What is a DAP note?
A DAP note is a progress note format that documents a therapy session in three sections: Data, Assessment and Plan. Data combines what the client reported with what you observed, Assessment gives your clinical interpretation, and Plan lists the next steps. It is common in counseling, social work and outpatient mental health.
Why the DAP format exists
DAP emerged from social work and outpatient mental health where clinicians felt SOAP’s rigid Subjective/Objective division added friction without improving clinical content. Merging them into a single Data section preserves the information while removing the either/or decision on where each observation belongs.
When to use DAP notes (and when not to)
DAP suits practices that are mainly talk therapy, where most of the note is narrative. It is a widely used progress note format, but payers and organizations can set their own documentation rules, so check yours before you standardize. Consider SOAP instead in integrated medical or inpatient settings, where colleagues expect the client's report and your observations in separate sections.
The DAP note structure
DAP notes follow a three-part structure: Data, Assessment, Plan. Each section answers a different clinical question.
Data
Everything the client reported and everything you observed, combined into one section. Start with chief concern, then weave in affect, MSE findings, and measurable scores. Example: "Client arrived on time, appeared anxious with pressured speech. Reports 4 panic attacks this week, worst Tuesday after work email. Rates anxiety 8/10. GAD-7 = 15. Denies SI/HI."
Assessment
Your clinical synthesis. This is identical in substance to SOAP’s A section: diagnostic impression, progress, risk, barriers. Example: "GAD with panic features, worsening from last week. Client engaged but ambivalent about exposure work. Low acute risk."
Plan
Next steps: interventions, homework, referrals, follow-up. Example: "Continue weekly CBT; begin interoceptive exposure next session. Homework: twice-daily breathing + panic log. Coordinate with PCP on SSRI. Next session in one week."
DAP note template
Copy this blank template into your record system or word processor and replace each prompt in brackets. Prefer a document? Download the Word version.
Client: [initials or record number] · Date of service: [date] · Session: [individual, couples, family or group; length; in person or telehealth]
D: Data
Client report: [presenting concerns, symptoms and events since the last session, in the client's words where useful]
Clinician observations: [appearance, affect, behavior, engagement]
Measures: [scores such as PHQ-9 or GAD-7, if given]
Risk screening: [what you asked and how the client answered]
Session content: [interventions used and how the client responded]
A: Assessment
Clinical impression: [how today's data relates to the diagnosis or presenting problem]
Progress: [improved, unchanged or worse on each treatment goal, with evidence]
Risk and protective factors: [current assessment]
Need for continued treatment: [why further sessions are needed]
P: Plan
Next session: [date or interval, and focus]
Homework: [between-session tasks]
Referrals or coordination: [who and why]
Treatment plan changes: [if any]
DAP note examples
Two complete DAP notes. Both are fictional: the clients, scores and details are invented for teaching. Adapt the structure to your own sessions rather than copying the text.
Example 1: Individual session, anxiety with panic symptoms
Scenario (fictional): 45-minute individual outpatient session with an adult client, 6 weeks into CBT for generalized anxiety with panic features.
Data: Client arrived on time, well-groomed, affect anxious with pressured speech when discussing work. Reports 4 panic attacks this week (up from baseline 1-2), most severe Tuesday evening following a critical work email. General anxiety 8/10, up from 6/10. Sleep disrupted (4.5 hrs/night avg) by rumination on work performance. Sertraline 100mg daily, adherent. Completed 2 of 7 homework diary entries. GAD-7 = 15 (severe); PHQ-9 = 9 (mild, unchanged). No abnormal movements. Oriented x3. Denies SI/HI.
Assessment: GAD with panic features, moderate-to-severe; trajectory worsening since last session. Client remains engaged in weekly sessions but inconsistent with homework. Ambivalence about interoceptive exposure appears rooted in fear of symptom escalation. Risk: low acute; protective factors include spouse support, PCP engagement, no access to means.
