GIRP Notes for Families: Template + Examples (2026)
Overview
This guide is part of our complete GIRP notes hub — format structure, a full clinical example, and all 72 diagnosis-specific templates.
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Short answer: a GIRP note for a family session has four parts. Goals: the treatment goals the family agreed on and the focus of this session. Intervention: what you did, such as mapping interaction patterns, coaching a conversation or setting up an enactment. Response: how each family member responded, measure scores and progress toward the goals. Plan: the practice the family agreed to, the next session’s focus and any referrals.
In family therapy, start with who attended and who the identified client is. Payers usually tie medical necessity to the identified client’s diagnosis, and family psychotherapy is commonly billed as 90847 (client present) or 90846 (client not present); check your payer’s rules. Describe patterns between people rather than blaming one member, and record only the information about other family members that the treatment needs.
What to document in a GIRP note for families
| Section | What to document | Example wording |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Who attended, the identified client, the family’s goals and today’s focus | “Mother, stepfather and identified client (14) attended. Goal: weekday conversations about rules without shouting; today’s focus: homework and phone time.” |
| Intervention | Techniques used and the patterns you observed between members | “Mapped the evening argument cycle on a whiteboard; coached mother and client through a 5-minute conversation about phone time; stepfather observed only.” |
| Response | Each member’s response, scores and progress toward goals | “Client stayed in the conversation for the full 5 minutes; mother said it ‘felt different’; shouting on 3 of 5 school days (5 of 5 at intake).” |
| Plan | Home practice, next focus, referrals and repeat measures | “10-minute family meeting each Sunday; next session: stepfather’s role; SCORE-15 again in 4 weeks.” |
Safety. Ask about safety at home in a way that lets each person answer freely, including time alone with a young person or adult when needed. Record any report of family violence, abuse or neglect, what you did and any mandated report made under your state’s law. 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 GIRP Notes for Families
Goals
Document current treatment goals, client's goals for this session, and progress toward established objectives
When documenting the Goals section for families, clearly outline the specific objectives that the family aims to achieve through therapy, reflecting their priorities and the client’s needs in the family context.
- Identify family-centered goals that promote improved communication and relationships among family members.
- Specify behavioral or emotional outcomes desired by the family for the client.
- Include short-term and long-term goals that are realistic and measurable for the family unit.
- Highlight goals related to enhancing family support systems and coping strategies.
- Document culturally sensitive goals that respect the family’s values and beliefs.
Intervention
Record specific interventions applied to address identified goals and advance treatment
In the Intervention section for families, document the specific therapeutic strategies, clinical observations, and techniques used to engage the family and address their identified goals.
- Describe family therapy modalities applied, such as structural, strategic, or narrative techniques.
- Note observations of family dynamics and interactions during the session.
- Record use of communication facilitation methods to improve family dialogue.
- Detail psychoeducation provided to family members about the client’s condition or behavior.
- Indicate any role-playing or problem-solving exercises conducted with the family.
Response
Note the client's response to goal-focused work, progress indicators, and barriers to goal achievement
The Response section for families should capture the client’s and family’s reactions to the interventions, including progress, challenges, and any diagnostic impressions noted during the session.
- Evaluate the family’s engagement and participation level during the session.
- Observe and document any shifts in family communication or behavior patterns.
- Note emotional responses or resistance from family members regarding therapeutic work.
- Assess progress toward previously established family goals.
- Record any emerging diagnostic considerations based on family interactions and client behavior.
Plan
Specify action steps, revised goals if needed, and timeline for goal achievement
For families, the Plan section outlines the agreed next steps, including any homework assignments, treatment adjustments, referrals, and scheduling details to support continued therapeutic progress.
- Specify homework tasks designed to reinforce skills learned in session within the family context.
- Outline any modifications to the treatment approach based on family response and needs.
- Identify referrals to additional family support services or specialists as appropriate.
- Schedule follow-up sessions and specify the focus or goals for upcoming meetings.
