Free template
Free DAP note template
A clean, printable DAP note template (Data, Assessment, Plan) with prompts and a worked example. Free, no signup. Print it, or write notes in seconds inside Soap Notes.
DAP Note
Client: ______________________
Date: ______________________
Session #: ______________________
Clinician: ______________________
Data
Everything that happened in the session, both what the client reported and what you observed. Facts and quotes, not interpretation.
Assessment
Your interpretation of the data, progress toward goals, symptom change, and any risk.
Plan
Next steps: interventions, homework, referrals, and the next appointment.
A filled-in example
D, Data
Client reported low motivation and missing two of three planned activities; said "I can't get started on anything." Calm affect, engaged, completed a brief mood check.
A, Assessment
Low mood ongoing; reduced motivation linked to avoidance rather than lack of insight. No current risk indicators. Slow but steady progress.
P, Plan
Continue behavioral activation; client to schedule one small task before next session. Follow up in one week.
Want the full breakdown? Read: How to write a DAP note
Using the format well
Data is deliberately one section, not two
DAP is SOAP with Subjective and Objective merged. That is the whole design, and it is why the format is quicker: you write the session once rather than sorting every detail into one of two boxes. The trade is that a later reader cannot tell at a glance what the client reported from what you observed, so keep the distinction inside the sentence. "Client reported sleeping badly; appeared tired and yawned twice" carries both without needing separate headings.
Assessment still has to do the work
Merging the first two sections makes it tempting to let Data swallow the note and leave Assessment as an afterthought. Assessment is where you say what the session added up to and whether it differs from last time. Without it the note records what happened and nothing about what it meant, which is the part the next session actually needs.
When DAP is the right choice
DAP suits high-volume caseloads and settings where speed matters more than the audit trail, because there is simply less to fill in. Choose SOAP instead when the split between report and observation is clinically meaningful, and BIRP when you have to show that a particular intervention was delivered and what it produced. If you are documenting for a funder or a reviewer, DAP is usually the weakest of the three, precisely because it records the least structure.
More free templates: SOAP Note · Progress Note · Client Intake Form · Treatment Plan · BIRP Note · Informed Consent Form · Superbill · Discharge Summary · GIRP Note · PIRP Note
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