Group therapy notes record one client's participation in a group session, written in that client's own file. Write one note per participant, never a single note for the whole group. Each note should cover the group's focus for the session, what your client did and said, your clinical read of it, and the plan.
Almost everything written about group notes online is American, built around insurance language that does not apply here. The Australian rules are more specific, and easier to meet once you know what your note has to prove.
Why does each client need their own group therapy note?
Because the service is billed per client, and the record follows the client.
Under Medicare, a group therapy service is claimed for each participating patient individually. The patient, not the group, is the unit, so the record evidencing that service has to sit in that patient's file. A single shared document describing "the group" cannot do that job, and it creates a problem the moment one client requests access to their record.
This is also the practical reason group notes feel heavier than individual ones. Eight participants means eight notes. The efficient way to handle that is not to write less, it is to separate the part that is genuinely identical for everyone from the part that is not.
The record-keeping standard itself comes from your regulator. For psychologists, the Psychology Board of Australia's Code of conduct has been in effect since 1 December 2025 and sets out obligations for client records at section 8.5. It is worth reading directly if you last checked the APS Code of Ethics, because the Board's own code is now the instrument it applies.
What does Medicare actually require for group therapy items?
This is the part no template on the internet will tell you, and it is the part an audit turns on.
The Better Access group items are written as conditions. Take item 80120, the focussed psychological strategies group item for an eligible psychologist. The descriptor reads: "Focussed psychological strategies health service provided to a patient as part of a group of 4 to 10 patients by an eligible psychologist if: (a) the patient is referred by a referring practitioner; and (b) the service is provided in person; and (c) the service is at least 60 minutes duration" (MBS item 80120). The equivalent clinical psychology item, 80020, uses the same structure, the same group size, and the same 60 minute minimum (MBS item 80020).
Read that as a documentation brief and three facts fall out, every one of which your note is the only evidence for:
- Group size was between 4 and 10 patients. If attendance drops to three, the item's condition is not met that day. Your note should make the participant count unambiguous.
- The session ran at least 60 minutes. Record start and finish times, not just a date. The longer video items run to a 120 minute minimum, so the duration you record has to match the item you claim (MBS item 80025).
- The patient was referred by a referring practitioner. The referral sits in the file, and the note should tie the session to it.
Group and individual sessions also draw on separate allowances. As the MBS notes for these items put it, "Medicare benefits are available for up to 10 individual and 10 group therapy mental health treatment services in a calendar year". The group allowance sits alongside the individual one rather than eating into it.
Here is a detail almost nobody covers. The individual focussed psychological strategies item, 80110, expressly requires that "on the completion of the course of treatment, the eligible psychologist gives a written report to the referring practitioner on assessments carried out, treatment provided and recommendations on future management of the patient's condition" (MBS item 80110). The group item descriptors do not carry that same written report condition. That does not make writing to the referrer a bad idea, and it overrides nothing your referral pathway or regulator asks of you. It does mean you should claim against the descriptor in front of you rather than assume group works like individual.
How do you write about other group members without breaching privacy?
This is the trap, and it is a genuinely Australian one because of how access requests work here.
Name another participant in your client's note and you have put a third party's health information into a file your client has a right to ask for. Under the Australian Privacy Principles, an organisation may refuse access where "giving access would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of other individuals" (APP 12.3(b)), and you are then expected to take reasonable steps to give access in a way that meets both parties' needs, such as redacting the third party's information or providing a summary (OAIC, APP 12 guidelines).
Naming other members does not just risk a breach. It creates work for you later, one redaction at a time, on every note in the file.
The fix is a writing habit, not a policy:
- Write about your client's behaviour, contributions and responses. That is what the note is for.
- Refer to other members by role rather than name: "another member", "a peer", "the group".
- Record interactions from your client's side. "Offered support to another member who described a relapse" is clinically informative and names nobody.
- Keep the group's shared content general. The theme of the session is fine. Another person's disclosure is not.
What should a group therapy note contain?
