Free Therapist Training›EFT Couples Therapy Toolkit›Progress Note Template
Last updated: November 11, 2026
A progress note for emotionally focused couples therapy (EFCT) is the record of one couples session: what happened between the partners since the last session, what happened in the room, what the therapist did and what comes next. This one also records the stage and step the session worked on and the safety check.
The template has an EFCT session note and a shorter DAP version for settings that require one. It comes with a completed example for the eighth session with Marcus and Lena, an invented couple.
The note is one of the free templates in the EFT Couples Therapy Toolkit from the Sentio MFT program, which teaches EFCT among the therapy models in its master's degree in marriage and family therapy. It follows the stages and steps Susan Johnson described (Johnson, 2020; Johnson et al., 1999).
These are some items to consider when you write the note for a couples session. Use what fits the couple, your setting and your employer's record rules. It is not an official form, just some helpful ideas from the Sentio MFT program.
Download the PDFMake an editable copy
EFCT session note
| Item | What to record |
|---|---|
| Couple | Codes or initials only |
| Session number, date and length | |
| Format | Joint / Individual with Partner A / Individual with Partner B |
| Mode | In person / Video |
| Safety check | Since the last session: any pushing, hitting, threats or fear of the other partner; any risk to self or others; what you asked and what each partner said |
| Stage and step | Stage 1 (steps 1 to 4) / Stage 2 (steps 5 to 7) / Stage 3 (steps 8 and 9), and the step you worked on |
| The cycle between sessions | What set it off, what each partner did, how it ended, any repair |
| The cycle in session | When it showed up in the room and what each partner did |
| Emotions accessed | Partner A: reactive emotion, then underlying emotion. Partner B: reactive emotion, then underlying emotion. |
| Interventions used | Reflection of emotion / Validation / Evocative questions / Heightening / Empathic conjecture / Tracking and reflecting the cycle / Reframing in terms of the cycle and attachment needs / Enactment / Other: |
| Enactment | What each partner was asked to share, and how the other partner responded |
| Signs of change | For example: a partner names the cycle, a softer tone, reaching for the other, acceptance of the other's experience |
| Agreements between sessions | |
| Plan for the next session | |
| Measures, if used | Name, score, date |
| Therapist | Name, license or registration, signature |
DAP version, for settings that require one
| Section | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| D: Data | What each partner reported and what you observed, with short quotes: the week, the cycle in session, the emotions accessed, the interventions used and how each partner responded, the safety check |
| A: Assessment | Stage and step, how far the couple is from the end of the stage, progress on the treatment plan goals, and any risk |
| P: Plan | Focus of the next session, agreements between sessions, referrals, date of the next session |
Write the note about the cycle, not about either partner's faults, so either partner could read it. Follow your employer's policy on whether the couple shares one record or each partner has a separate record.
What Does a Completed Couples Therapy Progress Note Look Like?
Marcus and Lena are an invented couple, used in every example in the toolkit. The example records their eighth session, a joint Stage 1 session, first as an EFCT session note and then as a DAP note, with the partners named by initials as they would be in a record.
| Item | Example entry |
|---|---|
| Couple | M.R. and L.R. |
| Session number, date and length | Session 8; Tuesday, October 27, 2026; 50 minutes |
| Format | Joint |
| Mode | In person |
| Safety check | Asked each partner about pushing, hitting, threats and fear since the last session. Both reported none. L. said she feels safe at home. |
| Stage and step | Stage 1; steps 2 and 3 (the cycle; the emotions underneath each partner's position) |
| The cycle between sessions | Tuesday: L. came home after a 12-hour shift; M. said, "Nice of you to answer my texts." L. went upstairs without answering; M. followed and raised his voice; L. slept in the guest room. Thursday: they caught a fight early, called the agreed pause and finished the talk 20 minutes later. Both counted Thursday as a win. Saturday: a fight about weekend plans followed the same pattern as Tuesday. |
| The cycle in session | When we reviewed Tuesday, M.'s voice rose and L. looked at the floor and went quiet. I named the cycle as it happened. |
| Emotions accessed | L.: numbness, then shame and fear of failing him ("I freeze. It's like I'm 12 and I've done something wrong again."). M.: anger, then fear of losing her ("I'm scared she doesn't want to be with me anymore."). |
| Interventions used | Tracking and reflecting the cycle; reflection of emotion; validation of both partners; an evocative question to L. about what happens inside her when M. follows her; empathic conjecture ("part of you is sure you've already failed him"); heightening (slowed down, repeated "already failed him"); enactment |
| Enactment | Asked L. to turn to M. and tell him what she had found. L.: "When you come after me, I freeze, because I'm scared I've let you down again." M., quietly: "I didn't know that. I thought you didn't care." He reached for her hand. L. said she felt "a little lighter." |
| Signs of change | L. named her fear directly to M.; M. responded with curiosity instead of criticism; both used the pause on Thursday |
