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Free Psychodynamic Therapy Toolkit: Case Formulation, CMP Worksheet, Session Notes, and Treatment Plans
Eight free templates for psychodynamic, psychoanalytic and time-limited dynamic therapy, with completed examples, PDFs and editable copies.
Last updated: November 11, 2026
Free Therapist Training›Psychodynamic Therapy Toolkit
Psychodynamic work produces its own paperwork: a formulation that explains the problem, a treatment plan with goals that can be measured, progress notes that describe relational work in plain language, and process notes that show a supervisor what happened between therapist and client. The eight templates here cover those tasks and two more for training, a form for reviewing recorded sessions and a set of client statements for deliberate practice. Most of the completed examples follow one invented client, Elena, from formulation to treatment plan, progress note and process note; the treatment plan page adds a second invented client, Marcus, for anxiety.
The templates draw on time-limited dynamic psychotherapy (TLDP), developed by Hans Strupp and Jeffrey Binder and extended by Hanna Levenson, and on Nancy McWilliams' Psychoanalytic Case Formulation. The interventions list and the practice set are keyed to the eight free skill videos on the Sentio psychodynamic deliberate practice page, which pair with the APA book Deliberate Practice in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy by Levenson, Volney Gay and Binder. Every template appears in full below, with a PDF and an editable copy.
These templates are helpful ideas from the Sentio MFT program for you to adapt, not official forms of any agency, payer or licensing board. Follow your setting's documentation requirements where they differ, and leave out what does not fit. Every client in the examples is invented.
What Is in the Toolkit?
| Template | Use it for | Pairs with |
|---|---|---|
| Psychodynamic case formulation template | A written formulation in eighteen parts: history, defenses, affect, identifications, the relational pattern, core beliefs, transference and the focus of treatment. | The case formulation webinar; the CMP worksheet |
| Cyclical maladaptive pattern worksheet | A worksheet that sorts a client's relational episodes into the four parts of the cyclical maladaptive pattern and turns them into goals. | Therapeutic Inquiry; Countertransference |
| Psychodynamic progress note template, with a SOAP version | A session note for the clinical record, in a narrative version and a SOAP version, with room for relational themes and named interventions. | The interventions list; all eight skill videos |
| Psychodynamic treatment plan template | A plan that turns the formulation into problems, goals, measurable objectives, interventions and measures, with completed examples for depression and anxiety. | The case formulation webinar; the CMP worksheet |
| Process notes template | A near-verbatim record of an exchange with your thoughts and feelings beside it, for supervision, with a guide to process, progress and psychotherapy notes. | Countertransference; Making Process Comments |
| Psychodynamic interventions list with note-ready wording | Fifteen psychodynamic interventions, each with what it sounds like in session and plain wording for progress notes, keyed to eight free skill videos. | All eight skill videos |
| Recording review form for supervisors and self-review | A form for reviewing a recorded segment in supervision or on your own: ruptures and repair, transference, countertransference, defenses, affect and process comments. | Countertransference; Transference Interpretations; Working With Defenses |
| Deliberate practice client statements for eight psychodynamic skills | Original client statements at three levels of difficulty for rehearsing the eight skills in the free videos, with criteria and a sample response for each. | All eight skill videos |
Psychodynamic Case Formulation Template
A psychodynamic case formulation explains how a client's difficulties developed and what keeps them going: the conflicts and defenses, the feelings that are hard to bear, and the relational pattern the client repeats with other people and with the therapist. The template covers the areas Nancy McWilliams describes in Psychoanalytic Case Formulation and summarizes the relational pattern in the four parts of the cyclical maladaptive pattern from time-limited dynamic psychotherapy. Alexandre Vaz's free case formulation and treatment planning webinar walks through the same move from formulation to plan. The case formulation page adds a completed example and the steps for writing a formulation.
This is an optional aid from the Sentio MFT program's psychodynamic therapy toolkit. It is not an official form of any agency or payer.
Download the PDFMake an editable copy
| Part | What to write |
|---|---|
| 1. Client and context | Age range, the identities the client has shared that matter to the work, the setting, the referral source and who else is involved in care. |
| 2. Presenting problem | The problem in the client's own words, why help is being sought now and what the client hopes will change. |
| 3. Symptoms, functioning and diagnosis | Mood, anxiety, sleep, work and relationships; scores on any measures you use; a diagnosis if your setting requires one. |
| 4. Risk and safety | Suicide and self-harm, harm to others and substance use, with the safety plan if one is in place. |
| 5. History that bears on the problem | Family and developmental history, losses, trauma, medical history and earlier treatment, limited to what helps explain the present problem. |
| 6. What cannot be changed | Temperament, constitution, illness and life circumstances outside the client's control that shape the problem and the work. |
| 7. Developmental themes | Developmental tasks or conflicts that still seem alive, such as closeness and separateness, autonomy, competition or identity. |
| 8. Defenses | How the client protects against painful feelings, with one example from a session, and how flexible or rigid those protections are. |
| 9. Affect | Which feelings the client can feel and name, which ones are avoided or dreaded, and how distress gets managed. |
| 10. Identifications and self-esteem | Whom the client resembles or works hard not to resemble, how the client sees the self, and what raises or lowers self-esteem. |
| 11. Relational pattern | The recurring pattern with other people, summarized in the four parts of the cyclical maladaptive pattern from time-limited dynamic psychotherapy: what the client does, what the client expects of others, what others do, and how the client then treats the self. |
| 12. Core beliefs | The beliefs about self and others that keep the pattern going, written in the client's idiom, for example "If I need something, I become a burden." |
| 13. Transference and countertransference | How the pattern has shown up with you so far, and what you find yourself feeling or doing with this client. |
| 14. Strengths | Capacities that will help the work: curiosity about the self, relationships, humor, persistence, work, faith or community. |
| 15. Culture and context | Identity, culture, community and social conditions that shape the problem, the pattern and the client's view of therapy. |
| 16. Formulation summary | Three to five sentences that tie the history, the pattern and the defenses to the current problem and explain what keeps it going. |
| 17. Implications for treatment | The focus, goals, length and frequency of treatment, what the alliance may need, the transference to expect and the measures you will track. |
| 18. Open questions | What you do not know yet, and the hypotheses you want to test over the next few sessions. |
Keep the formulation to one or two pages. Write it as a working hypothesis, date it, and revise it when the client tells or shows you something that does not fit.
