A counseling treatment plan is the written documentation of the goals and objectives of mental health treatment as mutually agreed upon by the client and therapist. Treatment plans are an integral part of the treatment process as they document important assessment information, diagnostic information, and the scope of treatment. Most therapists and mental health professionals use a counseling Treatment Plan Template or mental health Treatment Plan Template to help with their documentation.
A mental health treatment plan template can help to streamline the treatment plan creation process. It provides a standardized format in which the client and therapist can work together to identify the specifics of the therapeutic plan. A treatment plan template can be used digitally and is printable as well.
Mental health treatment plans are flexible and fluid documents — no two treatment plans will be exactly the same, just as no two clients are the same. Further, the client and therapist can update and alter the treatment plan at any time to reflect a change in circumstances or an evolution of the goals or objectives of treatment. Treatment plans are also cooperative and strength-based. To this end, treatment plans reflect tenets of the therapeutic alliance including mutual respect, reciprocity, and empathy. The client’s involvement in determining goals for treatment is a cornerstone of ethical therapeutic work.
Treatment planning begins where the initial assessment ends, as the initial treatment plan is typically recorded by the therapist after the assessment and before the first therapy session.