SOAP notes are one of the most widely used formats for therapy documentation. They provide a structured way to document sessions while maintaining clarity, consistency, and compliance.
This guide provides a SOAP notes template for therapists, along with examples and best practices to help you write therapy notes faster. Part of our therapy notes templates collection.
SOAP stands for Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan. This four-section structure helps therapists organize session information in a clear and consistent way.
Subjective
What the client reports — feelings, concerns, symptoms, and experiences discussed during the session.
Objective
What the therapist observes — behavior, appearance, mood, affect, speech patterns, and measurable details.
Assessment
The therapist's clinical interpretation — progress toward goals, diagnostic impressions, and treatment insights.
Plan
Next steps — interventions to continue, homework assignments, follow-up timing, and treatment direction.
For a comprehensive overview of the SOAP format, see our SOAP notes guide.
SOAP notes are commonly used in mental health and therapy settings because they create a consistent structure for documenting client progress, interventions, and treatment planning. This format helps therapists track outcomes, maintain clear clinical documentation, and improve communication across care teams.
Use this template as a starting point for your therapy SOAP notes. Replace the bracketed text with your session-specific content.
Client Name: Date of Session: Session Type: (In-Person / Telehealth) Duration: Subjective: [Client-reported symptoms, feelings, concerns, and experiences. Include relevant quotes where appropriate.] Objective: [Therapist observations including behavior, appearance, mood, affect, and engagement level.] Assessment: [Clinical interpretation, progress toward treatment goals, diagnostic impressions, and emerging patterns.] Plan: [Next steps, interventions to continue or introduce, homework assignments, and follow-up schedule.]
Copy this template directly into your documentation system and fill in each section after your session.
Client Name: Date: Session Type: Duration: Subjective: Objective: Assessment: Plan:
Client: John Smith
Date: March 15, 2026
Session Type: In-Person
Duration: 50 minutes
Subjective
Client reported ongoing stress related to work demands and described difficulty disconnecting after work hours. Stated feeling "mentally exhausted" and having trouble sleeping. Client expressed desire to improve work-life boundaries.
Objective
Client appeared fatigued but engaged throughout the session. Speech was coherent and organized. Client demonstrated insight into behavioral patterns and willingness to explore alternative responses. No safety concerns noted.
Assessment
Client continues to experience occupational stress with secondary sleep disturbance. Increased insight into boundary difficulties observed. Progress toward treatment goal of improved work-life balance is emerging. Client shows motivation to implement coping strategies.
Plan
Introduce boundary-setting communication strategies. Assign practice of one boundary conversation before next session. Review sleep hygiene techniques. Continue exploring cognitive patterns related to overcommitment. Next session scheduled in one week.
See more examples in our SOAP note example for therapy or browse AI-generated note examples.
Write Subjective in the client's own words where possible
Keep Objective focused on what you directly observed
Connect Assessment to treatment goals and clinical reasoning
Make Plan specific and actionable — not just "continue therapy"
Write notes promptly after sessions while recall is fresh
Use consistent formatting across all sessions and clients
For more documentation strategies, see our therapy documentation best practices guide.
Individual therapy sessions
Counseling and clinical counseling sessions
Behavioral health documentation
Telehealth sessions
Insurance and compliance documentation
Group practice standardized documentation
Not sure if SOAP is the right format? Compare SOAP vs DAP notes.
SOAP notes are popular among therapists because they provide structured, consistent documentation. Benefits include:
Structured documentation that's easy to write and review
Easier progress tracking across sessions
Better clinical clarity and reasoning
Consistent session documentation across clients
Easier collaboration between providers
Improved compliance and documentation standards
Using a SOAP notes template makes it easier to maintain consistent documentation across sessions.
SOAP notes and therapy progress notes are both commonly used documentation formats. Here's how they compare:
SOAP Notes
Highly structured four-section format
Consistent and easy to scan
Clear separation of observations
Widely accepted by insurers
Progress Notes
More flexible format
Narrative-friendly structure
Customizable sections
Adaptable to different workflows
Both formats are widely used by therapists. See our therapy progress note template for the alternative format.
Therapists in private practice
Counselors and clinical counselors
Psychologists
Social workers
Mental health professionals in group practices
Many therapists use templates to save time. Others use AI-assisted documentation to generate structured SOAP notes in seconds.
Generate structured SOAP notes automatically
Reduce documentation time
Improve consistency across sessions
Maintain full clinician control
No credit card required.
SOAP notes are a structured documentation format consisting of four sections: Subjective (client-reported information), Objective (therapist observations), Assessment (clinical interpretation), and Plan (next steps). They are one of the most widely used formats in therapy and behavioral health.
SOAP notes are not always required, but they are one of the most commonly accepted formats for clinical documentation. Requirements vary by employer, licensing board, and insurance payer. Many therapists choose SOAP because it is widely recognized and provides clear structure.
With a consistent template, SOAP notes typically take 5 to 10 minutes to complete for routine sessions. Using a structured template and writing promptly after sessions are the most effective ways to reduce documentation time.
SOAP notes separate client-reported information (Subjective) and therapist observations (Objective) into distinct sections. DAP notes combine these into a single Data section. SOAP provides more structure; DAP is often faster to write. Both are clinically valid.
Generate structured SOAP notes in minutes — no session recording required. Full clinician control.