Templates / Coaching
Coaching Session Notes Template
Goal-oriented notes for life, executive, and health coaches: what was discussed, what moved, what happens next.
Coaching notes serve a different purpose from clinical notes: they are less about documentation and more about continuity and accountability. The client should feel, session after session, that you remember exactly where they left off.
This template keeps four short sections so you can write it in the five minutes between calls.
The template
- Goals DiscussedWhich of the client's goals were the focus of this session, and any new goals that emerged.
- ProgressWhat the client has done since last time and what changed — wins, blockers, insights.
- Action ItemsConcrete commitments the client made, with dates where possible.
- AccountabilityHow and when you will check progress, and what support the client asked for.
Copy these headings into your notes app, or use them built-in in AfterSession.
When to use it
Use it for life, career, executive, health, or business coaching. If your practice is clinical (licensed therapy), choose a clinical format such as SOAP or DAP instead.
Section-by-section guide with example
Goals Discussed
Which of the client's goals were the focus of this session, and any new goals that emerged.
Progress
What the client has done since last time and what changed — wins, blockers, insights.
Action Items
Concrete commitments the client made, with dates where possible.
Accountability
How and when you will check progress, and what support the client asked for.
The example is a fictional composite written for illustration. It does not describe a real person.
Common mistakes
- Recording advice you gave instead of commitments the client made. Coaching notes are about the client's actions.
- Action items without a date. "Work on the bio" becomes "draft the bio by Tuesday".
- Not noting patterns (e.g., the self-promotion avoidance). Patterns are where coaching creates value over time.
Frequently asked questions
Should coaches keep session notes at all?
Yes. Even without a regulatory requirement, notes are what let you open the next session with "last time you committed to X — how did it go?", which is the core of accountability coaching.
How private should coaching notes be?
Treat them as confidential. Clients share personal and professional details; store notes where only you can access them, and tell clients how you keep them.