Templates · Free template · Mental health
DAP Progress Note Template for Therapists
A printable DAP note for therapy sessions: Data, Assessment, and Plan in a compact structure, with a worked example showing what each section should and should not hold.
What DAP stands for
DAP stands for Data, Assessment, and Plan. Data holds what was said and observed in session; Assessment is your clinical interpretation and progress against treatment goals; Plan is what happens next, from homework to the next session's focus.
Progress notes should record only what supports care. Keep detailed process material in separate psychotherapy notes where your practice keeps them, and check your college's guidance on both.
DAP Progress Note Template for Therapists
Session
D: Data
Presenting themes, client statements, observations, interventions used.
A: Assessment
Clinical impression, progress toward goals, risk assessment where relevant.
P: Plan
Homework, focus of next session, referrals, frequency.
Sign-off
Template from zdrovia.ca/templates/dap-progress-note-template/ · Chart it on a tablet instead, free, at zdrovia.ca · Adapt to your college's documentation standard before use.
Therapy DAP example
Session 6, work-related anxiety.
- Data
- Client reports two panic episodes since last session, both before team meetings. Used breathing strategy once with partial relief. Explored the belief that a mistake would end their career. Practised cognitive restructuring in session.
- Assessment
- Anxiety triggers becoming clearer; client engaged and applying skills. GAD-7 down from 14 to 11. No safety concerns.
- Plan
- Continue CBT. Homework: thought record before meetings. Next session, behavioural experiment planning. Weekly.
Couples counselling DAP example
Session 3, communication conflict.
- Data
- Both partners attended. Report two arguments this week about household tasks, each ending with one partner leaving the room. Practised speaker-listener technique in session on the dishes topic; both paraphrased accurately after prompting.
- Assessment
- Escalation pattern is pursue–withdraw. Both motivated and able to use structured communication with coaching. No safety concerns reported by either partner when seen individually at intake.
- Plan
- Homework: one 15-minute speaker-listener conversation midweek and an agreed time-out signal. Next session in one week to review.
Grief counselling DAP example
Session 2, bereavement four months after a parent's death.
- Data
- Client describes "waves" of sadness, worst on Sunday evenings when they used to call their mother. Sleeping 6 hours, working full time, appetite reduced. Tearful when talking about the last hospital visit. Reflective listening and psychoeducation on grief responses.
- Assessment
- Acute grief within expected range; functioning maintained. No indicators of prolonged grief disorder at this stage. Denies thoughts of self-harm.
- Plan
- Write a letter to her mother before next session. Plan a Sunday evening activity. Fortnightly sessions; reassess for prolonged grief at 6 months.
Examples are fictional and for illustration only.
Structured notes without the typing
Zdrovia's charting gives you note templates you can adapt to this one, outcome scores that trend across visits, and an AI Scribe that drafts the note from what you say in the room. Everything stays on one patient record, free for solo practitioners, with data stored in Canada.
See how Zdrovia is set up for therapy practices.
Frequently asked questions
DAP or SOAP for therapy?
Both work. DAP merges subjective and objective content into Data, which suits talk-based sessions.
How long should a progress note be?
A short paragraph per section is enough. Depth beyond what care requires is not needed in a progress note.
Related
This template is a documentation aid, not clinical guidance. It records decisions about dosing, depth, and settings; it doesn't make them. Documentation standards vary by province and profession, so adapt it to your regulatory college's requirements.