Part 16 of the completed example reads: "Elena learned early that her needs added to her mother's burden and that she earned closeness by looking after others. She still hides her wishes and gives more, expecting that asking would drive people away." Read the full example.
Cyclical Maladaptive Pattern (CMP) Worksheet
The cyclical maladaptive pattern (CMP) organizes a client's relational stories into four parts: what the client does, what the client expects of others, what others do in return, and how the client then treats the self. Thomas Schacht, Jeffrey Binder and Hans Strupp first set it out within time-limited dynamic psychotherapy, and Hanna Levenson, who extended the approach, gives the role the therapist is pulled into a place in the formulation. This worksheet sets the pattern out in our own layout, with a place to turn it into goals. The CMP worksheet page adds a completed example, the move from pattern to treatment goals, and how the CMP compares with the core conflictual relationship theme.
This is an optional aid from the Sentio MFT program's psychodynamic therapy toolkit. It is not an official form of any agency or payer.
Download the PDFMake an editable copy
Part 1. One relational episode
| Question | What the client describes |
|---|---|
| When, where and with whom | |
| What the client wanted | |
| What the client did or said | |
| What the client expected the other person to do | |
| What the other person did | |
| How the client felt, and what the client said to the self, afterward |
Part 2. The four parts of the pattern
| Part | Questions to ask yourself | What you are hearing |
|---|---|---|
| Acts of the self | What does the client do, say, feel, wish and fear with other people? What does the client hold back? | |
| Expectations of others' reactions | How does the client imagine others will respond? What is the feared reaction, and the hoped-for one? | |
| Acts of others toward the self | What do other people do, as the client tells it? Do their responses seem to confirm the expectation? | |
| Acts of the self toward the self | How does the client treat the self afterward: with criticism, neglect, dismissal or care? Whose voice does it echo? |
Part 3. Your side of the pattern
- What role do you feel pulled into with this client?
- What have you found yourself doing, or wanting to do, that fits the pattern?
Part 4. The cycle in one paragraph
When [situation], the client [acts of the self], expecting that [expectation]. Others [acts of others], which seems to confirm it, and the client [acts of the self toward the self], which leads back to [acts of the self].
Part 5. Goals
- New experience: what would it look like for the client to live the pattern differently with you, and then with others?
- New understanding: what does the client need to recognize about the pattern, its origins and its costs?
Part 6. Revisions
| Date | What changed | What prompted it |
|---|---|---|
Part 7. A plain-language version to share with the client (optional)
- When I want ...
- I usually ...
- I expect that other people will ...
- What often happens is ...
- Afterward I tell myself ...
- What I would like to try instead is ...
Part 4 of the completed example reads: "When Elena wants recognition or help, she hides the wish and gives more, expecting that asking would make people annoyed and withdraw." Read the full example.
Psychodynamic Progress Note, With a SOAP Version
The progress note is the record of care: what happened in the session, what you did, how the client responded and what comes next. This template adds a row for relational themes, so the note shows how the client's pattern appeared in the week and in the room, and a SOAP version for settings that require that format. The interventions list below supplies plain wording for each psychodynamic intervention. The progress note page adds completed SOAP and narrative notes for the same session.
This is an optional aid from the Sentio MFT program's psychodynamic therapy toolkit. It is not an official form of any agency or payer.
Download the PDFMake an editable copy
Progress note
| Item | What to record |
|---|---|
| Client, date and session number | |
| Start and end time; in person or telehealth; who attended | |
| Focus of the session | In the client's words where possible |
| Observations | Appearance, affect and its shifts, engagement, changes since the last session |
| Risk and safety | What was screened, what was found, any action taken |
| Relational themes | Where the client's pattern appeared this week, and how it showed up in the session |
| Interventions | Name each one in plain words (see the interventions list) |
| Client response | What the client did with each intervention |
| Progress toward goals | Goal numbers from the treatment plan; scores on any measures |
| Plan | Focus for the next session, referrals or coordination, next appointment |
| Signature | Name, license or registration, date |
SOAP version
| Section | What to record |
|---|---|
| S: Subjective | The client's report: the week, symptoms, relational episodes and any statements about risk, in the client's words where possible. |
| O: Objective | What you observed: appearance, affect and its shifts, engagement, how the client related to you, scores on any measures. |
| A: Assessment | Your clinical understanding: how today's material fits the formulation, progress toward goals and the current level of risk. |
| P: Plan | Next steps: the focus and interventions to continue, referrals, coordination and the next appointment. |
Keep verbatim dialogue and your private associations out of the progress note; they belong in process notes. Write as though the client, or another clinician, may one day read the note.
