SOAP vs. DAP vs. BIRP: Which Progress Note Format Should You Use?
SOAP, DAP, and BIRP notes contain much of the same clinical information. The difference is where they put it.
SOAP separates the client’s report from your observations. DAP combines both into one Data section. BIRP gives the therapist’s intervention and the client’s response their own headings.
There is no universal winner. The best format is the one that meets your requirements and makes it easy to show the work you actually do.
Quick comparison
| Format | Sections | Main strength | Often fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOAP | Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan | Separates reported and observed information | Multidisciplinary, medical-adjacent, or structured settings |
| DAP | Data, Assessment, Plan | Compact and flexible | Outpatient talk therapy and clinicians who prefer fewer headings |
| BIRP | Behavior, Intervention, Response, Plan | Makes the treatment action and outcome easy to find | Behavioral health, skills work, agencies, and group programs |
Whichever format you use, a complete note should still show the current concern, relevant functioning, intervention, client response, progress, and plan.
SOAP notes
SOAP stands for:
- Subjective: What the client reports
- Objective: What the clinician observes or measures
- Assessment: The clinician’s interpretation
- Plan: The next step in treatment
SOAP is useful when the distinction between report and observation matters. It is also familiar to providers across healthcare.
The potential downside is that therapy sessions do not always divide neatly into subjective and objective information. Some clinicians find themselves deciding where a sentence belongs instead of writing the note.
Read the complete SOAP notes guide and template.
DAP notes
DAP stands for:
- Data: Client report, clinician observations, interventions, and relevant session information
- Assessment: Clinical interpretation and progress
- Plan: Next steps
DAP removes one boundary by combining Subjective and Objective into Data. That can make it quicker and more natural for outpatient therapy.
The tradeoff is that Data can become an oversized session summary if it is not kept focused. Assessment also has to do real work; simply repeating the Data leaves the clinical reasoning unclear.
Read the complete DAP notes guide and template.
BIRP notes
BIRP stands for:
- Behavior: The client’s presentation, symptoms, concerns, or relevant behavior
- Intervention: What the therapist did
- Response: How the client responded
- Plan: What happens next
BIRP makes the action of therapy visible. A reviewer can quickly follow the path from concern to intervention to response.
Its main challenge is that “Behavior” can sound narrower than it is. The section may include the client’s report and emotional presentation, not only observable actions.
Read the complete BIRP notes guide and template.
The same session written three ways
Here is one fictional anxiety session documented in each format.
SOAP example
Subjective: Client reported avoiding three work emails due to fear of criticism. The delay increased anxiety and made it difficult to complete other tasks.
Objective: Client appeared restless and checked their phone several times. Client participated in a graded task and opened one non-urgent email during the session.
Assessment: Anxiety and catastrophic thinking continue to drive work avoidance. Client was able to tolerate opening one email and reported distress decreasing from 8/10 to 5/10. Early progress is visible, though avoidance remains disruptive.
Plan: Client will open the remaining emails using the same steps and draft responses before the next weekly session.
DAP example
Data: Client reported avoiding three work emails due to fear of criticism, which increased anxiety and disrupted other tasks. Client appeared restless. Therapist used guided discovery to examine the feared outcome and supported the client in opening one non-urgent email. Client reported distress falling from 8/10 to 5/10.
Assessment: Catastrophic thinking continues to drive work avoidance. Client showed improved tolerance of uncertainty during the in-session task, though avoidance remains disruptive. Early progress is visible.
Plan: Client will open the remaining emails using the same steps and draft responses before the next weekly session.
BIRP example
Behavior: Client reported avoiding three work emails due to fear of criticism. The delay increased anxiety and disrupted other tasks. Client appeared restless.
Intervention: Therapist used guided discovery to examine the feared outcome and broke the task into smaller steps. Supported the client in opening one non-urgent email during the session.
Response: Client opened and read the message, identified that the feared outcome had not occurred, and reported distress decreasing from 8/10 to 5/10.
Plan: Client will open the remaining emails using the same steps and draft responses before the next weekly session.
The clinical story barely changes. Only the organization changes.
How to choose the right format
Start with requirements
If your employer, payer, supervisor, or EHR requires a particular template, the decision may already be made. Check before redesigning anything.
Match the format to how you think
Choose SOAP if you naturally separate what the client says from what you observe. Choose DAP if you think in terms of facts, meaning, and next step. Choose BIRP if you think in terms of presentation, intervention, outcome, and plan.
Test it with real fictional scenarios
Take a de-identified or fictional session and write it in all three formats. Notice where you hesitate, repeat yourself, or lose useful information. The fastest format is not the one with the fewest letters; it is the one that requires the least mental sorting.
Consider the rest of the practice
For a small group practice, consistency matters. If every clinician uses a different structure, chart reviews and supervision take longer. A practice can still allow clinical voice while standardizing the core fields.
What every format needs
The acronym does not make a note complete. Check that the content includes:
- Correct session details
- Current symptoms or concerns
- Functional impact when relevant
- Specific intervention
- Client response
- Progress toward an active goal
- Risk information when it came up
- Clear next step
- Signature and completion details required by the practice
Can you customize these formats?
Yes. Many practices add fields for session time, diagnosis, treatment goals, risk, telehealth details, or progress rating.
Keep customization purposeful. A template with 40 prompts may create longer notes without creating better notes. Add a field because the information matters, not because software makes it possible.
Frequently asked questions
Is DAP shorter than SOAP?
It often is because Data combines Subjective and Objective. A concise SOAP note can still be shorter than a poorly focused DAP note.
Is BIRP only for behavioral health agencies?
No. Private-practice therapists can use it too, especially when they want interventions and responses to stand out.
Which format is best for insurance?
No format guarantees approval. The note must support the billed service and show relevant symptoms, functioning, skilled treatment, response, and plan. Follow the payer’s actual requirements.
Can a practice use more than one format?
Yes. An intake, individual follow-up, couples session, and group session may need different templates. Keep the choices limited and clearly defined so clinicians know when to use each one.
A practical recommendation
If you are free to choose, start with DAP for a lean outpatient workflow, SOAP when collaboration or a clear subjective/objective divide matters, and BIRP when you want the intervention-response chain to be unmistakable.
Then use the format consistently for several weeks before changing it again. Familiarity is what turns a template from four empty headings into a fast documentation habit.
Apollo Notes supports SOAP, DAP, BIRP, and custom templates. You can describe the session in your own words, generate a structured draft, then review and edit it. Try Apollo Notes for free.