Parent guidance session note: template and example

A parent guidance session note is the written trace of a session in which the psychologist works with the parents, often without the child, on how they respond to the child's difficulties. It keeps what was reported, observed and suggested, and the home tasks agreed. It often has two possible readers, the mother and the father, who may disagree.

Parent guidance: definition and differences

In France, a September 2025 guide from the interministerial delegation for neurodevelopmental disorders (DITND) describes parent guidance as "a structured practice of support offered to parents" (our translation, DITND guide 2025-2026). The parents' couple and history only enter the note when they shed light on the parenting question.

• Child session: the child is the client.
• Parent guidance: the parents are the people in the room, the child is the focus of the work but often absent. The note tracks situations, goals and tasks.
• Systemic family therapy: the family is the client. The note describes interactions and hypotheses about the system.
• Couples therapy: the adults' relationship is the focus. If the parenting question turns into a couple conflict, tell the parents the frame is changing.
• Parent group: a short note per family (attendance, module, tasks).

Common frameworks and what they change in the note

Parent training

For ADHD, the French National Authority for Health (HAS, recommendation validated on 18 July 2024) recommends offering a parent training programme as a first-line option as soon as the diagnosis is made, and says these programmes can be offered when a diagnosis is suspected, before it is confirmed. Group format is preferred, but individual delivery is also possible (HAS, ADHD, 2024). The DITND guide names the Barkley and PEPS programmes.

In the note, keep the programme module, a review of each task, one difficult situation described concretely (before, behaviour, parent's response, after) and the new task.

Autism spectrum disorder

Since February 2026, the HAS recommends reviewing the effects of interventions on the child's development at least once a year, together with the parents (HAS, autism, 2026). The DITND guide lists programmes for autism such as PACT, PESDM or RUBI. In the note, record the target skill and the home situation where you want it to generalise.

In a psychodynamic approach, tasks are rare and the note covers what the parents understand of their child. Write with restraint about what the situation stirs up in them.

What to note when the child is not in the room

• Attribute every reported fact. "According to the mother", "according to the father", "both parents describe". When accounts differ, note both without deciding between them.
• Separate what was reported from what you observed. Article 13 of the French code of ethics states that an assessment of a person can only be made if the psychologist has met that person (2021 code). So any idea about the child's functioning is written as a working hypothesis.
• Write tasks you can observe. Who does what, when, how often, and how you will know it was done. "Be more patient" cannot be followed up. "One instruction at a time, given within arm's reach" can.

If something raises concern for the child's safety, note the reported facts, their source and what you did, following your usual safeguarding procedure.

Parental authority and consent of both parents (France)

Article 371-1 of the French Civil Code opens with "parental authority is a set of rights and duties whose purpose is the interest of the child" and ends with "parents involve the child in decisions that concern them, according to their age and degree of maturity" (our translation, Légifrance, art. 371-1).

Article 372-2 provides that, towards third parties acting in good faith, each parent is deemed to act with the other's agreement when carrying out alone an everyday act of parental authority concerning the child (Légifrance, art. 372-2). The text does not say whether psychological follow-up is an everyday act, and the point is debated. To be cautious, once you know the other parent objects, we recommend not treating yourself as a third party acting in good faith.

Article 11 of the 2021 French code of ethics for psychologists says that, when working with a minor, the psychologist seeks the minor's consent as far as possible and "seeks the authorisation of the legal representatives in line with the rules on parental authority" (our translation, 2021 code).

The work concerns the child, even when absent. We therefore recommend treating guidance as care that concerns the child. In opinion 2024-30, issued on 8 February 2025, the French ethics commission for psychologists (CNCDP) expects the psychologist to ask at the first session whether the other parent is informed of the consultation and has agreed. If that parent cannot be reached, the work can continue in the child's interest, provided you can show you tried to reach them (CNCDP opinion 2024-30).

In the UK and Ireland, the rules on parental responsibility and consent differ, so check them with your professional body.

We recommend noting at the first session how parental authority is exercised as the parents state it, who made the request, whether the other parent is informed (how, when, their answer), the child's agreement if the child is to be seen and the confidentiality rule explained. This is section 2 of the template below.

Can parents read the note?

Assume they can. The French data protection authority (CNIL) states that, in France, parents as legal representatives in principle exercise the child's rights (CNIL, 2021). We therefore recommend the following.

• write about each parent only what you could read back to them face to face;
• copy one parent's complaints about the other only when they serve the work, always attributed;
• keep what one parent tells you alone in a separate section, with what you agreed about sharing it;
• replace labels ("intrusive mother", "absent father") with a described situation.

For a child seen individually, see our child and adolescent session note template.

High-conflict separation: what to write and what not to write

When parents are separated, write knowing the note may be produced in family court.

Write

• the dates each parent attended;
• the suggestions made to both parents, with the same content;
• what each parent said, attributed;
• the tasks agreed and who carries them out;
• requests for written reports, your answer and why.

Do not write

• a view on the parenting abilities of a parent you have not met;
• a preference about where the child should live;
• a diagnosis of a parent;
• the child's words as reported by one parent, presented as facts.

When a parent asks for a letter or attestation

Article 13 of the French code leaves a narrow margin: the psychologist may give a cautious, detailed opinion in some situations, without it counting as an assessment. Article 18 asks that a psychologist's documents carry, among other things, a signature and the recipient and purpose of the document (2021 code).

In opinion 2024-30, brought by a father, the CNCDP noted that an attestation given to the mother lacked a purpose and a recipient, and commented on the father although the psychologist had never met him. It asked her to send the letter to the father as well, for fairness and impartiality. We recommend limiting the letter to facts (dates, number of sessions, which parent attended) and noting in the file the request, your answer and who received the letter.

