Best for
- Clinicians who prefer a concise three-part note
- Sessions where report, observation, and intervention are easiest to summarize together
- Progress notes that still need a distinct clinical formulation
Therapy note template
DAP Note Template
A DAP note combines the client’s report, clinician observations, interventions, and response in one Data section. Assessment interprets that information, and Plan records the next treatment steps.
What makes this format different
Unlike SOAP, DAP does not split Subjective and Objective. The Data section should still distinguish reported information from observed facts through attribution and precise language.
Copy and adapt
Blank DAP template
Data [Clinically relevant client report, observations, interventions, and response.] Assessment [Clinical formulation, symptom severity, functional impact, progress toward goals, and barriers.] Plan [Next interventions, homework or skill practice, referrals, and follow-up.]
Adapt required fields to your license, setting, payer, EHR, jurisdiction, and organization policy. Do not use a generic template as a compliance checklist.
Prompt architecture
How to write each section prompt
A useful section prompt tells the writer what evidence belongs in the section, where the information comes from, and what must not be inferred. The prompts below are adapted from BeeThere’s production note-format definitions.
1
Data
Summarize the clinically meaningful content of the encounter, not a transcript.
Section prompt
Document clinically relevant client-reported symptoms, emotions, stressors, and progress together with observable behaviors, interventions, and the client’s response. Attribute each type of information and prioritize what affects treatment.
Include
- Client report
- Relevant observation
- Intervention and immediate response
Guardrail
Avoid a minute-by-minute recap or unrelated personal details.
Fictional section example
The client reported anticipatory anxiety before presentations and one avoided meeting. They appeared tense but engaged. The therapist used graded-exposure planning, and the client identified a manageable first step.
2
Assessment
Synthesize the Data into a brief clinical formulation.
Section prompt
Summarize the current presentation, including symptom severity, functional impact, treatment response, goal progress, barriers, and the clinical rationale for continued care when appropriate.
Include
- Current clinical status
- Change over time
- Connection to treatment goals
Guardrail
Do not simply restate the Data section in different words.
Fictional section example
Avoidance continues to reinforce work-related anxiety, though the client showed improved insight and willingness to begin graded exposure. Symptoms remain functionally impairing but engagement is a positive prognostic factor.
3
Plan
State what will happen next and who will do it.
Section prompt
Document the next treatment steps, including interventions to continue, between-session practice, goals for the next session, referrals, and follow-up recommendations.
Include
- Clinician action
- Client practice
- Timing or next-session focus
Guardrail
Avoid plans that introduce an intervention not supported by the Data or Assessment.
Fictional section example
Continue weekly CBT with graded exposure. The client will attend one low-stakes meeting and record anxiety before and after. Review the exposure and refine the hierarchy next session.
Fully fictional
Completed DAP example
This fictional example follows an adult outpatient session addressing work-related anxiety and avoidance.
Data
The client reported anticipatory anxiety before presentations and one avoided meeting. They appeared tense but engaged. The therapist used graded-exposure planning, and the client identified a manageable first step.
Assessment
Avoidance continues to reinforce work-related anxiety, though the client showed improved insight and willingness to begin graded exposure. Symptoms remain functionally impairing but engagement is a positive prognostic factor.
Plan
Continue weekly CBT with graded exposure. The client will attend one low-stakes meeting and record anxiety before and after. Review the exposure and refine the hierarchy next session.
Quality check
Common documentation mistakes
- Turning Data into a full session transcript
- Failing to distinguish client report from clinician observation
- Repeating Data instead of interpreting it in Assessment
- Writing a Plan without measurable next steps
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