BACP · NCPS · UKCP registrants

Practice software for counsellors that is not a physio system in disguise

DAP and BIRP note formats, three visibility tiers, and retention that follows UK guidance rather than an American template.

Start free A counsellor and a client talking in a calm counselling room

In a fifty-minute counselling session, splitting the record into Subjective and Objective describes nothing real. What the client says is the observation. Atlacare defaults counsellors to DAP, with BIRP available where the work is organised around intervention and response, and the format follows the practitioner, so a counsellor renting a room in a physiotherapy clinic is not forced into the clinic's template.

Counselling is not statutorily regulated in the UK, and "counsellor" is not a protected title (professionalstandards.org.uk)
BACP, NCPS and UKCP each hold a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (professionalstandards.org.uk)

What each note format asks you for

DAP is the default for counselling. BIRP can be chosen per practitioner, and SOAP stays available for anyone who wants it.

Format	Sections in the Atlacare note editor
DAP (default)	Description, Assessment, Plan, with a risk level and a safeguarding-concern flag inside the note
BIRP	Behaviour, Intervention, Response, Plan, with the same risk level and safeguarding flag
SOAP	Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan

Designed for counsellors

DAP and BIRP notes

The shell is set per practitioner, not per practice. A risk level (none, low, medium or high) sits inside the note, so risk is recorded where the session is.

Confidential visibility tier

Every note is client-visible, internal or confidential. The client portal only ever loads notes marked client-visible, so internal and confidential notes cannot surface there, and DAP notes start as internal.

Notes lock on sign-off

Once signed, a note is locked and cannot be edited, and earlier drafts are kept as versions. What you wrote on the day stays demonstrable.

Safeguarding in the note

Tick the safeguarding-concern flag inside a DAP or BIRP note and the concern is recorded against that session, dated and audit-logged.

Contact between sessions

A conversation log on the client record keeps calls, emails and other contact outside sessions with the record, not in your inbox.

Client portal

Magic link only, no password, showing only what you have marked client-visible.

How long counselling records are kept

There is no single statutory figure for private counselling records, and the widely repeated "seven years" has no authoritative source. Atlacare applies a retention period based on the practice's country and keeps the decision visible rather than silently deleting.

UK practices are set to 8 years from last treatment for clinical records.
An erasure request cannot remove a clinical record that is still inside its retention period.
Nothing is deleted automatically behind your back; erasure is a deliberate, audit-logged action.
Our guide on counselling record retention sets out where the different figures come from.

Built around your register's expectations

Counselling is regulated through accredited voluntary registers rather than statute. BACP, NCPS and UKCP each expect clear, secure and confidential client records. Atlacare is built around those expectations rather than endorsed by any of them.

Keep contemporaneous notes that lock on sign-off, with earlier drafts kept as versions.
Record consent on the client record.
Hold every record in EU-region infrastructure under UK and EU GDPR.
Write every significant action to an audit log.

Read the BACP Ethical Framework →

Frequently asked questions

Does Atlacare support DAP notes?

Yes, and it is the default for counselling. BIRP is also available, set per practitioner.

How long should counselling records be kept?

There is no single statutory figure, and the widely repeated "seven years" has no authoritative source. Atlacare applies country-aware retention (8 years from last treatment for UK practices) and keeps the decision visible rather than silently deleting. Our guide on counselling record retention covers the reasoning.

Can I keep some notes completely private?

From the client, yes. Each note is client-visible, internal or confidential, and the client portal only ever loads notes marked client-visible, so internal and confidential notes can never appear there. Confidential notes are marked for the treating practitioner and the practice owner.

Is it suitable for a solo counsellor?

Yes. The free plan covers one practitioner and 20 clients with no card, which is enough to run a small caseload properly.