| Agreements between sessions | Name the cycle out loud when they notice it ("we're in the cycle"); keep using the pause; M. will text "Thinking of you" on shift days instead of asking when she will be home |
| Plan for the next session | Continue accessing M.'s fear underneath the anger (step 3); begin framing the cycle as the problem they share (step 4) |
| Measures, if used | Weekly count of escalating fights: two this week (four a week at intake) |
| Therapist | D.M., AMFT (supervised by R.S., LMFT) |
The same session as a DAP note
| Section | Example entry |
|---|---|
| D: Data | Joint session 8, 50 minutes, in person. Both partners denied pushing, hitting, threats or fear since the last session. Couple reported two escalating fights this week (four a week at intake) and one fight stopped early with the agreed pause. Reviewed Tuesday's fight: M. pursued with criticism and a raised voice; L. withdrew upstairs. In session, L. accessed shame and fear of failing M. ("I freeze ... like I'm 12 and I've done something wrong again"); M. accessed fear of losing L. Enactment: L. told M. she freezes because she is scared she has let him down; M. responded with surprise and reached for her hand. |
| A: Assessment | Stage 1, steps 2 and 3. Both partners can describe the cycle; L. accessed and shared an underlying emotion for the first time; M.'s fear is beginning to emerge. Fewer escalations than at intake. No safety concerns. |
| P: Plan | Session 9: continue step 3 with M.; begin step 4, framing the cycle as the shared problem. Couple to name the cycle when they notice it, keep using the pause, and M. to text "Thinking of you" on L.'s shift days. |
What Should an EFT Progress Note Include?
An EFCT progress note should record the safety check, the stage and step, the cycle between sessions and in the room, the emotions each partner reached, the interventions and how each partner responded, and the plan. Each entry ties the session to the model, so a run of notes shows where the couple is in treatment.
Record the stage and step every session. EFCT has three stages and nine steps: Stage 1, cycle de-escalation, covers steps 1 to 4; Stage 2, restructuring interactions, covers steps 5 to 7; and Stage 3, consolidation, covers steps 8 and 9 (Johnson et al., 1999; Wiebe & Johnson, 2016).
Write the emotions in two layers: the reactive emotion that showed first, then the underlying emotion the partner reached. EFCT distinguishes reactive, or secondary, emotion from primary, attachment-related emotion, such as fear beneath anger (Johnson & Whiffen, 1999; MacIntosh & Johnson, 2008). A short quote in the partner's own words shows the emotion as it was said.
List the interventions you used and how each partner responded. The checklist in the template follows the interventions Wiebe and Johnson (2016) list: reflection, evocative questions, validation, heightening emotion and empathic conjecture on the experiential side, and reframing, reflecting interactional patterns, and "directing and sculpting new interactions" on the systemic side. Under signs of change, note anything that points toward de-escalation, such as responses that are "less reactive and more flexible" (Johnson & Whiffen, 1999).
How Is a Couples Progress Note Different from an Individual Note?
A couples note describes two people and the pattern between them. Write it so either partner could read it without feeling blamed, and settle in writing at the start of therapy who the client is and how the couple's records will be kept.
The AAMFT Code of Ethics notes that marriage and family therapists have unique confidentiality concerns because the client may be more than one person (American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy [AAMFT], 2026). The CAMFT Code of Ethics asks marriage and family therapists to clarify, at the start of treatment and throughout it, which persons are clients and the relationship the therapist will have with each person in the treatment (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists [CAMFT], 2025, Standard 3.9).
Follow your employer's policy on whether the couple shares one record or each partner has a separate record. California law lets each adult client ask to inspect or receive a copy of their records (Cal. Health & Safety Code § 123110, 2026), which is one more reason to describe the cycle and leave judgments about either partner out of the note.
What Is a DAP Note?
A DAP note sorts a progress note into three sections: Data, Assessment and Plan. The DAP version in the template holds the same session as the EFCT note in that shorter form, for settings that require it.
In the template, Data holds what each partner reported and what you observed, with short quotes; Assessment holds the stage and step, progress on the treatment plan goals and any risk; and Plan holds the focus of the next session, the agreements between sessions and any referrals. The completed example shows session 8 both ways, so you can compare the two forms.
How Do You Document Safety in Couples Sessions?
Ask about safety at the start of every session and record what you asked and what each partner said. Meet with a partner alone when an answer changes, when a partner seems unable to speak freely, or when either partner reports fear of the other.
Screening continues after intake. In the treatment program Stith and colleagues described, therapists hold a brief private check-in with each partner at the start and end of each joint session to screen confidentially for increased risk and further violence (Stith et al., 2012). They wrote that careful screening and ongoing monitoring are the basis for deciding whether joint therapy can proceed safely.
