Free SOAP Notes Templates & Examples for Mental Health Counselors
The SOAP note, Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan, is the most widely recognized progress note format in healthcare, which makes it the safest default for mental health counselors who coordinate care or bill insurance. This guide gives you a free, copy-paste template, two complete worked examples, and the specific phrasing that keeps a note defensible. At the end, we show how to produce one in about a minute instead of ten.
What each SOAP section is for
- Subjective (S), what the client reports in their own words: mood, symptoms, stressors, life events, and their stated goals.
- Objective (O), what you observe and measure: appearance, affect, mental status, engagement, and any scores (PHQ-9, GAD-7).
- Assessment (A), your clinical interpretation: progress toward goals, working diagnosis, risk, and how today connects to the treatment plan.
- Plan (P), what happens next: interventions, homework, referrals, medication coordination, and the next appointment.
Free SOAP note template (copy & paste)
| Section | Prompt to complete |
|---|---|
| Subjective | Client reports… Presenting concern this session… In their words: "…" Relevant stressors/life events… Progress or setbacks since last session… |
| Objective | Appearance and behavior… Affect and mood observed… Mental status (orientation, thought process, speech)… Measures: PHQ-9 = __, GAD-7 = __… Risk: denied/endorsed SI/HI… |
| Assessment | Clinical impression… Response to treatment / progress toward goal #__… Working diagnosis (ICD-10)… Change in risk or functioning… Medical necessity for continued care… |
| Plan | Interventions used and planned… Homework assigned… Referrals/coordination… Frequency of sessions… Next appointment: __/__ … Reassess measure in __ weeks… |
SOAP note example 1, depression, CBT
Subjective: "Client reported improved sleep (6–7 hours nightly, up from 3–4) since starting the wind-down routine. Described a conflict with a supervisor that triggered familiar feelings of worthlessness. States goal of 'not letting work define my whole mood.'"
Objective: "Client was well-groomed, arrived on time, and engaged readily. Affect congruent, tearful when discussing work. Speech normal rate/volume; thought process linear. PHQ-9 = 11 (down from 16 two weeks ago). Denied SI/HI."
Assessment: "Client shows partial response to CBT for Major Depressive Disorder (F33.1), with measurable improvement in sleep and mood. Cognitive distortions around competence remain active and were reinforced by the workplace conflict. No acute safety concerns; continued weekly care is medically necessary to consolidate gains."
Plan: "Continue weekly CBT. Assigned a thought record targeting worthlessness beliefs tied to work. Reinforce sleep hygiene gains. Next session in one week; reassess PHQ-9 in two weeks."
SOAP note example 2, anxiety, exposure work
Subjective: "Client reported two panic episodes this week, both while driving on the highway. Reports avoidance of the freeway and increased reliance on a partner for errands. Describes fear of 'losing control at the wheel.'"
Objective: "Client presented as anxious, with restless movement and rapid speech that settled during paced breathing. Oriented x4. GAD-7 = 14. Denied SI/HI. Completed in-session interoceptive exposure without leaving the room."
Assessment: "Presentation consistent with Panic Disorder (F41.0) with situational avoidance. Client tolerated interoceptive exposure with a reduction in subjective units of distress from 8/10 to 4/10, indicating readiness for graded in-vivo exposure. Avoidance maintains the disorder; structured exposure is medically necessary."
Plan: "Build a driving exposure hierarchy. Homework: two short surface-street drives before next session, logging SUDS. Continue paced breathing as a coping, not avoidance, tool. Weekly sessions; reassess GAD-7 in three weeks."
Common SOAP mistakes to avoid
- Cloning last week's note. Auditors look for individualized, session-specific content. Identical sentences week to week undermine medical necessity.
- Blurring Subjective and Objective. Keep "client reports" separate from "clinician observed." If the split feels artificial for talk therapy, consider a DAP note instead.
- A vague Assessment. This is the section payers read most closely, tie the session to the treatment goal and state your clinical reasoning.
- Missing risk documentation. Record SI/HI screening every session, even when negative.
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The slow part of a SOAP note is turning 50 minutes of conversation into clean, structured prose. NotedTherapy listens to the session, transcribes it in seconds, and drafts a complete SOAP note, Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan, in your own clinical voice, ready for you to review and edit. No audio is ever stored to disk. You can switch a finished note to DAP or BIRP without re-recording, or design a custom template. Start a free 7-day trial with no credit card and see your first note in about a minute.