Plan: (1) Continue weekly CBT. (2) Begin interoceptive exposure next session with psychoeducation. (3) Homework: 10-minute diaphragmatic breathing 2x/day; one panic-log entry per episode. (4) With the client's signed release, contact PCP about an SSRI dose review. (5) Safety plan reviewed, no changes. (6) Next session in one week.
Example 2: Telehealth session, depression
Scenario (fictional): 50-minute individual telehealth session with an adult client in the fourth session of behavioral activation for depression.
Data: Client attended by video from home, on time. Reports low mood "most days" this week, rated 4/10 (10 = best), up from 3/10 last week. Completed 3 of 5 planned activities (two walks and a phone call with a friend); skipped a planned gym session: "I didn't have the energy." Sleeping 9 to 10 hours a night with daytime fatigue. PHQ-9 = 14 (17 at intake). Affect constricted, brightened when describing the call with a friend; speech slow but coherent. Denies suicidal ideation, intent or plan, and denies thoughts of harming others. Reviewed the activity log and scheduled next week's activities together.
Assessment: Depressive symptoms show early improvement (PHQ-9 from 17 to 14, moderately severe to moderate range) with partial engagement in behavioral activation. Social activities appear to lift mood more than solitary tasks; low energy is the main barrier to activity. Risk: low; no current suicidal ideation, and protective factors include regular contact with a friend and engagement in treatment. Continued weekly treatment is indicated to build on early gains.
Plan: (1) Continue weekly telehealth sessions using behavioral activation. (2) Schedule 4 activities for the coming week, including 2 social contacts; replace the gym session with a 10-minute walk. (3) Continue the daily activity and mood log. (4) Re-administer PHQ-9 in two weeks. (5) Review sleep routine next session. (6) Next session in one week.
MentalNote drafts DAP notes in this structure from your recorded session. Check every line against the session and your own observations before you sign.
How MentalNote drafts a DAP note
The DAP note generator runs in the MentalNote web app at app.mentalnote.ai. MentalNote is HIPAA-compliant, with a BAA included on every plan.
- Choose DAP as the note format. Start a recording and pick DAP from the Note format menu (SOAP is the default). Choose In the room or Telehealth call and confirm you have your client's consent. The first time, you accept the Business Associate Agreement in the app.
- Record, then generate. When the session ends, stop the recording and generate the note. MentalNote transcribes the audio and drafts the Data, Assessment and Plan sections. Nothing is transcribed live during the session.
- Check it against the transcript. The transcript is labeled by speaker. Correct anything that's off and add what the recording couldn't capture, such as observations you didn't say aloud.
- Refine with Edit with AI. Ask for changes like "Expand the assessment" or "Make it more concise". It only makes changes the transcript or your note supports, and you accept or discard each one.
- Copy or print. Copy the whole note or one section, with formatting or as plain text, or print it and save a PDF. Then paste it into your record system.
Working in Microsoft Word? The MentalNote Word add-in drafts a DAP note from a session summary you type or paste when you ask for the DAP format. It's set up to keep to the details you give it and to mark missing information as not provided rather than guess.
See a DAP draft before you sign up
Open the fictional sample session, choose DAP in the Format menu, and edit, copy or print the prepared note. No account needed.
Try it with a sample session, no signupReady for your own sessions? Sign up free: 5 web-app scribe sessions a month, no credit card. Premium is $99/month or $990/year.
DAP note templates by diagnosis, setting and modality
Each guide below shows a DAP note adapted to that clinical situation. Use them as a starting point, then edit and adapt the note to your client.
