Does anyone ever wonder what your T writes about you...?

A few weeks ago in session my T told me she'd been looking in my file the other day and it kind of freaked me out, she's got a file on me already?! I guess I just wondered if anyone has seen what T has written about you or wondered what they write about you after you go? Sorry, just randomly thinking!

It's funny you bring this up because just this week I became more curious about what she writes. Every session my T is writing while I'm talking and I noticed that she was taking notes when it seemed to me I wasn't sharing anything spectacular.

So, my imagination was telling me that she was writing, "This is boring. I am so glad I can sit here and take 'notes' while Skysblue is going on and on. She thinks I'm attentive to her but thankfully I can pretend that I am just by this simple act of writing. It's great that we therapists have these tools to help us endure this kind of session."

Her file on my must be really fat if she puts in it all the note-taking she has done. I'm curious what she thinks and what her assessment is. I guess, by law, we have the right to see our files but I would never ask and I don't really want to see what she has in there.

I've read that many T's have 2 files - one for legal purposes if their notes are subpoenaed and another file with personal notes that is exempt from a subpoena and is there as a reminder of what happened in session.

Thanks for that Sky I'm not sure if my T writes during session as I never look at her. I can understand why your imagination would be working overtime if your T is writing things when it seems you've said something insignificant, maybe what you said or how you said it has more meaning to her?

I'm curious as to what she thinks and what her assessment is too but like you I don't think I'd ask because maybe I'd be scared to really know what she thinks.

I never knew T's can have 2 files, thanks for the info!

Yes i do wonder. I am sorely tempted to ask to see my file because in one way it's part of my journey and i want to see what's been written by professionals but on the other hand i don't know if i could handle it if they wrote things i didn't like.

LOL.... my imagination was telling me, OMG, she's making NOTES about me, I must be the biggest lunatic she's ever seen... I used to yelp when I saw her doing it & she had to stop, poor lady. It was years before she picked up a pen again. Well, if she thought I was crazy back at the start, she sure knows it now, not much need to write it down.

so i dont think my T ever takes notes at all.she forgets a lot.i have seen my file and it is all stuff i have given her and done in therapy

I grab my file off her desk and read it as a part of my therapy routine.

Sorry your T forgets a lot How did you feel when you saw it?

Really?! Is your T ok with that? How do you feel when you read it?

My T sometimes will turn partly around so she isn't facing me anymore and will type on her computer while I'm talking!

If I really tried, I could see what she's typing. That kind of freaks me out. I know she is typing about me. She also takes notes sometimes.

Do all therapists keep a file for each client? I've never seen my T make notes...

I'm sure they're required by law to have records. Your T probably makes notes after a session.

My T reads much of what he writes in his notes about me to me. It isn't all that exciting. It is pretty objective observations about what we discuss (in very general terms, not detail); it is notes about what meds I'm on or my general mood, etc. Nothing I don't already know. He sometimes takes a look at his notes from the week before at the beginning of our sessions just to have a point of reference. T's notes are nothing to be afraid of. My t takes some notes at the beginning of our sessions, usually about my mood, meds, etc. Then he puts them aside. After the session he has about 10 minutes between session where he writes the rest of the notes. They aren't long. Usually just 5 to 10 lines.

I'm much more curious about my pdoc's notes which are FAR more extensive and I've never seen any of them.

My T doesn't take notes during session, but I assume it's what she uses the 10 mins in between session for.
Once she read something from the file (which I otherwise thought was empty lol) in perfect order, and exactly HOW i said it...
It freaked me out a bit. lol.

I know my T keeps files on her clients, which all therapists have to do. She doesn't make notes during the session though. I do wonder sometimes what she says about me but to be honest I wouldn't really want to know because it may feel like she's judging me or something if I read it and it could be upsetting.

My T gives me notes from the last session at the beginning of the next
Session. I could sit there and read them but I usually dont. I feel like
I need to read the in private. I find them really helpful. A couple of
times I questioned him about what he wrote....pissed him off. So we
dont usually even discuss them. I'm the only patient he does this for
which is interesting. He said because I asked for them and I say I find
them helpful. Cant believe I'm the only one who has ever asked.

