Templates / Support system worksheet: Free PDF and session guide

Mental Health & Therapy

Support system worksheet: Free PDF and session guide

Free PDF • 1 page, print-ready • Clinician-reviewed

Anja Dodevska Last updated November 9, 2026 Reviewed by Dr. Vanja Kitanova

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A support system worksheet is a one-page form that helps patients list the people they can turn to for support. For each person, it records their strengths and role, how to reach them, and when they are available. Therapists, counselors and coaches use it at intake or in early sessions to see how much support a patient has outside therapy. Three reflection prompts then cover the support the patient needs now and how the network could be stronger. A final prompt asks which self-care strategies help when no one is available. The completed sheet gives each review session a concrete starting point.

Template details

Template type

Worksheet

Format

Printable PDF, 1 page

Sections

1 section

Fields to complete

14 fields

Best for

Mental Health & Therapy

Key takeaways

A support system worksheet records who a patient can turn to, with each person’s strengths and role, contact method and availability.

Three reflection prompts cover current support needs, ways to strengthen the network, and self-care for times when no one is available.

Reading every supporter’s availability side by side shows the hours when no one is reachable, which is where coping plans should focus.

Store each completed copy in the patient record so the network can be compared across sessions, with access limited to authorized staff.

The worksheet supports therapy planning, but it does not replace a clinical assessment.

What is a support system worksheet?

A support system worksheet is a clinical prompt sheet listing the people and groups a patient can turn to. It also asks what each one offers. It is used in mental health, psychology, therapy and coaching settings to make an informal network visible and open to discussion.

• Who uses it: Therapists, counselors, coaches and the patients they work with.
• What it captures: Each supporter’s strengths and role, communication method and availability.
• Clinical purpose: Spotting unmet needs and planning how to strengthen connections.

Why a mapped support network matters in therapy

Social support is consistently linked with better mental health in peer-reviewed research. In a 2021 study of 481 college students, social support weakened the link between perceived stress and depression symptoms. Patients with a thin network often carry more of the load alone during stressful periods.

Mapping a network also shows which coping strategies a patient already uses with others, such as asking a friend for a ride to an appointment. Those examples give the clinician a starting point for practical planning.

To measure how supported a patient feels, rather than who is in the network, pair the worksheet with a social support scale.

What’s inside the worksheet

The worksheet fits on one page. It opens with name and date fields and short instructions, then asks for an entry for each person or group the patient can turn to. The table sets out each part and what it adds to the review.

The last reflection prompt asks which self-care activities help when the support system may not be available. Its answers can feed straight into a self-care plan. The diagram pairs each part of the form with a question worth asking when you go through it together.

Types of support to listen for

The worksheet does not sort supporters into fixed categories. Instead, its first reflection prompt asks whether the patient is looking for emotional support, advice, encouragement or something else. The strengths and role answers then show who already provides each kind of help. Common types to listen for include:

• Emotional support: People who listen and reassure, such as a close friend.
• Practical support: People who help with rides, errands or childcare.
• Informational support: People or services that offer advice, such as a primary care doctor or peer group.
• Companionship: People for shared activities, such as a sports club or class.

If a patient thinks in pictures, an ecomap draws the same network as a diagram of connections. It works well alongside the worksheet.

How to use it in sessions

Introduce the worksheet early, ideally at intake or in the first few sessions, and frame it as a planning tool rather than a test. Print it for in-person sessions, or send it as a digital form before a telehealth appointment so the patient can complete it at home.

1. Explain the purpose and ask the patient to fill in an entry for each supporter, using extra copies if the list runs long.
2. Ask them to answer the three reflection prompts on their own.
3. Review the list together and ask which connections feel strong or fragile.
4. Agree one small action, such as reconnecting with a supporter this week.
5. Revisit the worksheet at the next session and update it.

Reading the availability answers

Availability is the field most worth reading as a set. Line up every supporter’s answer and look for the hours nobody covers, such as late evenings or weekends. If those hours match the times the patient usually struggles most, the self-care prompt becomes the plan for that window. Build it out in session rather than leaving it as a one-line answer.

Using it in group therapy

In group therapy, ask participants to share one supporter they chose to add. That builds peer connection without requiring detailed disclosure. Keep the group discussion to general kinds of support so that no one is pressed to reveal private relationships.

Adapting it for different patients

Adjust the language and length to the patient’s age and cognitive load. Younger patients may respond better to a drawn circle, while older adults may prefer a shorter list. For patients in crisis, complete the worksheet only after a safety plan is in place.

How Pabau keeps support mapping in the patient record

Paper worksheets tend to live in a folder or a scanned file, away from the session notes they inform. That makes it hard to see how a patient’s network changed between intake and discharge.

Pabau, the practice software we build for therapy and mental health teams, lets you send the worksheet as a digital form before a session. Patients fill it in through the patient portal, and the completed form lands in their client records next to session notes.

Because each copy sits in the record, you can open last month’s worksheet beside today’s and see who was added or dropped. Restrict access to the clinical staff who need it, and check your local rules on how long records are retained. Data protection duties differ by region, including HIPAA in the United States and GDPR in the UK and EU.

The forms sit inside Pabau’s therapy practice management software, alongside booking, reminders and billing.

Keep every support map in the patient record

Pabau sends the support system worksheet as a digital form and files each completed copy in the patient record. Compare a patient’s network across sessions without digging through paper folders.

Book a demo

Conclusion

The worksheet earns its place when you treat it as a working document rather than an intake formality. Revisit it whenever a patient’s circumstances shift, such as a move, a breakup or a change in treatment.

Pay most attention to the availability answers and the self-care prompt. Together they show when the patient will be on their own and what they plan to do then. That window is what a coping plan or safety plan has to cover.

Book a demo to see how Pabau sends the worksheet as a digital form and keeps every completed copy in the patient record.

Continue your research

Want a structured count of social ties? Social Network Index counts the roles and regular contacts in a patient’s network.

Is loneliness part of the picture? UCLA Loneliness Scale template gives a standard self-report measure of how isolated a patient feels.

Working on what a patient can change? Circle of influence worksheet separates concerns a patient can act on from those they cannot.

Building coping strategies alongside the network? Coping skills worksheet helps patients list the strategies that work for them.

Starting with a new patient? Mental health intake form collects history, symptoms and goals at the first visit.

Frequently asked questions