Mood & Anxiety Disorders
- DAP Notes for Depression
- DAP Notes for Major Depressive Disorder
- DAP Notes for Bipolar Disorder
- DAP Notes for Bipolar II Disorder
- DAP Notes for Anxiety
- DAP Notes for Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- DAP Notes for Panic Disorder
- DAP Notes for Social Anxiety Disorder
- DAP Notes for Phobias
- DAP Notes for Specific Phobia
- DAP Notes for OCD
- DAP Notes for Hoarding Disorder
Trauma, PTSD & Grief
Substance Use & Addiction
Personality & Behavioral
Child, Adolescent & Family
- DAP Notes for ADHD
- DAP Notes for Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder
- DAP Notes for Autism Spectrum Disorder
- DAP Notes for Children
- DAP Notes for Adolescents
- DAP Notes for Children & Adolescents
- DAP Notes for Families
- DAP Notes for Family Systems Therapy
- DAP Notes for Couples
- DAP Notes for Couples Therapy
- DAP Notes for Perinatal Clients
- DAP Notes for Perinatal Mental Health
Specialty Populations
Therapy Modalities
- DAP Notes for CBT
- DAP Notes for DBT
- DAP Notes for ACT
- DAP Notes for EMDR
- DAP Notes for Internal Family Systems (IFS)
- DAP Notes for Schema Therapy
- DAP Notes for Psychodynamic Therapy
- DAP Notes for Humanistic Therapy
- DAP Notes for Interpersonal Therapy
- DAP Notes for Narrative Therapy
- DAP Notes for Solution-Focused Therapy
- DAP Notes for Motivational Interviewing
- DAP Notes for Mindfulness-Based Therapy
- DAP Notes for Somatic Therapy
- DAP Notes for Somatic Experiencing
- DAP Notes for Art Therapy
- DAP Notes for Play Therapy
Frequently asked questions
What is a DAP note?
A DAP note is a progress note format that documents a therapy session in three sections: Data, Assessment and Plan. Data combines what the client reported with what you observed, Assessment gives your clinical interpretation, and Plan lists the next steps.
Can I try the DAP note generator without signing up?
Yes. The sample session at app.mentalnote.ai/try opens a fictional encounter with a prepared draft. Choose DAP in the Format menu, then edit, copy or print the note, with no account. Because it uses prepared examples, it doesn't record audio or run the live AI model.
How does MentalNote write a DAP note from a session?
Choose DAP as the note format, record the session with your client's consent, and generate the note when you stop. MentalNote transcribes the recording and drafts the Data, Assessment and Plan sections for you to review and edit. In the Word add-in, you can type or paste a session summary and ask for a DAP note instead.
What is the difference between DAP and SOAP notes?
SOAP separates the client's report (Subjective) from your observations (Objective). DAP combines both in a single Data section, so DAP notes are often shorter. The Assessment and Plan sections are similar in both formats. Use the format your organization or payer expects.
Is DAP accepted by insurance?
DAP is a widely used progress note format. Payers, Medicaid programs and accrediting bodies can set their own documentation requirements, so check them before you standardize on any format.
What is the difference between a DAP note and a psychotherapy note?
A DAP note is a progress note and belongs in the client's clinical record. Psychotherapy notes are a clinician's separate process notes with extra protection under HIPAA: disclosing them generally requires the client's specific authorization under 45 CFR 164.508(a)(2). Keep them separate from progress notes.
Is MentalNote HIPAA-compliant?
Yes. MentalNote is HIPAA-compliant, with a BAA included on every plan, including the free plan. You accept the Business Associate Agreement in the app before your first session.
How much does MentalNote cost?
The free plan includes 5 web-app scribe sessions a month, with no credit card. Premium is $99/month or $990/year. A BAA is included on every plan.
Can I use the DAP template instead of the generator?
Yes. The template on this page is free to copy and fill in by hand, and there is a Word version. Use the generator when you want a first draft written from the session itself.
Related generators and guides
- AI SOAP note generator: draft Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan from a recorded session.
- BIRP note generator: Behavior, Intervention, Response and Plan, with a template and examples.
- PIRP note generator: Problem, Intervention, Response and Plan, with a template and examples.
- DAP vs SOAP notes: which format fits your practice.
- DAP notes for anxiety, DAP notes for depression and DAP notes for telehealth.
Further Reading
- DSM-5-TR (APA): diagnostic criteria used in clinical documentation.
- APA Record-Keeping Guidelines: national standards for psychologists’ clinical records.
- HIPAA Privacy Rule: federal rules on progress notes and psychotherapy notes.