Free templates
SOAP, DAP & BIRP note templates that hold up to review.
Every section below is readable right here — no gate. The PDF download is the same content, formatted for printing or your practice wiki.
SOAP Subjective · Objective · Assessment · Plan
The most widely recognized format — insurance reviewers and multidisciplinary teams read it without translation.
Subjective
What the client reported, in their frame.
- Presenting concerns in the client’s own words (quote sparingly, paraphrase mostly)
- Reported mood, sleep, appetite, medication adherence since last session
- Significant events between sessions; stressors and supports mentioned
Objective
What you observed — countable and describable.
- Appearance, affect, speech, psychomotor presentation
- Engagement with session tasks; mental status changes from baseline
- Screening/measure scores administered today (e.g., PHQ-9, GAD-7)
Assessment
Your clinical formulation of today.
- Progress toward treatment-plan goals (cite the goal)
- Response to interventions used in session
- Risk assessment: ideation, plan, protective factors — state explicitly even when negative
Plan
What happens next.
- Interventions planned for next session; homework assigned
- Frequency/modality changes; referrals or coordination of care
- Next appointment date
DAP Data · Assessment · Plan
Leaner than SOAP — merges subjective and objective into one Data section. Popular in community mental health and group practice.
Data
Everything observed and reported, together.
- Client report + clinician observations in one narrative
- Interventions used in session and the client’s in-the-room response
- Themes worked: content of session tied to treatment-plan objectives
Assessment
Clinical judgment about the data.
- Progress, stagnation, or regression — relative to goals
- Updated clinical impressions; risk status stated explicitly
Plan
Next steps.
- Next session focus; homework; any plan-of-care changes
- Scheduling and coordination notes
BIRP Behavior · Intervention · Response · Plan
Intervention-forward — shows medical necessity clearly, favored where utilization review is strict.
Behavior
What the client did and reported.
- Presentation, statements, and behavior in session
- Symptoms reported since last contact, with frequency/intensity
Intervention
What you did — name the technique.
- Specific interventions (e.g., cognitive restructuring, grounding, EMDR set)
- Tie each intervention to a treatment-plan goal
Response
How the client responded to each intervention.
- Engagement, insight, affect shift, skill uptake
- What landed, what was resisted — be concrete
Plan
Where treatment goes from here.
- Continuation or adjustment of approach; homework
- Next appointment; referrals if any
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One PDF, all three templates with their section prompts. Leave an email and it's yours — you'll also hear when CouchNotes opens its beta (a handful of emails, nothing more).
Also free: client AI-consent form templates and filled-in SOAP examples by modality.