I don't know how my T keeps and uses his written records but I know that he prepares to session reading emails since the previous session. He encourages between session emails with patients and uses them this way on hid end, to frame the next session. I often send him a summary of what I want to discuss prior to our meetings and he thinks about that as well. His memory about past sessions and email content is very impressive so I am sure he thinks about outside of session as well.

My guess is that former T probably did not prepare much or at all, his memory was also rather poor. He would just let me talk about whatever and the sessions did not have any structure or progression unless I made them that way.