our most successful practitioners to help you grow a thriving private practice.<\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <div style=\"flex-shrink:0\">\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/complicated.ac-page.com\/therapist-playbook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n             style=\"background:#76d8bd;color:#082820;width:100%;padding:10px 37px;border-radius:24px;text-decoration:none;font-family:'General Sans Variable',Inter,Arial;font-size:16px;line-height:140%;letter-spacing:0.01em;text-align:center;font-weight:500;\">Get the playbook<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SOAP, DAP, BIRP and GIRP compared<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Format<\/th><th>Sections<\/th><th>Best for<\/th><th>Watch out for<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>SOAP<\/td><td>Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan<\/td><td>Measures, shared or medical settings<\/td><td>Subjective vs objective can feel forced in talking therapy<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>DAP<\/td><td>Data, Assessment, Plan<\/td><td>Psychotherapy and counselling, quick notes<\/td><td>Easy to let Data become a session transcript<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>BIRP<\/td><td>Behaviour, Intervention, Response, Plan<\/td><td>Behavioural and skills-based work<\/td><td>Can underplay the relationship and process<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>GIRP<\/td><td>Goal, Intervention, Response, Plan<\/td><td>Goal-focused work, coaching<\/td><td>Goals need revisiting or notes drift<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1500\" data-src=\"https:\/\/complicated.life\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/blog-6-summary.png\" alt=\"Cheat sheet of four session note formats: SOAP, DAP, BIRP and GIRP, with their sections and what each suits best.\" class=\"wp-image-6296 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/complicated.life\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/blog-6-summary.png 1200w, https:\/\/complicated.life\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/blog-6-summary-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/complicated.life\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/blog-6-summary-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/complicated.life\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/blog-6-summary-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/complicated.life\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/blog-6-summary-380x475.png 380w, https:\/\/complicated.life\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/blog-6-summary-800x1000.png 800w, https:\/\/complicated.life\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/blog-6-summary-1160x1450.png 1160w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1200px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1200\/1500;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SOAP, DAP, BIRP and GIRP note templates you can copy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each template below is plain text, so you can paste it into whatever you use for notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>SOAP NOTE\nClient:            Date:            Session no.:\nS (Subjective):\nO (Objective):\nA (Assessment):\nP (Plan):          Next session:<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>DAP NOTE\nClient:            Date:            Session no.:\nD (Data):\nA (Assessment):\nP (Plan):          Next session:<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>BIRP NOTE\nClient:            Date:            Session no.:\nB (Behaviour):\nI (Intervention):\nR (Response):\nP (Plan):          Next session:<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>GIRP NOTE\nClient:            Date:            Session no.:\nG (Goal):\nI (Intervention):\nR (Response):\nP (Plan):          Next session:<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to leave out of a session note<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I always imagine that my clients could, at any point, ask me for their session notes, so I never write anything they wouldn&#8217;t be able to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A session note is not a transcript and not a diary. Leave out long verbatim passages unless a specific phrase matters clinically, detailed information about third parties such as partners, family members or colleagues beyond what you need to understand the client, and your own speculation that you would not be comfortable explaining to the client. Keep judgemental language out, describe behaviour rather than labelling character, and separate what the client said from what you concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some therapists also keep separate process notes for their own reflection or supervision. Whether those count as part of the client record depends on how and where you keep them and on national law, so check with your professional body before relying on the distinction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How long to keep notes, and how to store them in Europe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is no single European retention period. National law and professional rules set it, and they differ. In Germany, for example, \u00a7 630f BGB requires treatment records to be kept for ten years after treatment ends. Elsewhere the period may come from health law, your professional body&#8217;s code or your insurer&#8217;s conditions, so check all three for the country you practise in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the GDPR, session notes are health data, a special category under Article 9, so they need appropriate security under Article 32: encryption, access control and a clear plan for what happens to them when the retention period ends. If you use software to store them, the provider processes that data on your behalf, so you need a data processing agreement with them under Article 28. Notebooks in a locked cabinet are still allowed, but they have their own risks, from lost bags to flooded offices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Writing notes faster without cutting corners<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The quickest wins are