Split it in two. The first part is the group synopsis, and it is legitimately the same across every participant's note: group name, session number, date, start and finish times, number of participants, facilitator, modality and the session's focus. Writing it once and reusing it is not duplication, it is accuracy, and it is what evidences the item conditions above.
The second part is individual and must be genuinely different for every client:
- Participation. What your client actually did. Arrived on time, engaged, withdrew, dominated, left early.
- Observable behaviour and mental state. What you saw and heard, described rather than interpreted.
- Progress against that client's own goals. The group has a curriculum; your client has a treatment plan. The note should connect the two.
- Clinical assessment. Your read of where they are, including any risk indicators and what you did about them.
- Plan. Homework set, follow-up needed, whether an individual contact is indicated.
You do not need a special "group" format. SOAP, DAP and BIRP all work, with the group synopsis sitting above the structured note. Our comparison of clinical note types sets out where each is strongest, and there are walkthroughs for SOAP notes, DAP notes and BIRP notes.
What does a group therapy note look like?
A worked DAP example for one participant in an anxiety group.
Group synopsis (identical across participants' notes)
Managing Anxiety Group, session 4 of 8. 12 August 2026, 10:00 to 11:15 (75 minutes). 7 participants. Facilitator: A. Nguyen, psychologist. In person, consulting rooms. Focus: cognitive restructuring, identifying and testing anxious predictions.
Data
Client attended on time and remained for the full session. Participated in the psychoeducation segment without prompting and volunteered an anxious prediction from the past week relating to a work presentation. Completed the thought record exercise in full. Voice was quiet during the pair activity and client declined to report back to the wider group when invited, stating "I'd rather just listen". Offered brief verbal support to another member who described a setback. No indicators of risk raised or observed.
Assessment
Continued improvement in willingness to disclose in the larger group compared with sessions 1 and 2, where client did not speak unprompted. Grasp of the cognitive model appears solid. Reluctance to speak to the full group is consistent with the social evaluation fears identified in the treatment plan and remains the primary target. Progressing towards goal 2 (participate in one work meeting without rehearsing beforehand).
Plan
Continue group. Thought record homework for two anxious predictions before session 5. Facilitator to invite a short whole-group contribution early in session 5 as a graded exposure step. Review progress against goals 1 and 2 at session 6 as scheduled.
Note what that does. It evidences the participant count, the duration and the modality, it describes one client in specific observable terms, it names nobody else, and it ties back to that client's plan.
How do you keep eight notes from eating your afternoon?
Structure first, tooling second.
Build the group synopsis as a saved template so the constant fields are entered once per session rather than once per client. Write the individual sections the same day, while the session is fresh. Resist the pull towards identical individual sections; near-duplicate notes across participants are the clearest sign to a reviewer that the record is not doing its job.
Software matters more here than for individual sessions, purely because of the multiplication. PractaLuma is AI-native practice management software for Australian mental-health practices, and it treats clinical notes and AI scribing as one workflow, so the shared session detail propagates and only the clinical content needs your attention. You can see how that is packaged on our pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I write one note for the whole group? No. The service is claimed per patient and the record belongs in each patient's file. A shared note cannot evidence an individual service, and it becomes unworkable the moment one client requests access.
Should I name other group members in a client's note? No. Naming a third party places their health information in a file your client can request access to, which triggers the redaction and refusal considerations under APP 12. Refer to others by role instead.
Is there a minimum group size for Medicare group therapy items? Yes. The Better Access group item descriptors specify a group of 4 to 10 patients, with a 60 minute minimum for the standard in person items. Check the descriptor for the item you are claiming.
Do group sessions use up the same 10 sessions as individual therapy? No. Medicare benefits are available for up to 10 individual and 10 group therapy mental health treatment services in a calendar year, so the group allowance sits alongside the individual one.
How long do I need to keep group therapy notes? The same retention rules apply as for any other clinical record, and they vary by state and by client age. We cover the detail in how long to keep clinical records in Australia.
This article is general information for Australian practitioners, not legal, clinical or billing advice. MBS item descriptors and fees change; always confirm the current descriptor on MBS Online before claiming.