The completed example records one session twice. From the SOAP assessment: "Material fits the formulation: she sets aside her wishes and gives more, expecting others to feel burdened, then criticizes herself." Read the full example.
Psychodynamic Treatment Plan
A treatment plan turns the formulation into problems, goals, measurable objectives, interventions and measures. Psychodynamic plans can be written vaguely; this one asks for at least one objective about the client's relational pattern that can be observed in a session, alongside symptom goals measured with free tools such as the PHQ-9 and GAD-7. The goals follow the two that time-limited dynamic psychotherapy names: a new experience and a new understanding. The treatment plan page adds completed plans for depression and for anxiety.
This is an optional aid from the Sentio MFT program's psychodynamic therapy toolkit. It is not an official form of any agency or payer.
Download the PDFMake an editable copy
| Item | What to write |
|---|---|
| Client, clinician and date | |
| Diagnosis and baseline measures | A diagnosis if your setting requires one; baseline scores on the measures you will repeat |
| Formulation summary | Two or three sentences from the case formulation or the cyclical maladaptive pattern (CMP) worksheet, from time-limited dynamic psychotherapy: the pattern and what keeps the problem going |
| Approach, frequency and expected length | For example, weekly 50-minute sessions for about 20 sessions, reviewed at the midpoint |
| Problem | Goal | Objectives: what will change, by when, measured how | Interventions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | |||
| 2. | |||
| 3. |
| Item | What to write |
|---|---|
| Measures and review points | Which measures, how often, and the sessions at which you will review the plan |
| Coordination and referrals | Other providers involved, with the client's written authorization where required |
| Client's participation | Goals in the client's own words; the client's agreement |
| Ending treatment | The criteria for ending, and how the ending itself will be worked with |
Write at least one objective for the client's relational pattern as well as for symptoms. "States a disagreement with the therapist" can be observed in a session; "feels more confident" cannot.
The completed depression example sets objective 3a as "States a preference or disagreement with the therapist at least once between sessions 8 and 16 (therapist observation)." Read the full example.
Process Notes Template
Process notes record a stretch of a session as close to word for word as the therapist can recall, with the therapist's thoughts and feelings alongside, so that a supervisor can see what happened between therapist and client. They are a training tool used in psychodynamic supervision. The full guide on the process notes page explains how they differ from progress notes and from the HIPAA category of psychotherapy notes, with the federal and California rules on keeping and sharing them.
This is an optional aid from the Sentio MFT program's psychodynamic therapy toolkit. It is not an official form of any agency or payer.
Download the PDFMake an editable copy
Part 1. Session details
| Item | Entry |
|---|---|
| Client code (no name) and session number | |
| Date written | |
| What came just before this excerpt | |
| Why I chose this excerpt |
Part 2. The exchange
| Line | What was said, as close to word for word as I can recall | What I was thinking and feeling | Supervisor's comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | |||
| T1 | |||
| C2 | |||
| T2 | |||
| C3 | |||
| T3 |
Part 3. Reflection
- What pattern did I see, in the client and between us?
- What did I feel, and what did I do with it?
- What did I avoid or miss?
- What would I say now, given another chance?
- My question for supervision.
Part 4. Keeping it
- Use a client code, not a name, and leave out details that could identify the client.
- Keep process notes apart from the client's record, and follow your site's policy on who may see them and how long they are kept.
In the completed example, the therapist's note beside the client's "It's fine. It's just a committee" reads: "A wave of sadness in me, then relief when she laughed. I felt let off the hook, and I noticed that." Read the full example.
Psychodynamic Interventions List
The list names fifteen interventions. The first eight are the skills demonstrated in the free videos on the Sentio psychodynamic deliberate practice page, which pair with the APA book by Hanna Levenson, Volney Gay and Jeffrey L. Binder. For each, the list gives a short description, what it can sound like in session and plain wording for a progress note. The interventions page shows the wording in a completed note and explains how to document each intervention.
This is an optional aid from the Sentio MFT program's psychodynamic therapy toolkit. It is not an official form of any agency or payer.
