BIRP note example: Behavior, Intervention, Response, Plan
Updated October 3, 2026 by Kamal Nasir
A BIRP note is a four-part progress note used widely in behavioral health and substance use treatment: Behavior (how the client presented and what they reported), Intervention (what you did), Response (how the client responded) and Plan (what happens next). Its strength is the clear link between your interventions and the client's response. Below is each section explained, a full example with an invented client and a template.
General information, not medical advice. How these guides are made.
What goes in each section of a BIRP note
The descriptions below follow how the format is widely published, for example in SimplePractice's and Quenza's guides.
- Behavior: your observations of the client's appearance and presentation, plus the client's own report of how they have been doing outside sessions, including symptoms and motivation for treatment. Quenza describes this as subjective details (what the client says) and objective details (what you notice, such as mood and appearance).
- Intervention: the specific actions you took in session. These should link clearly to the presenting problem and to the overall treatment plan.
- Response: how the client responded to the session and to each intervention, such as new insight, a change in behavior or resistance. Direct quotes are useful here.
- Plan: what happens next, such as the next appointment, homework, referrals and any follow-up.
A complete BIRP note example (invented client)
The client and all details below are invented for illustration.
- Behavior: Client arrived ten minutes late for a 45 minute individual session for alcohol use. Client appeared tired, with good hygiene, and kept good eye contact. Client reported two drinking days since last week's session, down from four the week before, and said, "Friday was hard because of the work party." Client rated evening cravings at 6 out of 10 on most days. Client denied withdrawal symptoms and denied thoughts of self-harm.
- Intervention: Therapist used motivational interviewing to explore the client's reasons for change, including a decisional balance exercise on drinking at social events. Therapist reflected the reduction in drinking days and reviewed coping strategies for evening cravings from the client's relapse prevention plan.
- Response: Client completed the decisional balance and named "being present for my kids" as the main reason to cut back. Client said, "I didn't realize how much the evenings set me off." Client agreed to try one new coping strategy and rated readiness to change at 7 out of 10, up from 5 at intake.
- Plan: Next individual session in one week. Client will log cravings and drinking days and call a support person when cravings rise above 5. Continue the current treatment plan.
A BIRP note template
- Behavior: Session type and length [ ]. Presentation [ ]. Client report since last session, with quotes [ ]. Symptoms or measures [ ]. Risk screening [ ].
- Intervention: Treatment plan goal addressed [ ]. Method used, named specifically [ ]. Other actions [ ].
- Response: Client engagement [ ]. Insight or behavior change [ ]. Client quote [ ]. Progress toward goal [ ].
- Plan: Next session [date]. Homework [ ]. Referrals or coordination [ ]. Treatment plan changes [ ].
BIRP vs SOAP, DAP and GIRP
A SOAP note opens with the client's Subjective report and then the Objective findings, while a BIRP note opens with Behavior, which blends what you observed with what the client reported. SimplePractice puts the difference this way: BIRP notes focus on the session's theme and tone and the client's behavior, while SOAP notes aim to be more objective and document outcomes and next steps.
A DAP note also merges observations and client report, under Data, and has three sections instead of four. A GIRP note swaps Behavior for Goal, so it opens with the treatment goal the session worked on. BIRP is common in behavioral health and substance use programs, and Quenza notes that Solano County's mental health plan recommends BIRP progress notes in its documentation manual. If your agency or payer specifies a format, use that one.
Tips for writing BIRP notes faster
- Name each intervention by its method, such as cognitive restructuring or decisional balance, rather than "discussed".
- Link each intervention to a treatment plan goal, so the note shows why you chose it.
- Keep it brief. SimplePractice notes each section is usually a few sentences, and longer when risk, a crisis or a treatment plan change is involved.
- Write it soon after the session, starting from a template.
Writing BIRP notes on an iPhone
On an iPhone, NoteKey is a keyboard that includes a BIRP template among its 15 note templates, with fill-in fields you tap through in the app where you already write notes, including your EHR. It also has a library of 69 clinical sentence stems tagged by modality, such as CBT, DBT, MI and EMDR, that you can filter and search. NoteKey does not record sessions and its templates contain no clinical advice.
Questions people ask
What does BIRP stand for?
Behavior, Intervention, Response, Plan. It is a progress note format that records how the client presented, what the clinician did, how the client responded and what comes next.
What is the difference between a BIRP note and a SOAP note?
A SOAP note separates the client's subjective report from objective findings before the Assessment and Plan. A BIRP note starts with the client's behavior and gives the clinician's interventions and the client's response their own sections, which makes the link between them easy to see.