Parent guidance session note template (ready to copy)

Sections 2 and 10 are mostly filled in at the first session.

1. Session frame

• Date, length, session number (and number within the programme, if any)
• Format: individual, group (programme name, module), video session
• Present: mother, father, other adult; child present or not, and for how long
• Absent: informed or not, by whom

2. Parental authority and consent

• How parental authority is exercised, as stated
• Who asked for the work and why
• Other parent informed: date, how, answer
• Child's agreement if seen
• Confidentiality rule explained

3. Current goals

• Goal 1, written as an observable behaviour, with a target date
• Goal 2
• Status: reached, improving, unchanged

4. Home task review

• Task: done, partly done, not done
• What helped, what got in the way
• According to whom (mother, father, both)

5. Situations reported since the last session

• Situation, what came before, what the child did, the parent's response, what followed
• Source: mother, father, both, school as reported by the parents

6. Observations in session

• How the parents coordinate, where they agree and disagree
• Reactions to suggestions
• Emotions expressed
• Parent and child interaction if the child is present

7. What was worked on

• Theme and tool (psychoeducation, analysis of a situation, role play, handout)
• What the parents take away, in their own words

8. Working hypotheses

• One or two hypotheses, written as such, to be checked

9. Agreed tasks

• Who, what, when, how often
• How you will know it was done (chart, log)

10. Points to watch

• Child safety
• A parent's exhaustion
• Ongoing disagreement between parents
• Request for a written report
• What a parent said alone (separate section, not shared)

11. Next steps

• Next session date and planned theme
• Planned contacts (school, doctor) and the parents' agreement

Fictional example over two sessions

Invented situation. Noah, 8, has ADHD diagnosed by a child psychiatrist who suggested parent guidance. His parents, Sarah L. and Karim L., live together. Individual guidance based on a parent training programme, eight sessions planned. All figures are fictional.

Session 1 (12 January)

• Frame: session 1 of 8, 60 minutes, in person. Present: Sarah L. and Karim L. Noah absent, not seen so far.
• Parental authority and consent: joint authority, stated by both parents. Request from the mother on the child psychiatrist's advice; father present and in agreement. Rule set: what is said in joint sessions is shared. Noah will join his parents at session 4, if he agrees.
• Request: according to the mother, "mornings are one long fight, we're late three times a week". According to the father, homework time is the main problem. Both describe shouting almost every day.
• Reported situation (Monday, according to the mother): "get dressed" said from the kitchen, repeated five times; she shouts, Noah cries; they leave at 8:25 instead of 8:10.
• Observations: the parents interrupt each other about mornings and agree about homework.
• Worked on: psychoeducation on ADHD (handout given); short instructions, given close to the child, one at a time.
• Working hypothesis: instructions given from a distance and repeated feed the morning escalation.
• Goals (set with the parents): G1, leave at 8:10 on at least 3 mornings out of 5 by session 4. G2, fewer days with shouting at homework time (daily yes or no log).
• Tasks: 1) each parent gives morning instructions within arm's reach, one at a time; 2) chart on the fridge, departure time and shouting at homework, filled in by the parent present; 3) ten minutes of play chosen by Noah, with no instructions, four times this week, shared between both parents.
• Points to watch: the mother's tiredness, to come back to. No concern for Noah's safety.
• Next: session 2 in two weeks, theme "positive attention and specific praise".

Session 2 (26 January)

• Frame: session 2 of 8, 60 minutes. Present: Sarah L. Karim L. absent (work trip), informed and agreed that the session go ahead; task summary sent to both parents.
• Task review: task 1 done "almost every morning" according to the mother. Chart: on time 3 mornings out of 5 in week one, 4 out of 5 in week two; shouting at homework 5 days out of 7, then 4 out of 7. Task 3: done 3 times by the father, once by the mother, who says "I can't manage it, I feel he doesn't deserve it".
• Reported situation (Wednesday, according to the mother): Noah packed his school bag alone after a single instruction; she said nothing.
• Observations: moved when recalling her own school memories; noted without going further, to return to if she wishes.
• Worked on: play time is not a reward. Specific praise, straight away, naming the behaviour. Role play of the school bag scene.
• Working hypothesis: homework remains where escalation happens. To check with the father.
• Goals: G1 on track (4 out of 5). G2 slightly better.
• Tasks: keep 1 and 2; task 3 split equally; new task 4, one specific praise a day, logged on the chart.
• Points to watch: get the father's view on homework at session 3; check he received the summary.
• Next: session 3 with both parents, theme "homework: breaking it down and planning breaks".

Common mistakes

• Writing "Noah is oppositional" instead of describing the reported situation and its source.
• Merging both parents into one ("the parents say") when they do not say the same thing.
• Setting vague tasks, or not reviewing them at the next session.
• Forgetting to note whether the other parent is informed, and how.
• Leaving a parent's private disclosure in the body of the shared note.

Why Delta suits parent guidance

When both parents are present, Delta tells the voices apart, and the note separates what the mother says from what the father says. It transcribes what is said during the session or works from your dictation, produces the session report with topics for next time and updates the goals tracked in the patient record. Task follow-up stays in one place. Data stays in Europe, in France, on infrastructure certified for health data, and no audio file is kept. See Delta for psychologists, what Delta is and our guide to choosing psychologist practice software.

Further reading

• Couples therapy session notes template
• All our clinical document templates

Sources

• French Civil Code, article 371-1, Légifrance (in force since 21 February 2024)
• French Civil Code, article 372-2, Légifrance (in force since 5 March 2002)
• French code of ethics for psychologists, consolidated version of 9 September 2021
• HAS, ADHD: diagnosis and therapeutic interventions for children and adolescents, recommendation, July 2024
• DITND, Parent guidance in neurodevelopmental disorders 2025-2026, September 2025