Free SOAP Note Generator for Therapists
Generate complete therapy SOAP notes tailored to your modality. Our AI understands CBT, DBT, EMDR, psychodynamic, and other therapeutic frameworks to create accurate clinical documentation.
SOAP Notes in Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy SOAP notes document the therapeutic process, capturing client progress, interventions used, and treatment planning. Unlike medical SOAP notes, therapy documentation focuses on the therapeutic relationship, cognitive and behavioral patterns, emotional processing, and treatment goals.
Good therapy SOAP notes balance thorough documentation with client privacy. They should capture enough detail to support continuity of care and demonstrate medical necessity without including verbatim session content or overly personal disclosures.
Section-by-Section Guide
S - Subjective
Document the client's self-reported experience: presenting concerns, mood since last session, sleep and appetite changes, medication effects, significant life events, and their perception of therapeutic progress. Include direct quotes when clinically relevant.
O - Objective
Record clinician observations and session activities: affect, mood congruence, psychomotor activity, engagement level, therapeutic interventions used (cognitive restructuring, exposure, mindfulness, etc.), standardized measures administered, and homework completion.
A - Assessment
Provide clinical conceptualization: therapeutic progress, treatment response, risk assessment, diagnostic impressions, therapeutic alliance quality, and connection to treatment plan goals. Note any barriers to progress.
P - Plan
Outline next steps: topics for next session, homework assignments, between-session practices, modality adjustments, referrals (psychiatry, group therapy), and session frequency changes.
Therapy SOAP Note Example
S - Subjective
Client is a 29-year-old female presenting for her sixth session of CBT for generalized anxiety disorder. She reported a "pretty good week" with anxiety levels ranging from 3-6 out of 10. She noted that the worry log homework helped her identify that most of her anxious thoughts center on work performance. She described one episode of significant anxiety before a team presentation but was able to use breathing techniques to manage it.
O - Objective
Client was neatly dressed and punctual. Mood was reported as "okay, a little nervous about something I want to talk about." Affect was mildly anxious but brightened when discussing her success with the presentation. GAD-7 score was 10, down from 14 at initial assessment. Completed worry log homework for five of seven days. Session focused on cognitive restructuring of performance-related automatic thoughts and introduction to behavioral experiments.
A - Assessment
Client is making steady progress in treatment as evidenced by reduction in GAD-7 scores and self-reported anxiety levels. She is successfully applying coping skills learned in session to real-world situations. Cognitive restructuring is beginning to shift her core belief about needing to perform perfectly. Therapeutic alliance remains strong and client is engaged with between-session work.
P - Plan
Continue weekly CBT sessions. Assign behavioral experiment for next week: volunteer to lead a brief segment of team meeting and record outcome versus prediction. Continue daily worry log. Next session will focus on deepening work with perfectionism schema. Reassess GAD-7 in two sessions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should therapy SOAP notes include verbatim session content?
Generally no. SOAP notes should summarize the session content relevant to clinical care without including verbatim transcripts. Brief direct quotes can be included when clinically significant, but the goal is to document what was addressed, interventions used, and progress made.
What is the difference between SOAP and DAP notes in therapy?
DAP (Data, Assessment, Plan) notes combine the Subjective and Objective sections into a single "Data" section. Some therapists prefer DAP format because it simplifies documentation. Both formats are accepted in most clinical settings. Learn more about SOAP vs DAP.
How long should a therapy SOAP note be?
A well-written therapy SOAP note is typically 150-300 words total. Each section should be 2-5 sentences. The goal is concise, clinically relevant documentation that supports continuity of care and meets billing requirements.