Download the PDFMake an editable copy
Eight core skills, each with a free webinar on the deliberate practice page
| Intervention | What it is | What it can sound like | Note-ready wording |
|---|---|---|---|
| Therapeutic inquiry | Open, curious questions that help the client tell a specific relational episode in detail: what happened, and what the client wanted, expected, felt and did. | "Take me to the moment she said that. What did you feel right then?" "What did you want from him in that conversation?" | Explored a recent interaction with [person] in detail, including what the client wanted, expected and felt. |
| Making process comments | Observations about what is happening between client and therapist in the session, offered tentatively, so the relational pattern can be looked at as it happens. | "I notice that when I asked about your sister, you started apologizing. What is happening for you right now?" | Commented on an in-session shift (client began apologizing when [topic] came up) and invited the client to explore it. |
| Deepening emotional experience | Slowing down so the client can feel, name and stay with an emotion in the session rather than talk about it from a distance. | "Let's stay with that for a moment. Where do you feel it? What would you call the feeling?" | Helped the client stay with and name [sadness]; the client tolerated the feeling for several minutes and linked it to [event]. |
| Working with defenses | Noticing, naming and exploring the ways the client moves away from painful feelings, such as minimizing, joking, intellectualizing or changing the subject, while respecting the protection they provide. | "Each time we come close to the loss, the conversation turns to logistics. I wonder what makes it hard to stay there." | Identified the client's [minimizing] when [sadness] emerged and explored what it protects against. |
| Countertransference | Attending to your own reactions to the client, using them to understand the role the client's pattern pulls you into, and managing them so they inform the work rather than drive it. | Mostly internal: "I am working hard to reassure him; that may be the role he expects others to play." Occasionally a careful disclosure: "I found myself wanting to fix this for you, and I wonder whether other people end up doing that too." | Used awareness of the in-session pull toward [reassuring the client] to guide interventions; reviewed in supervision. |
| Transference interpretations | Linking the client's feelings and expectations about the therapist to the client's pattern with other people, now and in the past, offered tentatively and open to correction. | "You've wondered twice today whether I'm bored with you. I wonder if that's the same fear you described with your father: that if you take up space, people will tune out." | Tentatively linked the client's expectation that the therapist would [lose interest] to the pattern with [father]; the client [considered the link and added an example]. |
| Metaphors | Using an image, often the client's own, to capture an experience or pattern in a vivid shared shorthand that can be extended and revisited. | "You called it walking on eggshells. What happens when one cracks?" | Worked with the client's image of "walking on eggshells" to explore fear of others' anger; the client extended the image to [relationship]. |
| Exploring fantasy | Inviting the client to elaborate imagined scenes, wishes, fears, daydreams or dreams, so that expectations and wishes come into the open. | "If you had told him how hurt you were, what do you imagine he would have done? And what would you have wished he would do?" | Invited the client to imagine [telling her partner directly]; explored the feared response ([anger]) and the wished-for one ([understanding]). |
More psychodynamic interventions
| Intervention | What it is | What it can sound like | Note-ready wording |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarification | Asking for, or offering, a clearer statement of what the client means or feels. | "When you say it was weird, do you mean anxious, or something else?" | Clarified the client's description of [the visit] as [anxious and resentful]. |
| Confrontation | In the psychodynamic sense, gently drawing attention to something the client has not noticed, such as a gap between what is said and how it is said. | "You're smiling as you tell me how frightened you were." | Noted the gap between the client's [smile] and [the frightening content]; the client reflected on [how fear is hidden]. |
| Interpretation | Offering a hypothesis about the meaning or origin of a feeling, behavior or pattern, often linking the present to earlier relationships. | "It may be that saying yes was how you stayed close to your mother when she was struggling." | Offered an interpretation linking [saying yes to every request] to [her role with her mother]; the client [response]. |
| Supportive interventions | Validation, empathic reflection, affirmation and encouragement that strengthen the alliance and the client's coping. | "It makes sense that you were exhausted after carrying all of that alone." | Validated the client's [exhaustion] and affirmed [her persistence]. |
| Rupture repair | Noticing signs of strain in the alliance, whether the client withdraws or confronts, and inviting both people to talk about what is happening between them, including the therapist's part. | "Something shifted when I suggested that. Did something I said not sit right?" | Noticed a possible rupture after [the therapist's suggestion]; invited the client to discuss it and acknowledged the therapist's part; the alliance [was restored]. |
| Working through | Returning to the same pattern as it appears in new episodes, so that recognition becomes change over time. | "Here it is again, this time with your brother. What did you notice sooner this time?" | Revisited the pattern of [over-giving] in a new episode with [her brother]; the client recognized it earlier than before. |
| Working with the ending | Exploring what ending treatment means to the client, reviewing gains and the pattern, and planning for its return. | "We have four sessions left. What has it been like to think about ending?" | Explored the client's feelings about ending ([relief and loss]); reviewed gains and early signs of the pattern. |
Verbs for psychodynamic progress notes: explored, clarified, reflected, named, noted, tracked, invited, linked, interpreted, validated, affirmed, revisited.
In a note, start with the verb, say what the intervention addressed and record what the client did next. Replace the bracketed text with the details of the session.
Example of note-ready wording for a transference interpretation: "Tentatively linked the client's expectation that the therapist would [lose interest] to the pattern with [father]." Read the full example.
Recording Review Form
A short recorded segment, reviewed against a few clear areas, can teach more than a long case discussion. This form directs a supervisor, a peer or the clinician to six areas of psychodynamic work (alliance rupture and repair, transference, countertransference, defenses, affect and process comments) and ends with the skill to rehearse next, which links each review to the deliberate practice exercises below. Record sessions only with the client's written consent.
This is an optional aid from the Sentio MFT program's psychodynamic therapy toolkit. It is not an official form of any agency or payer.
