Session Notes Template with Examples

Session Notes Template

This psychology session notes template is designed to help mental health professionals accurately and efficiently document follow-up therapy sessions. With Heidi, the AI medical scribe for clinicians, you can instantly generate structured, and comprehensive session notes that help you:

• Review out-of-session tasks and client-reported progress to assess therapeutic engagement and impact. 
• Capture current client presentation, session content, and applied interventions to support evidence-based treatment. 
• Document risk factors, mental status findings, and planned next steps to ensure continuity of care and clinical compliance. 

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What is a Session Notes Template?

A session notes template is a standardized document used by therapists, counselors, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapists, and Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) to record key details from therapy sessions. These templates typically dedicate sections to document the session’s date, type, presenting issues, interventions used, and patient responses.

In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of session note templates and the different types of templates used in clinical practice, provide a step-by-step guide on how you can use them effectively, and share customizable, ready-to-use session notes templates for your daily practice. 

Why Session Note Templates Matter

Session notes are critical for tracking client progress, supporting continuity of care, and meeting legal and ethical standards in healthcare. A well-designed session notes template not only streamlines documentation; it also reduces the risk of errors, saves valuable time, and ensures that essential details are consistently captured in a clear and organized format.

To ensure template compliance with HIPAA and other relevant industry regulations, clinicians should: 

• Avoid including excessive personal details or non-clinical commentary. 
• Use secure, encrypted platforms to store and manage records.
• Follow industry-specific guidelines (such as ABA or counseling standards).
• Regularly review and update templates to align with latest regulations.

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Types of Session Notes Templates

Session notes templates must be tailored to the needs of specific healthcare professionals to ensure effectiveness and compliance with regulatory standards. While the general structure across templates may be similar, the content and focus of each note vary based on the type of service being provided by the clinician.

Let’s talk about the most common session notes templates being used in healthcare today: 

ABA Session Notes Template

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) session notes are used to track behavior interventions and client progress over several ABA therapy sessions. ABA therapy targets specific behaviors that are important to an individual’s well-being and independence; these can include improving social skills, communication, academic performance, and daily living skills such as dressing and hygiene.

ABA templates typically dedicate sections for key data such as target behaviors, therapist observations, and reinforcement strategies, focusing on the collection of objective, measurable data to support behavior plans and treatment adjustments. 

RBT Session Notes Template

RBT sessions are delivered by Registered Behavior Technicians to help individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities. The individualized session plans are developed by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA), who also supervise RBTs during therapy sessions. 

RBT templates often include key elements such as the session’s date and time, specific skills worked on, behavior incidents, prompts used, and any deviations from the therapy plan. RBTs typically avoid interpretation or diagnosis, and focus on documenting observable and reportable facts.

Counseling Session Notes Template

A counseling session note is used to document therapeutic interactions, client goals, and mental health progress across sessions. Core sections often include the client’s presenting issue, therapeutic interventions used, client response, session summary, and next steps.

In drafting session notes, clinicians put great emphasis on client confidentiality and avoid the inclusion of overly detailed personal information to ensure HIPAA compliance. 

While counseling session notes are essential for documenting therapeutic progress and ensuring HIPAA compliance, they can also be a significant administrative burden for clinicians. This administrative load can lead to stress, as clinicians like Dr. Tony Fernando have experienced.

Dr. Fernando, a well-known psychiatrist and self-described "technophobe," has always found writing notes time-consuming despite recognizing their importance. "The biggest source of my stress isn’t patients, it’s documentation," he admits. Dr. Fernando typically spends 2-3 hours a day on admin work, writing 2-3 pages of handwritten notes per session, which he then types and transfers to the client’s medical record.

After discovering Heidi, he drastically reduced his documentation time to just 30-60 minutes per day. “The difference with Heidi is it’s instantaneous. It’s real-time,” he explains. "It allows me to focus on the interaction, knowing I have less work and can concentrate on the present moment."

