What is Post-Session Notes?
Between-session homework has substantial empirical support within cognitive-behavioral therapies and shows promise as a transtheoretical clinical method across treatment approaches. Post-session notes are a reflective activity where clients capture the key themes, insights, or moments from their session while memory is fresh. The worksheet typically includes space to record what stood out, what felt important, and any shifts in understanding or perspective that emerged during the hour.
How therapists use it
Introduce post-session notes as a way to anchor the work between appointments. Therapy homework bridges the gap between sessions by helping clients internalize insights and practice new skills in real-life situations. After the session ends, the client completes the worksheet, capturing what they want to remember. At the start of the next session, review what they wrote to see what stuck, what changed, and what questions arose. This creates a thread of continuity and gives you concrete data about how the client is processing the work.
Who it's for
Therapy homework involves personalized goals and activity plans that enable clients to practice and strengthen therapeutic skills, and between-session therapy activities have been effective at alleviating symptoms of mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. Post-session notes work well for clients who are reflective and can articulate their experience in writing. They suit therapists across modalities who want to deepen the client's engagement with the work. This activity is less suited to clients with significant writing barriers, active psychosis, or severe dissociation that makes same-day reflection difficult.
What clients see
The client opens the worksheet after their session and writes down what mattered most—key insights, moments of clarity, or shifts in how they see their situation. They note any homework or commitments made during the session and reflect on what they want to work on next.
Common questions
When should the client complete the post-session notes?
Ideally within an hour or two after the session ends, while the experience is fresh. The sooner they write, the more detail and nuance they'll capture. If they wait days, the notes become less vivid and useful.
What if the client struggles to write or has literacy barriers?
Post-session notes work best for clients who can articulate their experience in writing. For clients with writing barriers, consider alternatives like audio recording (in the mobile apps), bullet points, or drawing. The goal is capture, not perfect prose.
How do I use the notes in the next session?
Review them at the start of the session to see what stuck, what changed, and what questions arose. Use them to track patterns across sessions and to show the client their own progress. They're also useful for continuity if you're covering for another therapist.
Should I ask the client to share the notes with me?
That's your choice. Some therapists ask clients to bring them or email them before the next session. Others have clients keep them private and only discuss what they want to share. Either way works—the act of writing is often the most therapeutic part.
Does this work across all modalities?
Post-session notes are transtheoretical and work across CBT, ACT, DBT, psychodynamic, humanistic, and many other approaches. The specific content will shift based on your modality, but the reflective practice itself is broadly applicable.