Counselling session notes: what to write, with a UK template and example

Counselling session notes are the short written account a counsellor keeps of each session, as part of the client's record. They are not a transcript. They are a working document that helps you, your supervisor and, if it ever comes to it, the client, understand what happened in the work and why.

This guide is for counsellors and psychotherapists in the UK. It covers what BACP actually says about notes, what to put in, what to leave out, a template you can copy and a fully worked fictional example.

What BACP says about notes

BACP's Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions 2026 takes effect from 3 November 2026. Clause 3.2 is headed "Keep appropriate records". It says practitioners must ensure that records:

• "are factual, adequate and relevant for the type of service offered"
• "are stored securely and comply with the data protection requirements of the country where the record is stored"
• "include all communications, notes and other information held relating to clients or service users working with us"

That last point matters. Emails, texts and contracting forms are part of the record too, not only your session notes.

BACP does not impose a format. In a BACP blog on notes and record keeping published on 20 March 2026, its Client Ethics Manager writes: "We also don't stipulate what notes should look like". The same piece says that "one therapist may just log the times and dates of sessions". So the template below is one sensible option, not a BACP rule.

The framework also asks you to have adequate supervision that lets you "reflect in depth about all aspects of our practice" (clause 4.3). Notes are often what you bring to supervision, so it helps to flag supervision points as you write.

What a counselling session note should contain

Keep each element short. Most notes fit in half a page.

• Session number and date. Also the format (in person, video, phone) and the length if it differed from the contract.
• Attendance. Attended, late, cancelled with notice, did not attend. Note any fee or contract consequence agreed.
• Presenting themes. What the client brought, in plain words. Two or three themes are usually enough.
• The client's own words, sparingly. One short quote can capture something a summary would lose. Use quotation marks so it is clear these are their words, not your interpretation.
• Interventions and process. What you did and how the client responded. In person-centred work this may be mostly about the relationship and the client's process. In integrative work you might name a technique you used.
• Risk discussed and actions agreed. Neutral, factual wording. What was asked, what the client said, what was agreed, who was informed if anyone.
• Contracting matters. Changes to session frequency, fees, endings, breaks, consent to anything new.
• Plan for next session. One or two lines.
• Supervision points. Anything you want to take to supervision, kept brief and factual in this record.

What to leave out

• Speculation. "I wonder if she was abused as a child" does not belong in the record. If a hypothesis matters, take it to supervision.
• Labels you are not qualified or asked to give. Describe what you saw and heard rather than naming a condition.
• Third-party detail beyond need. The client's partner, colleagues or family can be referred to by role ("her manager"). Avoid names, health details or private facts about others unless the work truly needs them.
• Judgemental language. Words like "manipulative", "attention seeking" or "difficult" say more about the writer than the client. Write what happened instead.
• Your own feelings in raw form. Countertransference is useful material for supervision. In the client record, a neutral line such as "supervision point: my response to the ending" is usually enough.

Some counsellors also keep separate, more personal reflections. Whether these "process notes" stay outside the client record is a separate question. Clause 3.2 says records include all notes held relating to clients, so check how your own system treats them.

Write as if the client will read it

Under UK GDPR, clients have a right of access to their personal data. The ICO's guide to subject access (last updated 16 July 2026) states: "People have the right to access and obtain a copy of their personal information." It also says you "must respond without undue delay, and within one month of receipt of the request", that this can be extended "by up to a further two months, where necessary", and that "in most circumstances, you cannot charge a fee to deal with a request".

Your session notes are personal data about the client. So a simple test works well. Would you be comfortable if the client read this sentence? If not, rewrite it in plain, respectful, factual terms. Our page on subject access requests for therapy notes explains how to handle a request step by step.

BACP's GDPR guidance page also asks practitioners to plan "how will you handle requests to see personal data within Data Protection timescales". It reminds you that data protection law does not set fixed time limits for keeping records. For retention choices, see how long to keep counselling notes.

Counselling session notes template

Copy these headings into your notes system. The prompts in italics are there to guide you. Delete them once the note is written.

1. Client reference, session number and date. Use a client code if your system allows it. Add the format and the length if it changed.
2. Attendance. Attended on time, late, cancelled, did not attend. Any consequence agreed under the contract.
3. Presenting themes. What did the client bring today? Two or three short points.
4. Client's words. One short quote at most, in quotation marks, only if it adds something.
5. Process and interventions. What did you offer, and how did the client respond? What shifted, if anything?
6. Risk. Was risk to self or others raised or asked about? What exactly was said? What was agreed? Was anyone informed, and on what basis? If not discussed, write "Not raised".
7. Contracting. Any change to frequency, fees, breaks, endings or consent.
8. Plan for next session. One or two lines.
9. Supervision points. Brief and factual. Fuller reflection goes to supervision itself.
10. Signed and dated. Your name or initials and the date the note was written.

