Free therapy progress notes template
Generate counselling and therapy progress notes in SOAP, DAP, BIRP, or GIRP format. Live preview, instant PDF, copy to clipboard. Built for counsellors, therapists, social workers, and group practices. Nothing you type ever leaves your browser.
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Privacy: Everything stays in your browser. Use client initials and avoid identifying detail in free-text fields. This is a documentation tool, not a substitute for clinical judgement or HIPAA-compliant infrastructure.
What are therapy progress notes?
Progress notes are the chart entry that documents each therapy session. They sit in the client's clinical record and are visible to other treating clinicians, supervisors, auditors, and (if subpoenaed) courts. Under HIPAA they are different from psychotherapy notes, which are personal process notes kept separate and given extra protection. The note generated here is a progress note: structured, sharable, and billable.
The four common structures are SOAP, DAP, BIRP, and GIRP. Pick whichever your supervisor, agency, or payer requires. If you are in private practice and have a choice, DAP is the fastest to write; BIRP and GIRP demonstrate medical necessity more clearly when you bill insurance.
SOAP vs DAP vs BIRP vs GIRP
| Format | Structure | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| SOAP | Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan | Clinicians who also work in medical settings or split notes between symptoms and observations. |
| DAP | Data, Assessment, Plan | Private practice and fast-paced caseloads where you want one place to write everything that happened. |
| BIRP | Behavior, Intervention, Response, Plan | Agencies, group practices, and any setting where you need to demonstrate the intervention used and its impact. |
| GIRP | Goal, Intervention, Response, Plan | Insurance-billed, treatment-plan-driven work where each note must tie back to an authorised goal. |
Worked examples
Each example below is an outpatient individual session with the same fictional client, written in a different format. Use them to feel out which structure fits your style.
SOAP example
Subjective
Client reports a "much better" week. Sleep improved to 6 to 7 hours, down from 4. Anxiety rated 4 of 10, down from 7 at intake. Mentioned a difficult conversation with manager that "would have wrecked me last month".
Objective
Affect bright and congruent. Speech normal rate and rhythm. No signs of acute distress. Engaged throughout, made eye contact. Completed homework worksheet.
Assessment
Generalised Anxiety Disorder, mild, improving. Client demonstrating consistent use of cognitive reframing and grounding techniques. Progress aligns with treatment plan goal #1 (reduce generalised anxiety to GAD-7 below 8).
Plan
Continue weekly CBT, focus next session on workplace assertiveness scripts. Homework: thought record for two work-related triggers. Re-administer GAD-7 at session 8. Next session April 21.
DAP example
Data
Client reports improved sleep (6 to 7 hours) and reduced anxiety (self-rated 4 of 10, down from 7). Affect bright. Engaged, completed homework. Discussed a difficult conversation with manager which client navigated using grounding techniques learned in prior sessions.
Assessment
GAD, mild, improving. Skill generalisation evident; client now applying techniques in vivo. On track with treatment plan goal #1.
Plan
Continue weekly CBT. Next session: workplace assertiveness. Homework: thought record on two work triggers. GAD-7 at session 8.
BIRP example
Behavior
Client presented engaged, affect bright, sleep and anxiety self-ratings improved. Reported applying coping techniques during a stressful conversation with manager.
Intervention
Reviewed prior week's thought record. Used Socratic questioning to reinforce cognitive reframing. Introduced workplace assertiveness scripts, modelled and role-played one scenario.
Response
Client identified two distorted thoughts independently. Performed assertiveness role-play with appropriate tone and clear messaging. Verbalised reduced anticipatory anxiety about the next workplace interaction.
Plan
Continue weekly CBT. Homework: thought record on two work triggers. Next session: deepen assertiveness skill, introduce values-based decision making. GAD-7 at session 8.
GIRP example
Goal
Treatment plan goal #1: reduce generalised anxiety symptoms to GAD-7 below 8 within 12 sessions. Session goal: strengthen cognitive reframing skill and apply to workplace context.
Intervention
CBT thought record review and Socratic questioning. Modelled and role-played workplace assertiveness scripts.
Response
Client identified distorted thoughts independently and engaged actively in role-play. Self-rated anxiety 4 of 10 (intake 7). Reported successful in vivo application of grounding earlier in week.
Plan
Continue weekly CBT toward goal #1. Homework: thought record on two work triggers. Next session: assertiveness deepening. Re-administer GAD-7 at session 8.
Tips for writing better progress notes
Write the note within 24 hours of the session, ideally at the end of the same day. Reference the treatment plan goal in every note when you bill insurance. Document risk every time you assess it, even when the answer is "no current ideation". Keep your language behavioural and observable; opinion and interpretation belong in the Assessment, not the Data.
The note is one piece. The rest, the booking, reminders, intake, payments, recall, can all run in the background. That is what Whautomate's patient engagement platform is built for. Pair this template with the therapist invoice generator and the cancellation policy generator to round out the back office.
Spend the hour on the client. Let Whautomate do the rest.
Therapy and counselling practices, group practices, mental health agencies, and allied health clinics use Whautomate to run booking, reminders, intake, recall, payments, and conversations from a single platform. Less admin, fewer no-shows, more billable hours.
Built for therapy and mental health practices
Whether you are a solo private practitioner, a multi-therapist group practice, or a community mental health agency, the same platform scales with you. Whautomate is used across healthcare, allied health, and wellness practices. Read the guide to streamlining patient communication or browse the Whautomate blog for case studies and playbooks.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between SOAP, DAP, BIRP, and GIRP notes?
SOAP separates Subjective and Objective; DAP merges them into Data; BIRP centres the session around Behavior, Intervention, and Response; GIRP starts with the treatment Goal each session is working toward. SOAP and DAP are documentation-first; BIRP and GIRP are intervention-first and common in agencies that bill for medical necessity.
Which format should a therapist use?
Most private practitioners use DAP because it is the fastest to write. Agencies and group practices that bill insurance often standardise on BIRP or GIRP because they make medical necessity easier to demonstrate. Use whatever your supervisor, agency, or payer requires.
Are these progress notes HIPAA compliant?
Nothing you type ever leaves your browser. The form, the live preview, and the PDF are all generated locally on your device. For added safety, use client initials and avoid identifying detail in the free-text fields.
How long should a therapy progress note be?
Most outpatient therapy progress notes run 100 to 250 words. Length matters less than specificity: each note should clearly show the intervention used, the client's response, and the link to the treatment plan.
Do progress notes need to mention the treatment plan?
For insurance-billed sessions, yes. Each note should reference the goal or objective being worked on, the intervention applied, and the client's progress. GIRP makes this explicit by starting with the goal.
Can I use this for couples or group therapy?
Yes. Set the session type to couples, family, or group. For group notes, write generally about themes and interventions; create separate individual notes for each member when documenting clinical content per client.
Is this the same as a psychotherapy note?
No. Under HIPAA, psychotherapy notes are personal process notes kept separate from the medical record and given extra privacy protection. Progress notes generated here are intended as the standard chart note that documents the session.