Download the PDFMake an editable copy
Part 1. Recording details
| Item | Entry |
|---|---|
| Clinician and reviewer (supervisor, peer or self) | |
| Client code, session number and date | |
| Segment reviewed (start and end time) | |
| Client's written consent to recording on file | Yes / No |
| What the clinician wants feedback on |
Part 2. What to watch for
| Area | Watch for | What you saw, with time stamps |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance rupture and repair | Withdrawal (going quiet, agreeing too quickly, changing the subject, intellectualizing) or confrontation (complaints, criticism of the therapist or the therapy). Did the therapist notice, invite talk about what was happening between them, and acknowledge their own part? What happened next? | |
| Transference | Signs that the client's expectations of the therapist echo the relational pattern: deference, testing, fear of criticism, idealization. Did the therapist notice, name or explore them, and was the timing right? | |
| Countertransference | The therapist's pulls as they show on the recording: rescuing, reassuring, arguing, lecturing, withdrawing, losing focus. How were they handled? | |
| Defenses | Which defenses appeared, and right after which feeling? Did the therapist pass over them, name them, explore them, or work around them, and with what effect? | |
| Affect | Moments when feeling rose or fell. Did the therapist help the client stay with it, or move away from it? How much could the client bear? | |
| Process comments | Moments that called for a comment on what was happening in the room. Was one made, and was it tentative, specific and collaborative? |
Part 3. Summary
| Item | Entry |
|---|---|
| One thing to keep doing | |
| One moment to replay (time stamp) | |
| The skill to rehearse next | |
| A client statement from the segment to practice with |
The form is for learning rather than rating. For formal research rating of ruptures and their resolution, published systems such as the Rupture Resolution Rating System (3RS) are available from their authors.
What Does a Completed Recording Review Look Like?
The example is a supervisor's review of ten minutes from session 6 with Elena, an invented client in treatment for depression. Most of the same minutes appear, from the therapist's side, in the toolkit's process notes example.
Part 1. Recording details
| Item | Entry |
|---|---|
| Clinician and reviewer | [Associate therapist]; reviewed by the supervisor in individual supervision |
| Client code, session number and date | E-14, session 6, November 3, 2026 |
| Segment reviewed | 18:30 to 28:30 |
| Client's written consent to recording on file | Yes |
| What the clinician wants feedback on | "Whether my link at 25:10 was too much at once." |
Part 2. What to watch for
| Area | What the supervisor saw |
|---|---|
| Alliance rupture and repair | 23:40: "I don't want to waste our time on this" is a withdrawal marker in the form of deference. The therapist did not let it pass and explored it at 24:00; the client was more open afterward. |
| Transference | 23:40: she expects the therapist to find her problem small. The therapist named this at 25:10, shortly after it appeared, which was good timing. |
| Countertransference | 21:15: the therapist starts a suggestion ("Have you thought about...") and stops. 22:30: visible relief when the client laughs. At 22:45 the therapist named the shared relief instead of acting on it. |
| Defenses | 22:20: minimizing ("It's fine. It's just a committee") right after tears. The therapist named it gently and invited her back, and she returned to the feeling. |
| Affect | 21:50 to 22:20: sadness rises and she stays with it for about half a minute before laughing. After the process comment, about two minutes of sustained sadness from 25:30. |
| Process comments | 22:45: "We both moved on to 'it's fine'" was tentative and specific and owned the therapist's part. 25:10: the link joined three relationships in one statement; it landed, but a single link would leave her more room. |
Part 3. Summary
| Item | Entry |
|---|---|
| One thing to keep doing | Slowing the story down to the exact moment (19:30: "What happened inside you right before you said 'sure'?"). |
| One moment to replay | 25:10, the three-part link. |
| The skill to rehearse next | Transference interpretations, one link at a time. |
| A client statement to practice with | "I don't want to waste our time on this. You probably see people with real problems." |
Why Review Recordings in Psychodynamic Supervision?
Supervision that relies only on the therapist's account sees the session through the therapist's memory, and memory edits out moments that matter: the joke that followed a tear, the advice offered a beat too soon, the client's quick apology. A recording shows them. Reviewed with the client's written consent, a few minutes of tape let a supervisor see transference and countertransference as they happened and give feedback specific enough to practice. Our guide to the role of video recording in MFT training covers what recording adds to clinical education.
What Is an Alliance Rupture, and How Do You Spot One?
An alliance rupture is a strain or break in the collaboration between client and therapist. Safran, Muran and colleagues describe two kinds. In a withdrawal rupture the client moves away from the therapist or the work of therapy: going quiet, agreeing too readily, changing the subject. In a confrontation rupture the client moves against the therapist or the work, with complaint, criticism or pressure. Ruptures are an expected part of therapy, and repairing them can be one of its most useful moments: a meta-analysis by Eubanks, Muran and Safran (2018) found that rupture repair was associated with better outcomes. On a recording, look for the marker, the therapist's response, and whether the two of them talked about what had happened between them.
How Do You Use the Form?
- Choose the segment. The clinician picks five to fifteen minutes and says what feedback is wanted.
- Watch once without writing. Get the feel of the exchange before taking notes.
- Watch again with the form. Stop at moments that fit an area and note the time stamp and what you saw.
- Talk it through. Ask the clinician what they were feeling at each stop before offering your view.
