Therapy Notes Templates for UK Therapists: SOAP, DAP, BIRP and EMDR
A good therapy notes template does two things: it structures your thinking during documentation and ensures you never miss clinically important information. This guide covers the main template formats used in UK private practice, with examples of each section and guidance on which format suits which approach.
SOAP note template
SOAP is a widely used clinical note format in UK therapy. Here is the standard structure:
SOAP NOTE TEMPLATE
S — Subjective
What the client reports: mood, presenting concerns, significant events since last session, their own account of their current state.
O — Objective
Your clinical observations: affect, behaviour, appearance, mental state, non-verbal communication, any standardised measure scores.
A — Assessment
Your clinical interpretation: formulation, progress towards goals, patterns identified, response to interventions, risk assessment.
P — Plan
Next steps: planned interventions, homework set, referrals, risk management actions, date of next session.
DAP note template
DAP NOTE TEMPLATE
D — Data
Client report and therapist observations combined: presenting concerns, mood, affect, behavioural observations, significant events, risk factors.
A — Assessment
Clinical interpretation: formulation, progress, patterns, response to interventions, risk assessment.
P — Plan
Next steps: planned interventions, homework, referrals, risk management, next session date.
BIRP note template
BIRP NOTE TEMPLATE
B — Behaviour
Client presentation: mood, affect, presenting concerns, significant events, risk assessment.
I — Intervention
What you did: specific interventions used in the session, with brief rationale.
R — Response
How the client responded: engagement with interventions, emotional response, progress, any resistance or barriers.
P — Plan
Next steps: planned interventions, homework, referrals, next session.
EMDR note template
EMDR notes require specialist fields to capture the modality-specific data that EMDR processing generates:
EMDR NOTE TEMPLATE
TM — Target Memory
The memory or incident targeted in the session.
SUD — Subjective Units of Distress
Initial SUD rating (0-10), final SUD rating at close of session.
NC — Negative Cognition
The negative belief associated with the target memory.
PC — Positive Cognition
The desired positive belief.
VOC — Validity of Cognition
Initial and final VOC score (1-7).
EM — Eye Movement / Bilateral Stimulation
Sets completed, type of bilateral stimulation used.
BS — Body Scan
Body scan findings and SUD at close of processing.
PL — Plan
Plan for next session, any closure or containment used.
Using AI to fill in therapy note templates
Rather than filling in these templates manually after every session, NoteSono lets you speak a brief post-session summary and automatically populates the correct template. You choose your format (SOAP, DAP, BIRP, EMDR, CBT, Schema, Narrative or others) and speak for a minute or two. NoteSono drafts a note in that format for you to review. SOAP, DAP, BIRP and Intake are on the free plan; all 20 formats come with Essentials and Pro.
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