Child & Family Therapy Notes Template
for Clinicians
Last updated: March 2026
Reviewed by the WellNotes Clinical Team
Type or dictate your session observations. Get a complete child and family therapy note — capturing presenting concerns, session content, family dynamics, and interventions — in minutes.
What are Child & Family Therapy Notes?
Child and family therapy documentation requires capturing unique clinical elements not found in standard adult therapy notes. Clinicians must document developmental observations, parent-child interactions, play therapy content, behavioral patterns across settings, and the complex dynamics of working with multiple family members simultaneously.
The child-family therapy note format includes five sections that address the specific needs of this population: presenting concerns (often reported by caregivers), session content (including play themes and behavioral observations), family dynamics (interaction patterns and systemic factors), interventions (age-appropriate therapeutic techniques), and the treatment plan moving forward.
This template is essential for child therapists, play therapists, BCBAs working on behavioral goals, RBTs documenting skill acquisition, and school psychologists. Proper documentation of child and family work is critical for treatment coordination across systems — schools, pediatricians, family courts, and child welfare agencies often request clinical records.
How It Works
Three steps to a finished child & family therapy note
Describe the Session
Type or dictate what happened — play themes, behavioral observations, parent interactions, interventions used. No special formatting needed.
WellNotes Structures Your Note
Your observations are organized into proper sections: presenting concerns, session content, family dynamics, interventions, and plan.
Review, Edit, and Sign
Read through the note, make any edits, then export as PDF or copy to your EHR. Done.
Child & Family Therapy Notes Sections Explained
Presenting Concerns
The primary concerns bringing the child/family to the session — behavioral issues, developmental concerns, family stressors, school difficulties, or trauma symptoms as reported by caregivers and observed clinically.
Session Content
What occurred during the session — play themes, verbal exchanges, behavioral observations, activities completed, and the child's engagement level and emotional presentation.
Family Dynamics
Observed and reported family interaction patterns — attachment behaviors, communication styles, parenting approaches, sibling relationships, and systemic factors affecting the child.
Interventions
Age-appropriate therapeutic techniques used — play therapy directives, behavioral strategies, parent coaching, psychoeducation, and family systems interventions.
Plan
Next steps — homework for the family, parent coaching goals, school coordination needs, referrals, and focus for the next session.
Documentation Before & After WellNotes
You just finished a play therapy session full of rich clinical material — play themes, behavioral observations, family dynamics. Now you need to translate all of that into a structured note while it's still fresh.
Session ends. You dictate your observations. A complete child and family note appears — play content documented, family dynamics captured, interventions recorded — ready to sign.
Child & Family Therapy Notes Example
A realistic sample generated by WellNotes
Presenting Concerns
Mother reports 7-year-old Jaylen (he/him) has been exhibiting increased aggression at school over the past month — 3 incidents of hitting peers and 2 instances of throwing classroom materials. School has requested behavioral intervention plan. Mother also reports bedwetting has returned after being dry for 2 years. Father recently deployed overseas (military) 6 weeks ago. Mother reports feeling overwhelmed managing Jaylen and younger sibling (age 3) alone. Jaylen states he "doesn't know" why he gets angry at school but says he "misses Daddy."
Session Content
Individual play therapy session (45 minutes) with parent consultation (10 minutes). Jaylen initially reluctant to engage — sat with arms crossed for first 5 minutes. Chose sandbox play — created scenarios of a "soldier" figure being far away from a "kid" figure. Repeatedly buried the soldier figure and then "rescued" it. Play themes: separation, loss, rescue, and helplessness. Verbal content during play: "The kid is mad because the soldier left" and "nobody asked the kid if it was okay." Affect shifted from guarded to openly sad during play. Demonstrated age-appropriate imagination and symbolic thinking. No aggressive behavior during session.
Family Dynamics
Mother-child attachment appears secure — Jaylen sought proximity with mother at session start and end. Mother demonstrates warmth but reports feeling depleted and less patient since father's deployment. Reports raising voice more frequently and inconsistent bedtime routine. Extended family support is limited (maternal grandparents live out of state). Father video-calls 2x/week but connection is inconsistent due to deployment location. Younger sibling competing for mother's attention — Jaylen reports "Mom only cares about the baby." Family system is adjusting to father's absence with visible stress across subsystems.
Interventions
1. Non-directive play therapy: Provided emotionally safe space for Jaylen to express deployment-related feelings through symbolic play. Reflected feelings ("The kid seems really angry and sad that the soldier went away"). 2. Therapeutic storytelling: Introduced narrative about a bear cub whose parent goes on a long trip — explored feelings of anger, sadness, and missing. 3. Feelings identification: Used feelings chart to help Jaylen label emotions beyond "mad" — identified sad, scared, and lonely. 4. Parent consultation: Psychoeducation on regression behaviors (bedwetting) as stress response. Discussed predictable routine strategies. Recommended daily 15-minute "special time" with Jaylen without sibling present.
Plan
1. Continue weekly play therapy sessions — monitor play themes for trauma indicators. 2. Mother to implement daily 15-minute "special time" with Jaylen. 3. Create deployment countdown calendar for Jaylen's room. 4. Coordinate with school counselor regarding behavioral plan — send release of information for mother to sign. 5. Introduce anger management skills (turtle technique) next session. 6. Consider family session via video with father if connection permits. 7. Reassess bedwetting — if persisting beyond 4 weeks, recommend pediatric consultation. Next session: 1 week.
Who Uses Child & Family Therapy Notes?
Frequently Asked Questions
What should child therapy notes include?+
How do you document play therapy sessions?+
Do I need separate notes for parent consultation?+
What documentation do BCBAs need for child clients?+
How do I coordinate documentation with schools?+
Is my data secure?+
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Comprehensive goals, objectives, and interventions document. Required across all mental health disciplines for insurance and compliance.
Learn moreStart Writing Child & Family Therapy Notes in Minutes
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