Filled example (fictional)

This example is entirely fictional. The client, details and events are invented for illustration. The counsellor works in an integrative way with a person-centred base. The client is an adult seen privately for weekly 50-minute sessions.

1. Client reference, session number and date. Client RM-014. Session 6 of an open-ended contract. Tuesday, 50 minutes, in person.
2. Attendance. Attended. Arrived 10 minutes late due to train delays. Session ended at the usual time, as agreed in the contract.
3. Presenting themes. Continuing stress at work after a restructure. Low mood at weekends. Tension with her sister over care of their father.
4. Client's words. "I keep everyone happy and then I've got nothing left."
5. Process and interventions. Mostly reflective listening and empathic responses. Client spent the first part describing a difficult meeting with her manager. When I reflected back the pattern of putting others first, she was quiet for some time, then said this felt familiar from childhood. We stayed with this. Towards the end I offered a brief grounding exercise, which she said helped. She appeared more settled when leaving.
6. Risk. I asked about the low mood mentioned last week. Client said she has had passing thoughts that "it would be easier not to wake up" on two evenings this week. She said she has no plans or intention to act and named her children as a strong reason to stay safe. We agreed she will contact her GP this week to talk about her mood. She has the details of the Samaritans and agreed to use them if things get worse between sessions. I will check in on this at the start of next session. No one else informed. I did not judge this necessary at this stage, within the confidentiality limits agreed in our contract.
7. Contracting. Client asked about a break in August. Agreed two weeks off. Dates to confirm next session.
8. Plan for next session. Check in on mood and GP contact. Return to the theme of putting others first, if she wishes.
9. Supervision points. Discuss the risk conversation and my decision not to contact anyone. Note my own pull to reassure rather than stay with her distress.
10. Signed and dated. Counsellor initials, written the same day.

Notice what this note does not contain. There is no guess about her childhood, no name for her sister or manager and no label for her mood. Risk is described in her words and in what was agreed. A client reading it would recognise the session.

How this differs from SOAP and DAP notes

SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) comes from medical settings. DAP (Data, Assessment, Plan) is a shorter cousin that is common in US therapy practice. Both put an "assessment" section at the centre, which suits clinical services that track symptoms and treatment goals.

Many UK counsellors, especially person-centred practitioners, find an assessment heading sits awkwardly with their way of working. The headings above use counselling language instead, such as process, themes, contracting and supervision. If you work in an NHS or agency setting that requires SOAP or DAP, use their format. You can read more in our comparison of SOAP, DAP and BIRP notes and our DAP note template. Approach-specific versions exist too, such as the CBT session note template and the psychodynamic session note template.

Practical tips for writing good notes

• Write the note soon after the session. Details are easier to recall accurately while the session is fresh.
• Keep the same headings every time. It makes notes easier to write and to read back before a session.
• Use the past tense and plain verbs. "Client said", "we agreed", "I offered".
• Separate fact from your view. If you add your view, mark it clearly, for example "my sense was".
• Record what you did not do, when it matters. For example, a decision not to break confidentiality and the reason for it.
• Store notes securely. Clause 3.2 asks that records comply with the data protection rules of the country where they are stored.

For other documents such as assessment summaries, letters and ending summaries, see our clinical document templates.

How Delta helps with session notes

Delta is an AI assistant for mental health and allied health practitioners. During the session, it transcribes what is said, then prepares a session report that you review. You can also dictate observations right after the session or add written notes.

Delta takes into account your profession and therapeutic approach, including person-centred, CBT, psychodynamic, systemic and others. So a person-centred counsellor gets a report shaped around that way of working. The report is added to the client's file, so the follow-up sits in one place. You stay responsible for the content. You read, edit and validate every report before it is kept.

On security, data is hosted in France with a host certified for health data (HDS, the French health data hosting certification). AI processing, transcription included, runs on servers in France. The client's name and identifying details are pseudonymised before AI processing. No audio file is kept, data is never used to train models, and data is encrypted in transit and at rest. As with any provider, ask for its data processing agreement before you start. There is a 14-day free trial without a card.

Sources

• BACP, Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions 2026 (PDF)
• BACP blog, Notes and record keeping, 20 March 2026
• BACP, GDPR guidance page
• ICO, A guide to subject access