- Plan communication strategies for family members to practice between sessions.
SOAP Notes for Families
Alternative format for documenting families
DAP Notes for Families
Alternative format for documenting families
BIRP Notes for Families
Alternative format for documenting families
Progress Notes for Families
Alternative format for documenting families
SIRP Notes for Families
Alternative format for documenting families
PIE Notes for Families
Alternative format for documenting families
Example GIRP note for a family session (parent-teen conflict)
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 family: identified client, 14, with her mother (41) and stepfather (44), who married 8 months ago; the client’s younger sister did not attend. Identified client diagnosis: adjustment disorder with mixed disturbance of emotions and conduct (F43.25). Session 4 of family therapy, 60 minutes, in person, all three present (90847). Measure: SCORE-15, a 15-item family functioning questionnaire completed separately by each participating member aged 12 or over. Responses are rated 1 to 5 and scored using the official scoring template, which accounts for positive and negative item wording before calculating the mean. Higher mean scores indicate more difficulty.
Goals: Family goals: (1) weekday conversations about rules without shouting on at least 4 of 5 school days; (2) client back to handing in homework on time; (3) agree a role for the stepfather that client and mother both accept. Today’s focus, chosen by the family: the nightly argument about homework and phone time.
Intervention: Asked each member to describe a typical evening; drew the pattern on a whiteboard: mother asks about homework, client says “later,” stepfather steps in, client leaves the room, mother and stepfather argue. Reframed the pattern as something the family gets stuck in rather than one person’s fault. Coached mother and client through a 5-minute enactment about phone time, with the stepfather asked to observe only. Gave psychoeducation on how teenagers adjust to a stepparent over time. Spent 10 minutes alone with the client at the end to check safety and anything she did not want to say in front of the adults.
Response: Client said, “He’s not my dad, he can’t make rules,” then stayed in the enactment for the full 5 minutes and proposed phones away at 9 p.m. Mother agreed and said the conversation “felt different.” Stepfather found staying quiet “hard” but said he understood why. Family reports shouting on 3 of 5 school days last week (5 of 5 at intake). Homework handed in on 2 of 5 days. SCORE-15 mean scores calculated with the official scoring template: mother 2.6 (3.1 at intake), stepfather 2.4 (2.8), client 3.0 (3.4). In the individual check, the client denied any physical harm or threats at home, denied thoughts of suicide or self-harm and said she feels safe. Goal 1 improving; goals 2 and 3 not yet met.
Plan: Family agreed to a 10-minute meeting each Sunday, led by the mother, to set the week’s homework and phone rules, with phones away at 9 p.m. on school nights. Stepfather will back the mother’s decisions without enforcing new rules for now. Next session: the stepfather’s role and how the parents agree rules in private. With the family’s consent, the mother will ask the school counselor for weekly homework updates. SCORE-15 again in 4 weeks. Reviewed who to call in an emergency: the family 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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Tips for GIRP Notes for Families
Start with who attended
List every person in the session and the identified client, so billing and the next reader know whose treatment the note supports.
Describe patterns, not culprits
Write the interaction cycle, such as “mother asks, client delays, stepfather steps in,” rather than labeling one member as the problem.
Record each member’s view
Quote or summarize how each person responded, especially where they disagree, so progress is judged from more than one view.
Make family goals countable
Use goals the family can track, such as “no shouting on 4 of 5 school days,” and record the count each session.
Note individual safety checks
Record when you spoke with a member alone, that safety was asked about and what was reported, without adding details the family record does not need.
Record each member’s score
Repeat a family measure such as the SCORE-15 for each member aged 12 or over and record each person’s score, not just one family number.
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Further Reading
- APA Documentation Guidelines — Provides comprehensive standards for clinical documentation relevant to mental health professionals working with families.
- SAMHSA — Offers resources and best practices for behavioral health documentation and family-centered care.
- NASW (Social Workers) — Includes guidelines and ethical considerations for social workers documenting family interventions.