A format focused on behavior, intervention and response — suited to short-term, behavior-focused work. Here's how it's built, section by section.
No diagnoses — observations only.
BIRP stands for Behavior, Intervention, Response and Plan — a format that emphasizes what the client shows, which intervention you apply, and how the client responds to it. The BIRP note (also called a BIRP report) is popular in behavior-focused and short-term treatment because it explicitly captures that back-and-forth.
BIRP works well when you apply a targeted intervention during the session and want to record how the client responds to it — for example when practicing a skill or interrupting a pattern. If the emphasis is more on a concrete treatment goal you're working toward step by step, GIRP often fits better. If you'd rather have a broader, narrative picture of the whole session, SOAP or DAP suits better.
What the client shows or reports: observable behavior, their own words about what's going on.
Which intervention or technique you apply during the session — for example an exercise, a questioning technique, or a reflection.
How the client responds to the intervention: what it produces, what shifts in the conversation.
The next step: what you pick up in the next session, any homework.
A fictional example — for illustration only, not based on a real client.
Draft — for illustration onlyB — Behavior
Client R. shares that he often puts off starting a big work project and notices the deadline getting closer.
I — Intervention
Worked together to define the smallest possible first step for the project — what a five-minute action to start with would look like.
R — Response
Client names a concrete first step himself and notes it feels smaller than expected. Posture visibly relaxes.
P — Plan
Next session: check whether the first step was taken and what it produced.
After your session, Intuita turns the conversation into a BIRP draft note — using the structure above. You read it through, adjust where needed, and sign off before it goes into your file.
AI-generated draft — you review and sign off
Put Intuita alongside your current workflow and see what it picks up on. The first 10 sessions are free.
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