How to Use a Session Notes Template: Step-by-Step Guide

Heidi, our AI-powered medical scribe, is designed to streamline the clinical documentation process by eliminating the need for manual note-taking. Below is a step-by-step guide to completing your session notes with Heidi: 

Download a Session Notes Template

While you can easily create your own AI-enabled templates in Heidi, the fastest way to get started is by downloading one from our template community. Here, you can search for and download your preferred session notes templates for free. 

Customize for Your Practice (As Needed)

The templates from our collection are designed for immediate use, but you also have the option to customize them to ensure they suit your needs and preferences. To do this, you just need to: 

1. Log in to Heidi, then go to your template library by clicking the templates option on the left-hand side of the menu.
   
2. Find the template you want to edit by searching for it, or browsing the template list.
   
3. Click on the 3 dots menu on the right-hand side of the list.
   
4. Click edit, make the desired changes, and then click save. 

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Start a Session

With your client’s permission, simply hit Start on your computer or mobile device to start the audio recording, and let Heidi work in the background while you conduct your session as normal. For information that you don’t want to verbalize, you can type them under the context notes section to be considered later.

Generate Your Completed Session Notes

After the session, simply select your preferred session notes template and watch as Heidi perfectly transcribes the details of your session and context notes in the appropriate fields and format! You can even ask Heidi to generate additional documentation such as progress notes, treatment plans, or referral letters, as needed.

Session Notes Template Example

Easily Complete Session Notes with Heidi

Manually writing session notes often presents a frustrating trade-off between having to focus on the session, and the need to document it. Here’s how Heidi improves your documentation process:

• Save Valuable Time – Burnout via administrative tasks is a real issue in the healthcare industry. But with Heidi covering documentation as you work, you no longer have to spend an extra 2-3 hours just to catch up on your notes. 
• Improve Patient Care – Patients may feel frustrated if they perceive their therapists to be more engaged in writing notes instead of being completely present during sessions. Heidi allows clinicians to give their full attention to their clients without having to worry about forgotten information.
• Ensure Compliance – Heidi captures clinical details in real time, reducing the risk of incomplete documentation. Through structured templates and AI-generated notes tailored to your practice, you can maintain high standards of clinical accuracy while ensuring HIPAA compliance.

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Heidi complies with jurisdiction-specific regulations, ensuring data localization for customers in Australia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and beyond. Read more about our compliance here. 

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Free Session Notes Templates

Counseling Session Notes Template

This session note template is designed to help psychologists efficiently document therapy sessions. It includes sections for summarizing patient progress, detailing therapeutic interventions, and planning future sessions.

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CBT Session Notes Template

This CBT session note template helps psychiatrists, psychologists, and counsellors document cognitive-behavioral therapy sessions. It includes sections for session objectives, review of previous sessions, patient’s current issues, cognitive and behavioural interventions, homework assignments, and plans for future sessions.

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Initial Session Note Template

This initial session note template is specifically designed for use by trauma therapists working with clients in an ACT-based framework. The structure follows the six key processes of the ACT Hexaflex, ensuring that all relevant aspects of the session are documented in a clear, structured manner.

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FAQs About Session Notes Templates

Can I use the same template for different types of therapy sessions?

While a general template can be adapted, it’s best to use tailored templates for specific therapies such as ABA, RBT, or counseling. Since each template will have a different focus, this ensures you capture only the most relevant details, as well as meet industry-specific requirements.

Do I still need to review or edit AI-generated session notes?

Yes! While Heidi’s AI-powered scribe delivers highly accurate and structured session notes, it’s still best practice to quickly review and personalize them. This ensures that the note reflects your clinical judgment, and meets any unique requirements from your practice or relevant governing body. 

Is Heidi suitable for group therapy or family sessions?

Absolutely! Heidi can capture and organize dialogue from multi-person sessions. You can use specific templates designed for these therapy formats, allowing you to document interactions, interventions, and individual responses clearly.