Here’s a breakdown:
Goals:
What goals were the focus of this session? These may be part of the overall treatment plan or session-specific goals.
Intervention:
What did the therapist or practitioner do? This includes therapeutic techniques, tools, or exercises used.
Response:
How did the client respond? This can be emotional, behavioural, verbal — anything that gives insight into the session’s impact.
Plan:
What are the next steps? Future goals, homework, or directions for the next session.
Example GIRP Note (simplified):
Goals:
Continue building emotional regulation skills using CBT techniques.
Intervention:
Practised thought-challenging exercise. Reviewed recent situations where client felt overwhelmed.
Response:
Client was engaged, shared openly. Noted increased awareness of negative thinking patterns. Expressed relief in identifying a recent emotional trigger.
Plan:
Client to keep a thought diary before next session. Plan to introduce grounding techniques.
This format helps keep notes focused, aligned with treatment plans, and easy to review for progress and accountability — often useful when writing reports for supervisors, insurance companies, or clinical audits.