- Finish with practice. Choose the skill to rehearse and a client statement from the segment, and rehearse it then and there, using the deliberate practice exercises for more statements at the right difficulty.
Clinicians can use the same steps on their own recordings. The supervision toolkit's supervision notes template has a row for recording review, so the session note records what was watched.
Deliberate Practice Client Statements
Deliberate practice builds a skill by rehearsing it, with feedback, until it holds up under the pressure of a real session. The statements below are written for the eight skills demonstrated in the free videos on the Sentio psychodynamic deliberate practice page, at three levels of difficulty, for use in peer groups, supervision hours or practice on your own. Each skill lists what a good response does and one possible response; your own words are the point of the exercise.
This is an optional aid from the Sentio MFT program's psychodynamic therapy toolkit. It is not an official form of any agency or payer.
Download the PDFMake an editable copy
How to run a round
- Choose one skill and read its criteria aloud.
- The person playing the client reads a statement with the feeling shown in brackets, as if it were a real session.
- The therapist responds in their own words, aiming at the criteria.
- The observer, or the supervisor, gives brief feedback against the criteria. If you practice alone, record your response and play it back.
- Repeat the same statement until the response comes naturally, then move to the next one.
- After a few statements, check the difficulty. If the round felt easy, move up a level; if it left you flustered or blank, move down a level.
Ten or fifteen minutes on one skill in a supervision hour or peer group can be enough to make progress. Watch the skill's free video first if it is new to you.
Therapeutic inquiry (free video)
A good response:
- Asks about one specific moment rather than the relationship in general.
- Invites what the client wanted, expected and felt.
- Uses an open question, without advice or interpretation.
| Level | Client statement |
|---|---|
| Beginner | [Matter-of-fact] "My boss and I had another one of our talks yesterday. It was fine, I guess." |
| Beginner | [Tired] "My mom called again on Sunday. Same as always." |
| Intermediate | [Frustrated] "Every time I try to tell my husband something important, it just goes nowhere." |
| Intermediate | [Flat] "I don't really have conflicts with people. I get along with everyone." |
| Advanced | [Irritated] "I've already told you about my father. I don't see what going over it again is going to do." |
| Advanced | [Drifting] "Things with Sam are just weird lately. Anyway. How was your week?" |
One possible response. To "Every time I try to tell my husband something important, it just goes nowhere": "Can you take me to the last time that happened? What did you want him to understand, and what did you notice in yourself when it went nowhere?"
Making process comments (free video)
A good response:
- Describes something observable happening between you right now.
- Offers it tentatively and without blame.
- Invites the client's view of what is happening.
| Level | Client statement |
|---|---|
| Beginner | [Laughs] "Sorry, I keep laughing. It's not actually funny." |
| Beginner | [Looks away, quiet] "I don't know what else to say today." |
| Intermediate | [Apologetic] "I'm sorry, I'm probably not doing this right. You must be bored." |
| Intermediate | [Brisk] "Let's just move on to something else. That topic's done." |
| Advanced | [Annoyed] "Why do you keep asking how I feel? Can't you just tell me what to do?" |
| Advanced | [Warm, admiring] "You're so much better than my last therapist. She never understood me like you do." |
One possible response. To "Let's just move on to something else. That topic's done": "I notice we were getting close to something about your brother, and now you'd like to move on. I'm curious what happened for you just then."
Deepening emotional experience (free video)
A good response:
- Slows the pace.
- Turns attention to the feeling as it is now, often in the body.
- Uses simple, evocative words and stays with the feeling rather than explaining it.
| Level | Client statement |
|---|---|
| Beginner | [Sad, quiet] "I found my dad's old watch when I was cleaning. It's silly, but I just sat there holding it." |
| Beginner | [Tense] "My chest has been tight all week. I don't know why." |
| Intermediate | [Tearful, then composed] "When my daughter said she didn't need me at the graduation... anyway, she's busy. It's fine." |
| Intermediate | [Analytical] "I think I'm experiencing what you'd call anticipatory grief about my mother's diagnosis." |
| Advanced | [Tight voice] "I'm not angry. I'm disappointed. There's a difference." |
| Advanced | [Numb] "I know I should feel something about the divorce. I just feel nothing." |
One possible response. To "I found my dad's old watch when I was cleaning": "You just sat there holding it. Let's slow down for a moment. As you picture holding his watch now, what do you notice inside?"
Working with defenses (free video)
A good response:
- Describes what the client does, rather than applying a label.
- Links it to the feeling it moves away from.
- Respects the protection it gives.
| Level | Client statement |
|---|---|
| Beginner | [Joking] "My mom basically ignored me my whole childhood, but hey, at least I'm independent now. Ha." |
| Beginner | [Rapid] "It's fine, it's fine. Everyone has stuff. It's not a big deal." |
| Intermediate | [Analytical] "Statistically, most marriages go through rough patches, so I'm sure this is within normal range." |
| Intermediate | [Changing the subject] "Anyway, enough about the miscarriage. Did I tell you about the new job?" |
| Advanced | [Blaming] "The only problem in my life is my wife. If she changed, I'd be fine." |
| Advanced | [Dismissive] "You're making this bigger than it is. Therapists always want there to be some deep feeling." |
One possible response. To "Anyway, enough about the miscarriage": "That was a big step, from the miscarriage to the job. The job matters too. I wonder if it's hard to stay with the loss for very long, which would make sense."
