TDC Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Practice Exam

Notes kept for the clinician’s own process, reflections, and internal reactions about the client are called process notes. They’re meant for the therapist’s private use and are not part of the client’s formal treatment record. The formal chart, which is used for treatment planning and communication with the treatment team, includes documented formats like progress notes, SOAP notes, and DAP notes. These records capture what happened in sessions, observations, assessments, plans, and measurable progress, and they’re intended to be accessible as part of the official record. Therefore, the personal, reflective notes that stay separate from the client’s chart are the process notes.