How to Write a Group Therapy Note (With Examples)

Group therapy documentation trips up even experienced clinicians, because you have to do two things at once: record the shared work of the group and write a defensible, individualized note for every member. Do it well and each member's chart shows their own progress; do it poorly and you either under-document or leak one client's information into another's record. Here is how to get it right.

The golden rule: one note per member

Each group member needs their own progress note in their own chart. Never name or describe other members in an individual's note, that would disclose another client's protected health information. Refer to others only as "a group member" or "peers," and keep the focus on the client whose note it is.

What every group note should capture

• Group context, the type, date, duration and the session's theme or topic (shared wording is fine, since it contains no other member's PHI).
• The intervention, what you, the facilitator, did and the clinical rationale.
• This member's presentation, how the individual presented and what they reported.
• This member's participation and response, their engagement, contributions and any in-session change.
• Plan, homework, focus for next group, and any individual follow-up or risk items.

A worked example (one member's note)

Group: "Process-oriented anxiety group, 90 minutes. Theme: tolerating uncertainty."

Intervention: "Facilitated a structured discussion on uncertainty; led a group grounding exercise and guided members in identifying one avoided situation to approach this week."

Member presentation: "Client arrived on time, appeared mildly anxious, and reported a difficult week with work deadlines."

Participation and response: "Client engaged actively, shared an example of catastrophic thinking, and responded well to peer feedback, reporting reduced anxiety by the end of the session. Denied SI/HI."

Plan: "Client to approach one avoided work task before next group and record the outcome. Continue weekly group."

Formats work here too

You can document group work in BIRP or DAP structure, BIRP's intervention-and-response framing fits group facilitation especially well. The key is that the Behavior and Response sections describe only the member whose note it is.

Write every member's note from one recording

NotedTherapy has a group session fan-out: record the group once, and it drafts a separate, individualized note for each member you list, each in your clinical voice, each free of other members' identifying details, ready for you to review. Learn how the formats compare in SOAP vs DAP vs BIRP notes, or start a free trial.