GIRP notes are a progress-note format built around four sections: Goal, Intervention, Response and Plan. You record the goal for the session, what you did, how the client responded, and what happens next. The structure keeps therapy notes outcome-focused and quick to write, making it popular in mental health and counselling.
What are GIRP notes?
GIRP is an acronym for Goal, Intervention, Response, Plan. It is a structured way to document a single therapy or counselling session so that anyone reading the record, including you at the next appointment, can see what the session was working towards and whether it moved the client forward.
Unlike SOAP notes, which open with subjective and objective observations, GIRP leads with the goal. That front-loading is deliberate: it ties every intervention you record back to a stated aim, so the note reads as a purposeful piece of work rather than a running commentary. It sits alongside SOAP, BIRP and DAP as one of the main note formats used across Australian practices, and it is a natural fit for goal-directed modalities such as CBT and solution-focused therapy.
What does each section of a GIRP note cover?
Each letter maps to one part of the session. Keep every section factual and concise.
Goal
State what this session, or the current phase of treatment, is working towards. A clear goal is specific and, where possible, measurable, so progress is easy to judge later. For example: "Reduce the intensity of anxiety in social settings from 8/10 to 5/10 over the next month using relaxation strategies." Vague aims like "reduce stress" give you nothing to measure against, so tie the goal to an observable change.
Intervention
Record what you did in the session to address the goal: the techniques, exercises or strategies you used, and how you delivered them. Use active, factual language ("guided", "introduced", "demonstrated") and link each intervention to the goal. For example: "Introduced and guided the client through a 10-minute progressive muscle relaxation exercise, then discussed situations where they could use it independently."
Response
Document how the client responded, both what you observed and what they reported. Stick to facts rather than assumptions, and use the client's own words where they add meaning. For example: "Client's breathing slowed noticeably and posture relaxed by the end of the exercise. Reported feeling 'more in control' and said they would try it before a work presentation." Avoid generic phrases like "responded well", which tell a future reader nothing.
Plan
Set out the next steps: homework, follow-up actions and any adjustment to the treatment plan. This is what keeps care continuous between sessions. For example: "Client to practise progressive muscle relaxation for 10 minutes daily and note the results. Next session to review practice and introduce cognitive reframing. Review booked for one week."
How do you write clear goals in a GIRP note?
Because the goal drives the rest of the note, it is worth getting right. A widely used approach is the SMART framework: make each goal Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. "Increase social contact by starting a conversation with one new person each week for the next month" is far more useful in a note than "improve social skills", because you can measure it and review it.
It also helps to separate short-term from long-term goals. A short-term goal captures the immediate, actionable step for this session ("practise deep breathing daily to manage anxiety"), while a long-term goal reflects the broader outcome ("develop consistent coping strategies for public settings over six months"). Documenting both shows how a single session connects to the overall treatment plan.
What does a completed GIRP note look like?
Here is a worked example for a mental health session. The client and clinician are illustrative, not real.
Session date: 18 March 2026. Session number: 5.
G (Goal): Help the client manage physical anxiety symptoms during stressful situations. Short-term goal: use a relaxation technique to reduce rapid heart rate and shallow breathing. Long-term goal: build confidence handling social interactions independently within three months.
I (Intervention): Introduced progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) and guided the client through a 15-minute exercise, focusing on recognising and releasing muscle tension. Discussed scenarios where PMR could be used independently, such as before a presentation.
R (Response): Client engaged readily and followed instructions with minimal difficulty. Posture visibly relaxed and breathing slowed by the end of the exercise. Reported feeling "lighter" and said, "I think this could help me in high-pressure situations."
P (Plan): Client to practise PMR for 10 minutes daily and record their experience in a journal. Next session to review journal entries, troubleshoot practice barriers and introduce cognitive reframing. Review scheduled for 25 March 2026.
Is there a reusable GIRP note template?
Yes. Copy the structure below and fill in each field after a session. Keeping the prompts short helps you write the note in a couple of minutes while the session is fresh.
- Goal: What is this session working towards? (Specific and measurable where possible.)
- Intervention: What did I do to address the goal? (Techniques, exercises, how they were delivered.)
- Response: How did the client respond? (Observed and reported, in factual terms; direct quotes where useful.)
- Plan: What happens next? (Homework, follow-up, changes to the treatment plan, next review date.)
For related formats you can adapt to different clients, see our guides to mental health progress notes and BIRP notes.
How do GIRP notes compare with SOAP and BIRP?
All three are legitimate progress-note formats, and the right choice depends on your work.
- SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) leads with the client's report and your observations, then your clinical assessment. It suits assessment-heavy and multidisciplinary settings.
- BIRP (Behaviour, Intervention, Response, Plan) is intervention-driven and common in behavioural health and alcohol and other drug work.
- GIRP front-loads the goal, which makes it well suited to goal-directed, outcome-focused therapy where you want each note to show measurable movement.
Many clinicians use more than one format across a caseload. The key is to pick the structure that best captures the work, then apply it consistently.
What are common mistakes when writing GIRP notes?
A few habits weaken GIRP notes:
- Vague goals. If the goal is not specific, the response section has nothing to measure against. Anchor it to an observable change.
- Interventions that drift from the goal. Every technique you record should connect back to the stated goal, or the note loses its logic.
- Generic responses. "Client did well" is not documentation. Note what you saw and what the client said.
- A plan with no next review. Always record the follow-up action and when progress will be checked, so care stays continuous.
What do Australian clinicians need to know about record keeping?
GIRP notes are clinical records, so the same professional and legal standards apply as for any note. The Psychology Board of Australia's code of conduct requires practitioners to keep accurate, legible, contemporaneous records that can be understood by another practitioner. Write notes as soon as possible after the session while your recall is accurate.
Health records are also sensitive information under the Privacy Act. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner's Australian Privacy Principles quick reference sets out obligations to keep that information secure and to give clients access to their own records. Retention periods are set by state law and professional guidance: in Victoria, for instance, the Health Records Act 2001 requires health information to be kept for at least seven years from the last service for an adult, and for a child until they turn 25. Check the rules for your state or territory and profession.
Can software speed up GIRP notes?
Writing structured notes by hand after every session adds up. Practice management software with note templates lets you drop a GIRP structure into each session so you are only filling in the four fields, and AI clinical notes tools can draft a first version from your session summary for you to review and finalise. You stay responsible for the content, but the blank-page effort disappears.
PractaLuma is AI-native practice management software for Australian mental-health practices, with built-in clinical notes and AI scribe features and simple, transparent pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What does GIRP stand for? Goal, Intervention, Response and Plan. Each section documents one part of a therapy or counselling session, in that order.
Is it GIRP or GRIP notes? The correct acronym is GIRP (Goal, Intervention, Response, Plan). "GRIP notes" is a common misspelling of the same format.
Who uses GIRP notes? Psychologists, counsellors, social workers and other mental health practitioners, especially those using goal-directed approaches such as CBT or solution-focused therapy.
How is GIRP different from BIRP? GIRP opens with the session goal, while BIRP opens with the client's behaviour or presenting issue. GIRP is more outcome-focused; BIRP is more intervention-driven.
How long should a GIRP note be? Long enough to be clinically useful and no longer. A few clear sentences per section is usually plenty. Focus on specifics rather than length.