Psychopractitioner session notes: what to write, template and framework

Psychopractitioner session notes are the short notes a practitioner writes after each appointment to keep track of the work: the request, the themes discussed, what was done in the session, the goals and what to pick up next time.

In France, a psychopractitioner ("psychopraticien") supports clients (counselling, transactional analysis, NLP, body-based approaches, etc.) without being listed on the national register of psychotherapists. As far as we know, no text tells them how to keep a client file.

This article is mainly for psychopractitioners working in France, with a word for Belgium and Switzerland.

Psychopractitioner, psychotherapist, psychologist: who is who

These three words describe different situations in France. This says nothing about the quality of anyone's work, but it matters for your documents.

• Psychologist. It is a protected title, under Article 44 of Law no. 85-772. Note formats used by psychologists and others are covered in our guide to SOAP, DAP and BIRP notes.
• Psychotherapist. Article 52 of the law of 9 August 2004 provides that "use of the title of psychotherapist is reserved for professionals listed on the national register of psychotherapists" (our translation). The decree of 20 May 2010 makes listing conditional on training in clinical psychopathology of at least 400 hours and a practical placement of at least five months.
• Psychopractitioner. The word is used by practitioners who are not on that register. It does not appear in any of these texts. As far as we know, no text regulates it.

In practice, if you are not on the register, do not use the title of psychotherapist in your notes, letters or certificates.

What is useful to note after each session

Here is what we suggest tracking.

The session setting

Date, length, format (office or video), session number. Also note absences and cancellations.

What the client brings

The themes they raise and what has changed since last time. Quote their words when a phrase matters.

What you offered

The tool or exercise used (analysis of a transaction, reframing, body work, role play) and how the client responded.

Your observations

Observable facts: tears, silences, restlessness, tone of voice, change of posture. Write what you saw, not what you conclude from it.

Goals and next steps

What is moving, what is stuck, what has been adjusted, then the theme to come back to.

Framework events

The client's agreement to note-taking or to a digital tool, a suggested referral to a doctor or psychologist, contact with a third party at their request. If the client mentions suicidal thoughts, 3114 is the national suicide prevention number in France, which you can give them as a resource.

What is better left out

• A diagnosis you are not qualified to make. If the client reports a diagnosis made by their doctor, write it as such: "says their doctor diagnosed…".
• Value judgements about the client or the people around them.
• Details about third parties that do not serve the work (full name of a partner, an employer, a colleague).
• Hypotheses mixed with facts. If you keep lines of thought, put them in a separate section labelled as such.
• Your supervision material, to be kept separate.

We suggest a simple test: write every note as if the client might read it one day.

Session note template for psychopractitioners

Here is a structure to copy. Adapt the wording to your approach. More templates are gathered in our clinical document templates.

First appointment

• Basics: client initials or code, date, length, format.
• Request: why they came, in their own words.
• Context: life events relevant to the work, current medical or psychological care.
• Agreed framework: frequency, fee, cancellation rules, agreement to note-taking.
• Initial goals: one to three goals worded with the client.
• Next: what is planned for the next session.

Follow-up session

• Basics: session number, date, length, format.
• Since last time: what the client reports.
• Themes discussed: two or three lines.
• Work done: tool or exercise offered, and the client's response.
• Observations: observable facts.
• Goals: progress, difficulty, adjustment.
• Working hypotheses: kept apart from facts.
• To pick up: theme or task for next time.

Fictional example

• Basics: session 4, 50 minutes, office.
• Since last time: "I managed to say no to my sister once".
• Work done: went back over that exchange, then role play of a request at work.
• Goals: assertiveness, progressing within the family.
• To pick up: the situation with her manager, raised at the end of the session.

Keeping a file without a state code of ethics

A psychopractitioner has neither a professional order nor a code of ethics set by the state. Many practitioners join a federation or association that publishes a code or charter. By joining, you commit to following them. We advise rereading what yours says about written notes, confidentiality and the end of the work.

We suggest a few simple rules:

• one file per client, with the same structure at every session;
• dated notes, written the same day;
• no rewriting afterwards: add a dated correcting note instead;
• a trace of the client's agreement to note-taking and to the tools used;
• password-protected files, stored somewhere you can name.

For Belgium and Switzerland, each country has its own rules on titles, confidentiality and personal data. We advise checking them with your federation or a local lawyer.

Confidentiality: act as if it applies

Article 226-13 of the French Criminal Code punishes "the disclosure of secret information by a person who holds it either by status or profession, or because of a function or temporary mission" (our translation) with one year of imprisonment and a fine of 15,000 euros. Whether it applies to practitioners whose title is not regulated has not been settled.

We advise acting as if you were bound by it. Share nothing without the client's agreement. Limit what you write to a third party (a letter to a doctor, a certificate) to what is useful. Protect your notes and your tools. If you are considering an AI tool, read our article on confidentiality and AI.

GDPR: your notes are health data

The CNIL, the French data protection authority, defines health data as "data relating to physical or mental health" and notes that "a specific legal regime justified by the sensitivity of the data" applies (our translations). The GDPR lists health data among the special categories of data (Article 9, text published by the CNIL, in French). Notes from psychological support almost always contain it.

The CNIL page for self-employed health professionals (2018) lists several obligations: keep a record of processing activities, take security measures, inform the people concerned, keep data for a set period, and sign a contract with any provider that processes data for you. That page is aimed at health professionals, but we suggest psychopractitioners follow the same points.

How long to keep your notes

As far as we know, no text sets a retention period specific to psychopractitioners. The CNIL asks that data be "kept for a set period" (our translation). We suggest choosing one, writing it in your record of processing and in the information given to clients, checking what your federation says, then destroying the notes securely when the time comes. Existing benchmarks are gathered in our article on patient record retention periods.

How Delta helps

Delta is the clinical assistant for mental health and allied health professionals. During the session, Delta transcribes what is said. After the session, you can also dictate your observations. You can also add written notes.

Delta then generates the session report: a short summary, a detailed summary and topics for the next session. It takes your profession and approach into account. It updates the client's file, with a summary of the work and the goals being tracked, so the whole history and its evolution are in one place. Delta also drafts letters, certificates and assessments, adapted to the profession.

Data is hosted in France by an HDS-certified host, and AI processing takes place in France. The client's name and identifying information are pseudonymised before the AI. No audio file is kept: audio is only used during the session to produce the transcript. Data is never used to train a model and is encrypted in transit and at rest.

Delta works in the browser, with a Mac and Windows app recommended during sessions. The trial lasts 14 days, with no credit card. As of 20 October 2026, the Free plan costs €0 (10 sessions per month) and the Pro plan €35 per month including VAT, or €29 per month billed annually (€348 per year), with unlimited sessions. To learn more, read our What is Delta page and our criteria for choosing therapist software.

Sources

• Law no. 2004-806 of 9 August 2004, Article 52 (Légifrance, in force since 28 January 2016)
• Decree no. 2010-534 of 20 May 2010 on use of the title of psychotherapist, Article 1 (Légifrance)
• French Criminal Code, Article 226-13 (Légifrance, in force since 1 January 2002)
• CNIL, "Qu'est-ce qu'une donnée de santé ?" (8 January 2018, in French)
• CNIL, "RGPD et professionnels de santé libéraux : ce que vous devez savoir" (1 June 2018, in French)