habits rather than tools: write the note straight after the session while it is fresh, use the same template every time, and keep it short. Five clear lines written immediately beat a perfect format you postpone until later in the week. If your notes tend to be stream of consciousness or on the longer side, It&#8217;s Complicated also has a built in tool to help practitioners neaten and organise their records for next time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Software helps by removing the small frictions. In It&#8217;s Complicated, SOAP, DAP, BIRP and GIRP templates are built in, and you can save up to ten of your own. You can start a note from the appointment, the calendar or the client record, or in the notes panel during a video call, and it saves as you type. Notes are only visible to you, can be exported to PDF with titles and timestamps, and Practice Vault can encrypt them on your own device with a passphrase only you hold. More on the <a href=\"https:\/\/complicated.life\/features\/session-notes\">session notes page<\/a>, and how storage and encryption work on the <a href=\"https:\/\/complicated.life\/features\/privacy-and-compliance\">privacy and compliance page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>About the author.<\/strong> Johanne is a Danish psychologist trained in behavioural methods and the co-founder of It&#8217;s Complicated. She qualified as a psychologist at the University of Copenhagen in 2013 and works with narrative therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy. See <a href=\"https:\/\/complicated.life\/for-therapists\">It&#8217;s Complicated for therapists<\/a> and our <a href=\"https:\/\/complicated.life\/facts\">facts page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n    <div class=\"post-cta-banner-container\" style=\"max-width:800px;margin:0 auto;\">\n      <div class=\"post-cta-banner\" style=\"display:flex;gap:64px;background:#ddf4ef;color:#363637;padding:40px;border-radius:12px;align-items:center;\">\n        <div style=\"flex:1 1 0%;min-width:0;\">\n          <div style=\"margin-bottom:16px;font-family:'General Sans Variable',Inter,Arial;font-size:24px;line-height:140%;letter-spacing:0%;\">Grow your practice<\/div>\n          <div style=\"font-family:'General Sans Variable',Inter,Arial;font-size:14px;line-height:22.5px;letter-spacing:0.14px;\">The therapist playbook includes structured advice from our most successful practitioners to help you grow a thriving private practice.<\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <div style=\"flex-shrink:0\">\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/complicated.ac-page.com\/therapist-playbook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n             style=\"background:#76d8bd;color:#082820;width:100%;padding:10px 37px;border-radius:24px;text-decoration:none;font-family:'General Sans Variable',Inter,Arial;font-size:16px;line-height:140%;letter-spacing:0.01em;text-align:center;font-weight:500;\">Get the playbook<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What is a SOAP note in therapy?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A SOAP note is a structured session record with four parts: Subjective (what the client reports), Objective (what the therapist observes or measures), Assessment (the therapist&#8217;s clinical interpretation) and Plan (next steps). It comes from medicine and is common in health settings, especially where notes are shared with other professionals or measures are used.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-2\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What is the difference between DAP and BIRP notes?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">DAP notes combine what the client said and what you observed into one Data section, followed by Assessment and Plan, which suits reflective talking therapies. BIRP notes focus on Behaviour, the Intervention you used and the client&#8217;s Response, then the Plan, which suits skills-based work and settings that need to show interventions.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-3\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">How long should a therapy progress note be?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Most progress notes need only a short paragraph or five to ten lines: enough for you or a colleague to understand what happened, why you made your choices and what comes next. Longer is not safer. Clear, factual notes written soon after each session are more useful than detailed accounts written days later.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-4\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What should therapists leave out of session notes?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Leave out long verbatim transcripts, detailed information about third parties that you do not need, judgemental labels and speculation you could not explain to the client. Write as if the client might read the note one day, because under the GDPR they generally have a right to access their records.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-5\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Where do I start if I want to standardise my session notes?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Choose one format that matches how you work, such as DAP for reflective therapy or BIRP for skills-based work, and use it for every client for a month. Practice software with built-in templates, such as It&#8217;s Complicated, which includes SOAP, DAP, BIRP and GIRP, makes the habit easier to keep.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"itscomplicated-calendar\" style=\"width:100%;min-width:310px;max-width:1023px\"><\/div> \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"How to write therapy session notes in SOAP, DAP, BIRP and GIRP formats, with copyable templates, examples and what GDPR means for keeping them.\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6294,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[641],"tags":[395,380,377,383],"class_list":["post-6305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-therapist-practice","tag-features","tag-for-therapists","tag-its-complicated","tag-practice-insights"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site 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