Group Therapy Progress Note (US)
Session Note Template:
A standard group therapy progress note that can be used to support CPT code (90853) for clinician(s) facilitating a group therapy session. It covers session content, themes, interventions used, process/dynamics, any group risk/safety issues, group homework and plan; with individual member contribution including their participation, contribution, response, barriers, individualized risk assessment, and treatment plan where provided. Use this template in NovoNote, NovoPsych’s AI scribe for mental health clinicians.
Template Structure
Example Output
Template Structure
Session Details:
- Date (MM/DD/YY), modality, group type, and the facilitators’ names and credentials
Attendees:
- First name of each member present
Content and Themes:
- Main focus of the session, key issues and themes discussed
- Psychoeducation given, skills taught or therapy models introduced
- Content of any handouts, worksheets or whiteboard use
Interventions:
- Therapy interventions applied (e.g., CBT, DBT, ACT, mindfulness)
- How members received them, and any notable shifts in thinking or behavior
Group Process and Dynamics:
- Engagement, cohesion, conflict, alliance or resistance
- Facilitation techniques used (e.g., prompting quieter members, redirecting, setting limits)
- Member input, with short verbatim quotes credited to each member
Risk and Safety:
- How the clinician responded to any risk content raised in the session (e.g. escalation, individual follow-up, safety planning)
- Any risk conclusion the clinician stated aloud (e.g. no acute safety concerns, level of care determinations)
Individual Member Notes:
- One block per attending member, headed by their first name
- Participation – level and nature of participant
- Individual Contribution – statements, demonstrations or examples
- Response to Interventions – benefit, difficulty, or progress
- Cognitive, Emotional and Behavioral Shifts – any changes noted in these areas
- Barriers and Problem-Solving – barriers to using skills stated by the participant and any problem-solving
- Risk Assessment – risks raised if indicated and any follow-up plan
- Treatment Plan Linkage – connection to participant’s treatment plan, the goals addressed, and group supported symptom reduction or functional improvement
- Plan / Homework – individual assigned practices
Homework and Action Plan:
- Tasks assigned to the group, the reason for them, and member feedback
Plan and Next Session:
- Planned focus for the next session
- Date and time of the next session
- Follow-up tasks, individual sessions, referrals or resources arranged
Example Output
Session Details:
- Date: 09/22/26
- Modality: In-person
- Group Type: CBT for Anxiety Skills Group
- Facilitator(s): Dr. Jane Smith, Licensed Psychologist
Attendees:
- Mary
- Emma
- David
- Sophie (arrived 10 minutes late)
Content and Themes:
- Session focused on spotting and challenging anxious thinking, building on last week’s thought record.
- Psychoeducation on common thinking traps, including catastrophizing, mind reading and fortune telling.
- Reviewed the “Thinking Traps” handout and worked through a group example on the whiteboard.
Interventions:
- Cognitive restructuring using a three-column thought record (situation, anxious thought, balanced thought).
- Guided group practice weighing evidence for and against an anxious prediction.
- Brief paced-breathing exercise to close the session.
- Members said the whiteboard example made the skill easier to apply.
Group Process and Dynamics:
- Engagement was high; members built on each other’s examples and offered support.
- Dr. Smith prompted Sophie to share after she arrived late, and redirected Mary when discussion drifted off topic.
- Emma described her worry as “a movie playing the worst ending on repeat,” and several members related to this.
Risk and Safety:
- Emma said “sometimes I wonder what the point is” while discussing work stress. Dr. Smith explored this; Emma denied intent or plan and named her sister as a support.
- Dr. Smith stated there were no acute safety concerns and arranged an individual check-in with Emma after group.
Individual Member Notes:
Mary
- Participation: Active; shared readily and offered examples to others.
- Individual Contribution: Identified catastrophizing about an upcoming medical appointment and came up with a balanced thought with group support.
- Response to Interventions: Said the thought record helped her “slow down the spiral.”
- Plan / Homework: Complete two thought records before her appointment on Friday.
Emma
- Participation: Moderate; engaged more in the second half of the session.
- Individual Contribution: Described fortune telling about losing her job after a performance review.
- Barriers and Problem-Solving: Found it hard to notice her thoughts when highly anxious; the group suggested filling in the thought record once she is calmer.
- Risk Assessment: Disclosed passive thoughts (“what the point is”); denied intent or plan; individual check-in completed after group.
- Treatment Plan Linkage: Supports her goal of reducing work-related worry.
David
- Participation: Active after some early hesitation.
- Individual Contribution: Shared examples of mind reading in team meetings.
- Cognitive, Emotional and Behavioral Shifts: Reframed “they’ll think I’m stupid” to “I don’t know what they think, and I’ve contributed before.”
- Treatment Plan Linkage: Supports his goal of speaking up in two meetings per week.
Sophie
- Participation: Minimal; arrived 10 minutes late and contributed when prompted.
- Individual Contribution: Named worry about social events but did not complete a group example.
Homework and Action Plan:
- Complete three thought records this week, each focused on one thinking trap, to build the habit of catching and testing anxious thoughts.
- Sophie asked for a printed copy of the handout; Dr. Smith agreed to provide one.
Plan and Next Session:
- Next session will introduce behavioral experiments to test anxious predictions.
- Next session: Monday, 09/29/26 at 10:00 am.
- Dr. Smith to give Sophie a printed handout.
- Template Type
- Session Note
Author:
Dr Liz Rojas
Clinical Psychologist & Research Fellow
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