He gets concerned that my husband is going to find them as he is referred
to often and not usually in a favorable light. I hide them and go back and
read them ocassionally.

One time I sent him an email in the middle of the night. He was up writing about me. Made me feel special.

I wish T would take notes... maybe then she wouldn't forget half the stuff she says to me!
A former T gave me my file when she retired... Boring! Still have it. Can't make a darn bit of sense out of it and I was there! OK, my body was... "my" being there was highly questionable.

I dont think showing a client what I write would be useful to them. I jot down key terms to jog my memory and I have a good memory, so it doesnt take much. It would likely seem like gibberish to the client! Like if you tried to read the printout from a court stenographer.

However, some have asked and I've told them what I wanted to remember when I wrote something down. It's not a big deal for me. You could ask

sometimes when a client says something, it triggers a question i want to ask or an assignment i might want to give in the future, but i dont want to interrupt them! in those cases i jot things down. that may be the case with your therapist?

is it more comfortable for you to think she doesnt care at time than it is to ask her?

also, sometimes, you may be saying something that isnt particularly spectacular in your mind, but may throw some things into sharp relief for your therapist.

i have a pretty ridiculous memory and that has freaked clients (and former clients) out quite a bit!

i sometimes take in my pen and notebook with every intention of taking notes and then at the end of the session i notice ive written nothing! i dont like to write while really emotional material is being discussed...it feels distancing and i dont want the client to feel alone or like im backing away and am unable to handle their emotional stuff.

at those times, i take notes at the end of the session.

When my therapist talks about my file, I sometimes tell the therapist of my file about the therapists I have had and my rating system. Some get rather curious.

During a recent internship, I sometimes worked with a pdoc and got to read notes she took for a number of clients. They are very professional and thorough--really helpful for me, as a student, and also for other providers who also provide care at the same facility. They contained information on how the client was doing in all areas that were of concern to the client and that might be impacted by the client's meds or signal the need for a meds change. Like if the client was getting out and doing social activities or sports/exercise, what the client was eating (vis a vis the need for weight gain or loss, having a healthy diet, etc.), what the client was enjoying in life these days, the client's mood, recent events and challenges the client had experienced, such as a death in the family, a move to a new apartment, etc. There was also documentation about suggestions the pdoc had made to the client, such as how to improve sleep, events and activities the client might want to try, such as a drama class, a local dance, geocaching, the motocross tour coming to town, etc. She always tried to find client interests and strengths and build on them. She only saw clients quarterly, so the notes were also very helpful to her for the next visit, as she could then make inquiries about things they had discussed last time, compare progress in areas like mood, outbursts, etc. She always printed out the notes before the session was over and gave a copy to the client. That helps them remember what was discussed and ideas for change. The notes were usually 1-2 pages, single spaced.

I found the notes to be very objective, professional, and non-judgmental.

My T has a laptop on a little stand in front of him, and he makes lots of notes. I know he writes down certain things I say, because he's quoted them back to me later: "On your first visit, you said you didn't want to talk about Scott." I think he also notes my mood and/or body language. I'm curious about what else he makes note of, because sometimes it makes no sense to me why he is or isn't taking notes at any particular moment.

I asked him once how he worked, and he said that everyone has themes in their life (loss/abandonment, etc.) and life events are grouped into sub-themes ... or something like that. As he learns about me, I think he's arranging that information into a structure so he knows what methods to use to help me.

Although it has occurred to me once or twice that maybe he's jotting down what he's supposed to pick up at the market on his way home

@Dr.Muffin:

I figured. I have a decent memory as well...
And I understand where she's coming from. My friend said her T basically wrote during the whole session, and I just sat there considering.... Would I WAIT for a T to write what she needs to before continuing?
I think that's the reason I trust mine so much.

My Pdoc has a form that looks like a multiple choice test. Each session a clean sheet, 5 or 6 circles around answers, jots current meds and plan B...