DAP Notes for Art Therapy: Template + Examples (2026)
Overview
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Short answer: a DAP note for art therapy has three parts. Data: what the client reported, the art directive and materials you offered, and what you observed during the art process: how the client started, the materials chosen, pressure, pace, time on task and changes during the session, plus the client’s own words about the finished piece and any measure scores. Assessment: your clinical interpretation: what the process and the client’s reflections suggest about symptoms, coping and progress toward treatment goals, with client-stated meaning kept separate from your inference. Plan: art-based practice between sessions, the next directive or focus, measures to repeat, referrals and the next session.
The note should show that the session was structured treatment linked to a goal, not open studio time. Describe the process in observable terms first, then quote what the client said the image or object means. Avoid stating what a color or symbol “represents” unless the client said so.
What to document in a DAP note for art therapy
| Section | What to document | Example wording |
|---|---|---|
| Data | Client report and measure scores; the directive and materials; observable art process; the client’s words about the piece; suicide screen | “Worry 8/10 on arrival; GAD-7 13. Offered air-dry clay for a ‘worry container’; client pressed hard and flattened the first attempt, then built a lidded box over 20 minutes. Client: ‘When the lid is on, I can stop checking.’” |
| Assessment | What the process and reflections suggest, kept separate from the client’s meaning; progress toward goals; risk | “Client abandoned the first attempt but restarted with encouragement and finished the piece, suggesting progress toward tolerating imperfection (goal 3 partly met). She linked the lid to postponing checking in her own words. Skill use at work was not established, so progress toward goal 2 cannot yet be quantified.” |
| Plan | Between-session art practice, next directive, measures, coordination, next session | “Visual journal 10 minutes, 3 times this week; use the container image when worry rises at work; GAD-7 again in 2 weeks; session 6 next week.” |
Safety. Images can show dark themes without any risk, and they can also be the first sign that a client is struggling. Do not infer suicide risk from an image alone, and do not ignore one: ask directly and record the client’s answer. If a client reports suicidal thoughts, assess and record current thoughts, plan, intent, preparatory behavior, past attempts, access to means (including firearms and medications), protective factors, your risk formulation and the safety plan. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline takes calls and texts at 988; for imminent danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
How to Document DAP Notes for Art Therapy
Data
Combine subjective reports and objective observations into a single data section
When documenting the Data section in art therapy, focus on capturing the client’s self-reported experiences, emotional state, and any specific issues or triggers they disclose during the session. This information provides the foundational context for therapeutic interventions.
- Client’s description of current emotional state or mood prior to art creation
- Reported stressors or events that influenced the client’s artwork or session engagement
- Client’s verbal expression of symptoms such as anxiety, depression, or trauma-related feelings
- Identification of any recurring themes or symbols the client mentions during art discussion
- Client’s stated goals or intentions for the session’s creative process
Assessment
Provide clinical analysis, treatment progress, and diagnostic considerations
In the Assessment section for art therapy, interpret the client reports, art-process observations and responses documented in Data. Explain what they suggest about symptoms, coping and progress toward treatment goals, distinguishing the client’s meaning from your clinical inference.
- Clinical interpretation of the engagement and interaction with materials documented in Data
- Evaluation of how the client’s response to the techniques documented in Data relates to treatment goals
- Clinical impressions regarding client’s emotional processing as evidenced through artistic expression
- Evaluation of changes in client’s affect, insight, or symptom presentation compared to previous sessions
- Assessment of client’s reaction to therapeutic interventions, including resistance or breakthroughs
Plan
Document next steps, interventions, and follow-up scheduling
The Plan section outlines the next steps in the client’s art therapy treatment, including any assigned creative homework, modifications to therapeutic approaches, referrals, and scheduling details to support ongoing progress.
- Recommendations for specific art-based activities or exercises to be completed between sessions
- Adjustments to art therapy techniques or focus areas based on client’s response and progress
- Plans for integrating other therapeutic modalities or making referrals to additional services if needed
- Scheduling and frequency of upcoming art therapy sessions
- Client goals to target in subsequent sessions informed by current session insights
SOAP Notes for Art Therapy
Alternative format for documenting art therapy
BIRP Notes for Art Therapy
Alternative format for documenting art therapy
Progress Notes for Art Therapy
Alternative format for documenting art therapy
SIRP Notes for Art Therapy
Alternative format for documenting art therapy
GIRP Notes for Art Therapy
Alternative format for documenting art therapy
PIE Notes for Art Therapy
Alternative format for documenting art therapy
Tips for DAP Notes for Art Therapy
Describe the process first
Record what the client did with the materials, such as hesitation, pressure, pace, restarts and time on task, before any interpretation.
Quote the client’s meaning
Write what the client said the piece means in their own words, and label anything else as your clinical impression.
Name the directive
Write the directive and materials, such as “clay worry container” or “bridge drawing,” instead of “client made art.”
Link the session to a goal
Say which treatment-plan goal the directive targeted and whether it was met, partly met or not met.
Use numbers where you can
Record ratings before and after, such as worry 8/10 to 5/10, and repeat a measure such as the GAD-7 or PHQ-9 at set intervals.