Countertransference (free video)
A good response:
- Notices the pull the statement creates and names it, silently or to the observer.
- Responds without acting on the pull: no rescuing, defending or withdrawing.
- Uses what you noticed to understand the client.
| Level | Client statement |
|---|---|
| Beginner | [Pleading] "You're the only one who understands me. I don't know what I'd do without these sessions." |
| Beginner | [Helpless] "Just tell me what to do. I'll do whatever you say." |
| Intermediate | [Critical] "I've been coming here for two months and honestly, I don't feel any better." |
| Intermediate | [Monotone, long story] "And after the meeting I went to the store, and they were out of the kind I like, so I got the other kind, and then..." |
| Advanced | [Flattering] "If you weren't my therapist, I think we'd be really good friends. Do you ever think about that?" |
| Advanced | [Contemptuous] "You're young. You probably haven't been through anything like this." |
One possible response. To "I've been coming here for two months and honestly, I don't feel any better": (Noticing a pull to defend the work.) "That's important, and I'm glad you told me. Tell me more about what feels like it isn't changing. And what was it like to say it to me?"
Transference interpretations (free video)
A good response:
- Starts from something that just happened between you.
- Links it tentatively to the client's pattern with others.
- Leaves room for the client to correct or add.
| Level | Client statement |
|---|---|
| Beginner | [Anxious] "Are you upset with me? You seem quieter today." |
| Beginner | [Apologetic] "Sorry I'm late again. I know you must think I'm irresponsible." |
| Intermediate | [Testing] "I bet you're going to tell me I'm overreacting, like everyone does." |
| Intermediate | [Hesitant] "I wasn't going to bring this up, because I figured you'd think it was stupid." |
| Advanced | [Angry] "You're just like my mother. You sit there judging me and don't say anything." |
| Advanced | [Disappointed] "I used to think you really got me. Now I'm not sure you even remember what I tell you." |
One possible response. To "I wasn't going to bring this up, because I figured you'd think it was stupid": "You almost didn't bring it in, because you expected I'd think it was stupid. That sounds like what you've described with your older brother, expecting to be laughed at before you've finished. Does that fit, or is it something else with me?"
Metaphors (free video)
A good response:
- Picks up the client's own image, or offers a simple one.
- Uses it to deepen or extend the experience, not to decorate it.
- Checks whether it fits.
| Level | Client statement |
|---|---|
| Beginner | [Tired] "I feel like I'm running on fumes." |
| Beginner | [Frustrated] "Talking to my dad is like hitting a brick wall." |
| Intermediate | [Anxious] "It's like I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop." |
| Intermediate | [Sad] "Since the move, I feel like a ghost in my own house." |
| Advanced | [Searching for words] "I can't explain it. It's just this thing that happens whenever my partner gets close." |
| Advanced | [Impatient] "Don't give me some poetic image. I just want to stop feeling like this." |
One possible response. To "Since the move, I feel like a ghost in my own house": "A ghost in your own house. A ghost can see everyone, but no one sees the ghost. Is that part of it, or is it something else about being a ghost?"
Exploring fantasy (free video)
A good response:
- Invites imagination about a specific scene.
- Asks for both the feared outcome and the wished-for one.
- Stays curious about the details rather than reassuring.
| Level | Client statement |
|---|---|
| Beginner | [Wistful] "Sometimes I imagine just quitting and moving somewhere nobody knows me." |
| Beginner | [Nervous] "I keep thinking about what would happen if I told my sister how I really feel." |
| Intermediate | [Embarrassed] "I had a dream about my old teacher last night. It was strange." |
| Intermediate | [Irritated] "I'd never ask for a raise. What's the point? They'd just say no." |
| Advanced | [Quiet] "Sometimes I wonder what you think about me after I leave." |
| Advanced | [Guarded] "I don't daydream. I'm a practical person." |
One possible response. To "I keep thinking about what would happen if I told my sister how I really feel": "Let's imagine it. You tell her how you really feel. What do you say, and what does she do? And if it went the way you'd most want, what would she do instead?"
These client statements were written for this toolkit. The APA book Deliberate Practice in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy by Hanna Levenson, Volney Gay and Jeffrey L. Binder has its own exercises for these and other skills.
Learn and Practice
Training for the skills behind these templates, from the Sentio MFT program:
Free training
Deliberate Practice in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Ten free webinars that pair with the APA book by Levenson, Gay and Binder, eight of them on single skills.
Book
The APA Book on Psychodynamic Deliberate Practice
Hanna Levenson, Volney Gay and Jeffrey L. Binder's Deliberate Practice in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, with its own exercises.
Free webinar
Case Formulation and Treatment Planning
Alexandre Vaz on moving from a formulation to a treatment plan.
Free videos
Therapist Training Videos and Exercises
Free skill videos and exercises across therapy models, for practice with peers, in supervision or on your own.
Free training
All of the free training from the Sentio MFT program, by therapy model.
Graduate program
A hybrid master's program in marriage and family therapy, from a nonprofit graduate school in Los Angeles.
