SOAP, DAP, and BIRP Notes: Which Template to Use and When

Every therapist eventually finds their own way of writing session notes after graduation. Some carry habits from their academic training, some keep using the template from their first job, and some do it differently every single session. This feels like freedom — until you're in supervision, filling out an insurance claim, or navigating a legal inquiry, and the value of a standardized format suddenly becomes very clear.

There are three widely used clinical note templates: SOAP, DAP, and BIRP. Each is structured, and each suits a different clinical setting and a different way of thinking. In this post, we'll compare all three, explore which therapeutic approach each fits, and look at how to write them in practice.

Why Use Structured Notes at All?

Free-form notes seem faster in the moment, but they create three problems over time. First, when you go back to a previous session's note, finding what you're looking for takes longer than it should. Second, when you need to share notes in supervision, your colleague can't easily make sense of them. Third, if an insurance claim or legal request comes in, an inconsistent format creates serious problems.

A structured template means you write consistent notes without having to think about the structure. When you look back after eight sessions, you can track your client's progress category by category.

SOAP Notes: Inherited From Medicine

SOAP stands for Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan. It originates in the medical world and is widely used in psychiatry and clinics that work closely with healthcare teams. Here's how it breaks down:

Subjective (S): The client's own words. Their complaints, the difficulties they're experiencing, what happened in the past week. "I'm still having trouble falling asleep" or "things went better with my child this week."

Objective (O): Facts you observed. Affect, rate of speech, appearance, presence or absence of suicidal ideation, behavior. Standardized scale scores where applicable (e.g., BDI, HAM-A).

Assessment (A): Your clinical interpretation. Diagnosis, progress status, any updates to your formulation.

Plan (P): The next step. Homework, medication adjustments (if you're a psychiatrist), the focus of the next session.

SOAP is particularly well-suited for psychiatrists, psychologists working in multidisciplinary teams, and clinics dealing with insurance processes. Its structure is clear and shareable.

DAP Notes: Practical and Fast

DAP stands for Data, Assessment, Plan. It's essentially a streamlined version of SOAP.

Data (D): Everything the client said and everything you observed goes here together. Subjective and objective combined in a single section.

Assessment (A): Clinical interpretation, formulation, progress.

Plan (P): The next step.

DAP is particularly practical for therapists whose work is primarily psychotherapy. In therapy sessions, the distinction between "subjective" and "objective" often feels artificial — because in psychotherapy, the "data" is largely the client's own account anyway.

For an independent CBT or psychodynamic therapist, DAP is usually the most efficient format. Faster to write, easy to read back later.

BIRP Notes: The Intervention-Centered Approach

BIRP stands for Behavior, Intervention, Response, Plan.

Behavior (B): The topic, behavior, or symptom the client brings to the session.

Intervention (I): The technique, guidance, or interpretation you applied.

Response (R): How the client responded to that intervention. Did insight develop? Was there resistance? Did a new understanding emerge?

Plan (P): The direction for the next session.

BIRP is especially valuable for therapists who are in training or working under supervision. It requires you to actively examine the effect of your intervention. It's also a strong format for EMDR practitioners, CBT specialists, and group therapists.

Which Template Should You Choose? A Decision Framework

There's no single "best" among the three — there's the one that best fits your practice.

If you work in psychiatry, within a healthcare team, or deal with insurance processes, SOAP is your safest choice.

If you're an independent psychotherapist looking for fast, readable notes, DAP will likely suit you well.

If you're in supervision, want to track your intervention skills, or work with structured therapeutic methods, BIRP stands out.

Ideally, commit to one template and use it consistently. The same format for every client becomes a genuine lifesaver when you need to look back months later.

A Practical SOAP Note Example

To make this concrete, here's a fictional example.

Client: M. Arslan, Session 12

S: Reports reduction in sleep-onset time. Time to fall asleep had been approximately 45 minutes in prior weeks; this week it's down to around 15 minutes. Continuing with CBT-I protocol. Mild reduction in work-related anxiety. Reports "exploding less" in communication with spouse.

O: Bright affect, regular speech. No suicidal or self-harm ideation. Beck Anxiety Inventory last score 22, this week 16.

A: Generalized anxiety disorder, progressing toward improvement. Current intervention plan is effective.

P: Continue weekly 50-minute sessions. Next session: review sleep log, reinforce relaxation exercises.

Closing Thoughts: Think of Your Template as a Tool

A note template is not a cage — it's a habit-forming tool. The right template saves you 10 minutes after each session and lets you find what you're looking for in seconds rather than minutes when you look back.

Calemio supports SOAP, DAP, BIRP, and your own custom templates. Every note is locked at the session level, encrypted end-to-end, and never used for AI training under any circumstances. You can start a free trial.