Record what happened to the artwork
Note whether the piece or a photograph is kept with the record, whether the client took it home and that consent was given.
Example DAP note for art therapy (generalized anxiety, clay containment directive)
Fictional documentation example, not treatment guidance. Every detail is invented. Adapt it to the session you actually provided and your organization’s requirements.
Session details: Fictional client, 33, dental hygienist. Generalized anxiety disorder (F41.1). Session 5 of individual art therapy with a licensed art therapist, 45 minutes, in person (CPT 90834). No current psychiatric medication; primary care physician aware of treatment. Treatment-plan goals: (1) GAD-7 below 10; (2) use a containment or grounding skill when worry rises at work, at least 3 times a week; (3) tolerate unfinished or imperfect work in session without abandoning the task.
Data: Client reports worry 8/10 on arrival, mainly about making a mistake at work and about her father’s upcoming surgery; checks her work schedule and messages “dozens of times a day.” Sleeping about 6 hours, with trouble falling asleep. Used the breathing skill from session 4 twice this week. GAD-7 13 (16 at intake). PHQ-9 7, item 9 scored 0. Asked directly: denies current or past thoughts of suicide or self-harm, plan, intent, preparatory behavior and past attempts. Directive: make a container that can hold your worries until you choose to look at them; offered air-dry clay and paper slips. Process: client hesitated about 3 minutes before touching the clay, then pressed hard and quickly; flattened her first attempt after about 5 minutes, saying, “It’s lopsided, it’s wrong.” With encouragement she started again without help, built a small lidded box over about 20 minutes and smoothed the surface slowly; jaw and shoulders visibly relaxed in the last 10 minutes. She wrote four worries on slips, placed them inside and closed the lid. Client’s meaning, in her words: “When the lid is on, I can stop checking. I know where they are.” Affect anxious at the start, calmer and brighter at the end; worry 5/10 at the end of session. Thought process logical; no evidence of psychosis. Photograph of the finished piece kept with the session record under clinic policy, with the client’s consent; the client took the box home.
Assessment: Client engaged fully with a structured containment directive. She abandoned her first attempt when it was imperfect, as in earlier sessions, but this time restarted with encouragement, constructed the piece without hands-on help and finished it, which suggests growing tolerance of imperfection (goal 3, partly met). The meaning of the lid as a way to postpone checking came from the client, not the clinician; it fits the worry-postponement skill planned for this week. Worry fell from 8/10 to 5/10 in session, and GAD-7 is down 3 points from intake; goal 1 not met. She reported using the breathing skill twice this week, but whether she used it when worry rose at work was not established; progress toward goal 2 cannot yet be quantified. Risk formulation: anxiety, poor sleep and her father’s surgery are current stressors. The clinician judges acute suicide risk low today given the direct denial of current or past suicidal thoughts, plan, intent, preparatory behavior and attempts, PHQ-9 in the mild range, close family support and engagement in treatment. Reassess each session and sooner if symptoms or circumstances change.
Plan: Client agreed to: visual journal for 10 minutes on 3 days this week, using the container image (draw the box and add the worry) when worry rises at work, then return to the task; and to note how many times she checks her schedule on 2 of those days. Next session: review the journal and introduce a drawing of what she would do with the time she spends checking. GAD-7 again in 2 weeks. Discussed a referral to her primary care physician if sleep does not improve in the next 2 weeks. Session 6 next week. Client knows to call or text 988 in a crisis and to call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department for imminent danger.
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Documentation Considerations for Art Therapy DAP Notes
Use art process data, not only imagery
DAP notes for art therapy should document what the client did in the art process: materials selected, pressure applied, time spent, level of initiation, and ability to transition between phases. These observable behaviors are more defensible than interpretations alone. Tie visual choices to expressed emotion only when the client makes that link or the response clearly supports it.
Document client meaning, not therapist projection
Art therapy documentation should clearly distinguish client-stated meaning from clinician inference. Write phrases such as “client reported the dark boundary felt protective” rather than “the border represented defensiveness” unless the client confirms it. This is especially important with symbolic work, where the art may invite multiple meanings and auditors need to see the clinical rationale behind interpretation.
Include modality-specific interventions by name
Art therapy DAP notes should identify the intervention used, such as directive drawing, collage, mindfulness-based art, visual journaling, or externalization of feelings. If the work integrates CBT, DBT, or trauma-informed grounding, name those elements explicitly. This demonstrates that the session was structured and treatment-oriented rather than simply recreational or open studio time.
Link artwork themes to treatment goals
Document how the session advanced measurable goals such as affect identification, distress tolerance, trauma processing, or interpersonal expression. Note any quantifiable change, such as sustained attention for 20 minutes, reduction in anxiety rating from 8/10 to 6/10, or increased emotion words used. That linkage shows medical necessity and helps justify continued art therapy services.
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Further Reading
- APA Documentation Guidelines — Provides comprehensive standards for clinical documentation relevant to mental health professionals.
- SAMHSA — Offers resources and guidelines on behavioral health documentation and best practices.
- American Counseling Association — Contains ethical standards and documentation recommendations for counseling professionals.