For Supervisors and Faculty
The toolkit is built for supervision and the classroom as much as for the clinician working alone. A supervisee can bring a process note or a short recording to supervision, the supervisor can review it with the recording review form, and the two of them can end the hour rehearsing the skill the review points to with the practice statements. In a course on psychodynamic therapy, the Elena examples follow one invented client from formulation to treatment plan, progress note and process note, so students can see each document grow out of the one before it.
Faculty and supervisors may assign, print and adapt any of the templates. The Sentio MFT program's clinical supervision toolkit adds supervision notes, goals and evaluation forms, and its deliberate practice supervisor training teaches supervision built around rehearsal.
Measures
The treatment plan tracks symptoms with two brief self-report measures that are free to use, the PHQ-9 for depression and the GAD-7 for anxiety. Both, with scoring instructions and translations, are on the PHQ screeners site. The treatment plan page explains how to turn a score into a measurable objective.
Keep reading
What Is Deliberate Practice?, how rehearsal with feedback builds clinical skill.
The Role of Video Recording in MFT Training, what reviewing recorded sessions adds to clinical education.
Free Clinical Supervision Toolkit, session notes, goals and evaluation forms for supervisors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these official forms?
No. They are optional aids from the Sentio MFT program, free to adapt. They are not the official forms of any agency, payer or licensing board, so follow your setting's documentation requirements where they differ.
Who are the templates for?
Clinicians in psychodynamic, psychoanalytic and time-limited dynamic work, across professions, and the students, supervisors and faculty who train them.
Do I need training in time-limited dynamic psychotherapy to use them?
No. The CMP worksheet and the treatment plan follow time-limited dynamic psychotherapy, but the formulation, notes, interventions list and review form fit most psychodynamic approaches. Levenson's Brief Dynamic Therapy introduces the approach, and the free videos on the Sentio psychodynamic deliberate practice page demonstrate the core skills.
Are the clients in the examples real?
No. Every client in the completed examples is invented.
Do I need client consent to record sessions for review?
Yes. Obtain the client's written consent before recording, and follow your setting's policy on how recordings are stored, shared and deleted.
Can I change the templates?
Yes. Change anything to fit your clients, your setting and your agency's or payers' requirements.
Is there a cost?
No. Every template, example and PDF is free to read, copy, print and use.
Where can I practice these skills?
The practice set on this page has client statements for the eight skills in the free videos on the Sentio psychodynamic deliberate practice page. The APA book Deliberate Practice in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy by Levenson, Gay and Binder has its own exercises.
References
Binder, J. L. (2004). Key competencies in brief dynamic psychotherapy: Clinical practice beyond the manual. Guilford Press. ISBN 978-1-59385-058-6. https://www.guilford.com/books/Key-Competencies-in-Brief-Dynamic-Psychotherapy/Jeffrey-Binder/9781609181680
Definitions, 45 C.F.R. § 164.501. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-C/part-164/subpart-E/section-164.501
Eubanks, C. F., Lubitz, J., Muran, J. C., & Safran, J. D. (2019). Rupture Resolution Rating System (3RS): Development and validation. Psychotherapy Research, 29(3), 306-319. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2018.1552034
Eubanks, C. F., Muran, J. C., & Safran, J. D. (2018). Alliance rupture repair: A meta-analysis. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 508-519. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000185
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2001). The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16(9), 606-613. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x
Levenson, H. (1995). Time-limited dynamic psychotherapy: A guide to clinical practice. Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-08651-1. https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/hanna-levenson/time-limited-dynamic-psychotherapy/9780465086511/
Levenson, H. (2026). Brief dynamic therapy (3rd ed.). American Psychological Association. ISBN 978-1-4338-4478-2. https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/brief-dynamic-therapy-third-edition
Levenson, H., Gay, V., & Binder, J. L. (2023). Deliberate practice in psychodynamic psychotherapy. American Psychological Association. ISBN 978-1-4338-3673-2. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000351-000
Luborsky, L., & Crits-Christoph, P. (1998). Understanding transference: The core conflictual relationship theme method (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. ISBN 978-1-55798-453-1. https://doi.org/10.1037/10250-000
McWilliams, N. (1999). Psychoanalytic case formulation. Guilford Press. ISBN 978-1-57230-462-8. https://www.guilford.com/books/Psychoanalytic-Case-Formulation/Nancy-McWilliams/9781572304628
Safran, J. D., & Muran, J. C. (2000). Negotiating the therapeutic alliance: A relational treatment guide. Guilford Press. ISBN 978-1-57230-512-0. https://www.guilford.com/books/Negotiating-the-Therapeutic-Alliance/Safran-Muran/9781572308695
Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B. W., & Löwe, B. (2006). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: The GAD-7. Archives of Internal Medicine, 166(10), 1092-1097. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092
Strupp, H. H., & Binder, J. L. (1984). Psychotherapy in a new key: A guide to time-limited dynamic psychotherapy. Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-06747-3. https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/hans-h-strupp/psychotherapy-in-a-new-key/9780465067473
About These Templates
Prepared by Tony Rousmaniere, PsyD, and Alexandre Vaz, PhD, for the Sentio MFT program's free therapist training. Every client in the completed examples is invented. Corrections and suggestions: mabundez@sentio.org.