DAP, SOAP, BIRP: Which Note Format Is Right for Your Practice?

# DAP, SOAP, BIRP: Which Note Format Is Right for Your Practice?

If you trained in the UK, you may have encountered one clinical note format during placement and assumed it was universal. It is not. Three distinct frameworks — DAP, SOAP, and BIRP — are all widely used in therapy and counselling settings, each with genuine strengths depending on your modality and client population.

This article explains each format clearly, suggests when each is most appropriate, and offers practical guidance on choosing — or mixing — approaches in your practice.

DAP Notes

DAP stands for Data, Assessment, Plan. It is one of the most widely used formats in psychotherapy and counselling.

Data captures what happened in the session — what the client presented, what they said, how they appeared, significant themes or disclosures. This is descriptive and observational.

Assessment is your clinical interpretation of the data. What does this material suggest about the client's current state, progress, or underlying patterns? This is where your professional judgement lives.

Plan documents what will happen next — homework agreed with the client, topics to return to, referrals to consider, actions you intend to take.

When DAP Works Well

DAP suits open-ended relational therapies — psychodynamic, person-centred, integrative approaches — where the session does not follow a structured agenda and the emphasis is on process, relationship, and meaning-making. The format is flexible enough to hold that kind of material without forcing it into categories it does not quite fit.

SOAP Notes

SOAP stands for Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan. It originated in medical settings and retains a more clinical-medical flavour.

Subjective captures what the client reports — their own account of how they are feeling, what has happened since the last session, and their presenting concerns.

Objective records observable data — the therapist's observations of the client's presentation, affect, behaviour, and demeanour. In medical settings this includes physical examination findings; in therapy it is more about observable clinical signs.

Assessment and Plan mirror the DAP format in function.

When SOAP Works Well

SOAP is well suited to settings with a stronger medical or psychiatric component — working alongside GPs or psychiatrists, NHS-adjacent services, or practices where detailed clinical observation records are important. It is also useful when you are likely to be sharing notes with medical colleagues who are more familiar with the format.

BIRP Notes

BIRP stands for Behaviour, Intervention, Response, Plan.

Behaviour describes the client's presenting behaviour, symptoms, or concerns at the start of the session.

Intervention documents what you did as a therapist — the specific techniques, approaches, or exercises you employed during the session.

Response captures how the client responded to those interventions — what shifted, what they expressed, how engaged they were.

Plan looks forward, as in DAP and SOAP.

When BIRP Works Well

BIRP is particularly well suited to structured, technique-focused therapies such as CBT, DBT, EMDR, or ACT. Because it explicitly documents your interventions and the client's response, it creates a clear record of what was done and whether it appeared to work. This is valuable both clinically — for tracking treatment progress — and evidentially, if your practice is subject to outcome monitoring.

Mixing Formats

There is no rule that says you must use only one format across your entire practice. Many therapists use BIRP for CBT clients, DAP for relational clients, and SOAP when corresponding with medical colleagues. The important thing is consistency within each client record and a clear rationale for the format you have chosen.

How AI Can Help Regardless of Format

AI note tools do not impose a format. They work with whichever structure you prefer. You dictate or type your rough post-session thoughts, indicate which format you are using, and the assistant drafts the note accordingly. This means the efficiency gain — removing the blank page and the reformatting effort — is available whatever your chosen approach.

Eunoia supports DAP, SOAP, and BIRP formats natively, with templates for each and the flexibility to switch format per client. If you would like to explore how structured note-taking can work more smoothly within your existing clinical approach, Eunoia is designed to support exactly that.