Counseling Treatment Plan Template (PDF Download)

Mental health treatment plans are flexible and fluid documents — no two treatment plans will be exactly the same, just as no two clients are the same. Further, the client and therapist can update and alter the treatment plan at any time to reflect a change in circumstances or an evolution of the goals or objectives of treatment. Treatment plans are also cooperative and strength-based. To this end, treatment plans reflect tenets of the therapeutic alliance including mutual respect, reciprocity, and empathy. The client’s involvement in determining goals for treatment is a cornerstone of ethical therapeutic work.

Treatment planning begins where the initial assessment ends, as the initial treatment plan is typically recorded by the therapist after the assessment and before the first therapy session.

Components of a counseling treatment plan

While each treatment plan should be unique to the client, all treatment plans share many of the same elements, and therefore a template can be a helpful way to both organize data and conserve time.

Mental health treatment plans typically include the following:

• Provider information
• Client demographics
• Brief overview of the presenting problem
• Safety concerns (if applicable)
• Treatment goal(s)
• Treatment objectives
• Target completion dates for goal(s) and objectives
• Frequency of treatment
• Treatment modality (individual, couples, family, group).

Provider information

A treatment plan template will include provider information such as:

• Provider’s name
• Provider’s credentials
• Date

Client information

A treatment plan template will also necessarily include key demographic and diagnostic information about the client. Such information includes:

• Client name
• Client date of birth
• Diagnostic code(s)

Presenting problem

The presenting problem for the treatment plan will in many cases be the same as that of the initial assessment. However, if the provider has learned new information or had new insights since the initial assessment, then the presenting problem as portrayed on the treatment plan may reflect these changes.

The presenting problem often includes:

• The problem that lead the client to seek therapy
• The duration of this problem
• How this problem is affecting the client now, including the intensity, frequency, and duration of the client’s distress
• Any other relevant information about the client’s decision to pursue treatment at this time

Safety concerns

If the client has revealed concerns about his or her safety, this may be included in the treatment plan.

Safety concerns include:

• Suicidal ideation, intent, or plan
• Homicidal ideation, intent, or plan
• Current or past self-harm

Download my Treatment Plan Template

Click here to download my printable counseling treatment plan template pdf.

Treatment goals

Treatment planning is a collaborative effort between the client and therapist. Together, the two parties work to identify a common vision for treatment as defined by an overarching goal or goals and more specific objectives designed to reach those goals.

Goals are larger, longer-term ambitions that may require numerous or concurrent objectives to reach. Many therapists use the tenets of SMART goals as a basis for therapeutic treatment goals. Below are a sample of treatment plan goals and objectives.

Examples of goals include:

• The client will develop coping skills to manage negative feelings without using substances with 100% success.
• The client will reduce symptomology of Major Depressive Disorder, Single Episode, Moderate by 90% according to the Beck Depression Inventory.
• The client will reduce symptomology of General Anxiety Disorder to clinically insignificant levels within 6 months.

Treatment objectives

Treatment objectives are concrete.

Examples of objectives include:

• The client will learn and implement healthy communication skills to build and improve relationships
• The client will learn and practice how to express anger in a healthy way.
• The client will attend one alcohol support group meeting each week.
• The client will follow medication regimen as prescribed by his psychiatrist on a daily basis

Target completion dates

Target completion dates are an important part of treatment planning and thus a treatment plan template as they provide a temporal guide to the therapeutic work. These target completion dates, like all other parts of the treatment plan, can be altered at any time to reflect developments or changes in the therapeutic work.

Examples of target completion dates include:

• 1 month
• 3 months
• 6 months
• 12 months

Frequency of treatment

The frequency of treatment will be dependent on a variety of factors, including the client’s needs or desires, the therapists’ clinical recommendations, or other issues such as financial considerations or scheduling availability.

Examples of treatment frequency include:

• Twice a week
• Once a week
• Twice a month
• Once a month
• As needed

Treatment modality

The treatment modality is something the client and therapist determine very early in the treatment planning process and often does not change throughout the therapeutic process, though in some cases it may.

Examples of treatment modalities include:

• Individual therapy
• Couples counseling
• Family counseling
• Group therapy

Download my counseling treatment plan template