When either partner is afraid of the other, or concerned about speaking freely in front of the partner, McCollum and Stith (2008) wrote that "individual treatment should precede, or replace, conjoint treatment." Johnson and colleagues wrote that EFCT had never been recommended for couples in which abuse is an ongoing part of the relationship (Johnson et al., 1999).
The intake and safety screen sets out the questions to ask each partner alone and what to do if a partner discloses violence. In the completed example, the therapist asked each partner about pushing, hitting, threats and fear since the last session and recorded both answers.
Practice next
The skill to rehearse next is heightening, which the therapist used in session 8 by slowing down and repeating "already failed him." Rehearse it with "Evocative Reflection: Eliciting and Heightening Emotional Experience" (Exercise 2) and "Deepening Emotions With RISSSSC: Speaking Simply, Slowly, and Softly" (Exercise 5) in Deliberate Practice in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (Levenson et al., 2025). Sam Jinich and Hanna Levenson demonstrate exercises from the book in the free Deliberate Practice in EFCT webinar, and the free EFCT crash course reviews primary and secondary emotion.
Keep reading
EFT Treatment Plan Example, goals, objectives and measures for each stage, written in the couple's words and in attachment terms
Reviewing EFCT Session Recordings in Supervision, a rating form for a short recorded segment, with a supervisor's review of this same session 8 as the example
EFT Couples Therapy Intake Form, joint and individual assessment sessions and a safety screen with each partner alone
Free EFT Couples Therapy Toolkit, every template in the toolkit, from the first sessions through supervision
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a SOAP note for couples therapy?
Yes. Put what each partner reported under Subjective, what you observed in the session under Objective, your reading of the stage, step, progress and risk under Assessment, and the next steps under Plan. The content is the same as in the EFCT session note; only the headings change.
Should both partners' names be in one note?
That depends on how your setting keeps couple records, so follow your employer's policy on whether the couple shares one record or each partner has a separate record. The template identifies the couple by codes or initials. Whatever the setup, agree in writing at the start of therapy on who the client is.
How long should an EFT session note be?
Long enough to cover the items in the template, in short entries. Use brief quotes where a partner's own words show an emotion or a change, and follow any length or format rules your employer sets. The DAP version holds the same session in three short sections.
Do I need a separate note for an individual session with one partner?
Write a note for every session, including an individual session with one partner, and record the format in the note. Where that note is filed, and what from it can be shared with the other partner, depends on your employer's record rules and the information policy the couple agreed to in writing. Under the AAMFT Code of Ethics, a marriage and family therapist must not reveal one partner's confidences to the other without that partner's prior written permission.
How do I record an enactment in an EFT progress note?
Write what you asked each partner to share, what that partner said and how the other partner responded, with short quotes. In the completed example, the note records Lena's words to Marcus, his reply and that he reached for her hand. Record any sign of change the enactment showed under signs of change.
References
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (2026). AAMFT code of ethics. https://www.aamft.org/common/Uploaded%20files/Legal%20Ethics/AAMFT%20Code%20of%20Ethics.pdf
Cal. Health & Safety Code § 123110 (2026). https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=HSC§ionNum=123110
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. (2025). CAMFT code of ethics. https://www.camft.org/ethicscode
Johnson, S. M. (2020). The practice of emotionally focused couple therapy: Creating connection (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351168366 ISBN 978-0-8153-4801-6 (paperback), 978-0-8153-4800-9 (hardback). Publisher page: https://www.routledge.com/The-Practice-of-Emotionally-Focused-Couple-Therapy-Creating-Connection/Johnson/p/book/9780815348016
Johnson, S. M., Hunsley, J., Greenberg, L., & Schindler, D. (1999). Emotionally focused couples therapy: Status and challenges. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 6(1), 67–79. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.6.1.67
Johnson, S. M., & Whiffen, V. E. (1999). Made to measure: Adapting emotionally focused couple therapy to partners' attachment styles. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 6(4), 366–381. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.6.4.366
Levenson, H., Jinich, S., Vaz, A., & Rousmaniere, T. (2025). Deliberate practice in emotionally focused couple therapy. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000436-000 ISBN 978-1-4338-4296-2 (paperback). Book page: https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/deliberate-practice-emotionally-focused-couple-therapy
MacIntosh, H. B., & Johnson, S. (2008). Emotionally focused therapy for couples and childhood sexual abuse survivors. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 34(3), 298–315. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.2008.00074.x
McCollum, E. E., & Stith, S. M. (2008). Couples treatment for interpersonal violence: A review of outcome research literature and current clinical practices. Violence and Victims, 23(2), 187–201. https://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.23.2.187
Stith, S. M., McCollum, E. E., Amanor-Boadu, Y., & Smith, D. (2012). Systemic perspectives on intimate partner violence treatment. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 38(1), 220–240. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.2011.00245.x
Wiebe, S. A., & Johnson, S. M. (2016). A review of the research in emotionally focused therapy for couples. Family Process, 55(3), 390–407. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12229
