Guide · for Irish practitioners
Writing SOAP notes in counselling practice
A practical walkthrough of each section, with examples.
7 min read · Updated
What a SOAP note is
SOAP stands for Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan. The format comes from medicine, where it grew out of the problem-oriented medical record developed by Dr Lawrence Weed in the 1960s. Many counsellors and psychotherapists use it because it separates what the client told you from what you observed, what you made of it, and what happens next.
That separation is the real value. A note that keeps those four things apart is easier to write quickly, easier to read months later, and fairer to the client if they ever ask to see their record.
The four sections
Subjective: what the client reported, in their words where it matters. Their account of the week, how they say they are feeling, what they brought to the session.
Objective: what you observed. Attendance and punctuality, presentation, engagement, affect as you saw it, anything you measured or completed together. Keep it descriptive rather than interpretive.
Assessment: your professional view of what the session showed. Progress towards agreed goals, themes, changes since last time, and any risk you identified and how you assessed it.
Plan: what happens next. Agreed tasks between sessions, focus for the next session, any referral or liaison, and when you will next meet.
A worked example
A fictional client, A.M., attends their sixth session. Their rough notes after the session might read: "Arrived on time, brighter. Anxious re team meeting Thurs after return to work. Breathing ex. from wk 4 helped twice. Sleep ~5 hrs. Perfectionism / over-preparing. Homework: one 'good enough' task a day. Next in 2 wks."
- S
- Client reported feeling "brighter" than the previous week. Described anxiety about an upcoming team meeting following a return to work after leave. Said the breathing exercise introduced in session 4 helped on two occasions. Sleep remains disrupted, at about five hours a night.
- O
- Arrived punctually. Engaged throughout, with brighter affect than in the previous session. Reflective when exploring the link between perfectionism and over-preparation.
- A
- Continued progress in applying anxiety-management strategies between sessions. Perfectionism and over-preparation identified as possible maintaining factors. Sleep disruption persists and will be kept under review.
- P
- Agreed between-session task: one "good enough" task each day. Review sleep at the next session. Next appointment in two weeks.
Good practice
- Write the note as soon as you reasonably can after the session, while it's fresh.
- Be brief and factual. A good note is usually a short paragraph per section, not a transcript.
- Use the client's own words in quotation marks when the exact phrasing matters.
- Keep observation and interpretation apart: "tearful when discussing her father" in Objective, what you think it means in Assessment.
- Record any risk you identified, how you assessed it and what you did, even when the answer was "no further action".
- Write as though the client may one day read it. Under GDPR, clients generally have a right to access their personal data, including their records.
- Date and sign every note, and never quietly change an approved note. Add a dated addendum instead.
Common pitfalls
- Assessment that just repeats Subjective. If the client said it, it belongs in S; A is your professional view.
- Plans that aren't actionable. "Continue work" tells your future self very little.
- Judgemental or loaded language. Describe behaviour rather than labelling the person.
- Including details about third parties that aren't needed for the client's care.
Where Mira Practice fits
Mira Practice turns your rough notes into a structured SOAP or DAP draft. You stay the author: you edit anything, and the note only becomes part of the record when you approve it. Mira doesn't assess clients or make clinical decisions, and it doesn't record sessions.
This guide is general information, not professional or legal advice. Your professional body (for example the IACP, PSI, IAHIP or ICP), your supervisor and, as statutory registration is introduced, CORU set the standards you need to follow for record-keeping.