[doogie]

I just recently had to switch ts. New T takes notes - a lot of notes - during session. It kind of makes me feel uncomfortable. If your T takes notes, have you ever asked her (or him) to talk about something and not write it down? New T is very old school. I like her, but the note taking is taking some getting used to. There is just something about having what I've said in written form that feels scary. I know no one sees it besides her, but still. Any feedback welcome.

[bamapsych]

I saw an intern that only took notes during the first session. I have an Asperger's T who has never took any notes whatsoever. My current T likes to take notes. Sometimes she writes her fingers off. Sometimes she don't write anything. At first it was a distraction. I was assuming that she was writing symptoms that she could use for disgnosis. Then I had unrealistic thoughts that she was writing what I said down so that she could try to catch me in a hypocritical moment and call me out on it. It felt like she was devising a plan against me (which wasn't the case). Now, I feel ok about her writing. It makes me think what I'm talking about is important and interesting to her and that she cares enough about me to want to remember it in the future.

T's generally see alot of clients. It's harder for some to remember than others. The one's that don't write during the session do so afterwards as soon as they can. I looked at case notes from the intern. It really didn't have anything in there about our conversation. It was more clinical stuff to be used for diagnosis.

Have you asked her about the note-taking? Maybe you can reach a compromise about it. It's worth a shot.

My T looks at the notes from the session before at the beginning of our sessions, and usually asks me some general questions about my mood, etc. that he takes note of at he beginning. Then he sets his notes down for the remainder of the session unless something comes up that he wants to be sure to make note of or he wants to check on something from awhile back. After I leave, he takes a few minutes to jot down notes about our session--not much; usually about 5-10 lines worth of info which is mostly fairly summative about our session (I know this because he's read them to me from time to time to refresh my own memory).

[SilverGlitter]

My T takes notes but not so many that it's distracting. I'm always surprised at the level of detail she remembers considering that she doesn't seem to write much! I think it's more that she writes the important stuff but does so inconspicuously and then fills in more details later once I've left.

But I've seen her notes before - she showed me for a couple of reasons - and it was mainly just details. Things that have happened, reactions I've had to things etc. She wasn't writing down things directly that I've said, it was just dot points. I assume so she can keep track of her clients and because I think she actually has to keep a file on clients.

Do you think you could ask your T to see some of her notes? Most T's are pretty open with notes and I think they should be - it's your session and your information and your life. Maybe it would help you to feel less scared or uncomfortable about it if you knew what sort of things she was writing. And like farmergirl suggested, maybe an idea is just to talk to her about it in general. Maybe she could limit what she writes in sessions (just enough to jog her memory) and then fill in the blanks after your session is over?

[splitimage]

Most of my T's have taken notes. My psychologist and my addictions dr. both write down every word I say. The psychologist I see for another group also takes notes during check in but then doesn't for the rest of the session. My pdoc, mostly doesn't take notes, unless there's something specific he wants to make note of. But I know he has to write up a summary of all our meetings for our hospital file. They're all computerized, and I've seen other therapists call up the notes. The SW who lead my Seeking Safety group, do take notes again during check in and check out, but I don't know if they get enterred into our hospital record or not. I just kind of expect it now.

splitimage

[stopdog]

The one I see took notes for a couple of months. She seems to have stopped. One appointment, when I think she thought I was someone else completely (she kept asking about things that had never happened to me and about people I do not know and her response was Oh, I must be thinking of someone else), I told her to take better notes and she responded that those things were not the sort of thing she wrote down. I suggested she start. Frankly I would like it better if the woman would take accurate notes.

[sittingatwatersedge]

T1 took a lot of notes and it made me feel SO MUCH that I was the weirdest sickest person she ever met, she had to quit.

After the first intake session, T2 never ever has taken notes.

however I can't escape the feeling that just as soon as I'm out the door, she dives for her journal.

"Oh brother you can't imagine the stupid **** SAWE came up with today....unbelievable...."

[QuietCat]

My T took notes for about the first six months that I was seeing him. Now he only takes notes to jot down thoughts I have about a situation we are speaking of and he goes back over each thought and attempts to rewire my brain's interpretation of that thought. So I don't feel his notes are as personal as they were when I was first starting out with him.

But yeah, when I was first seeing him and he would stop to jot things down I would immediately start wondering in my head what was so important about what I'd just said that he felt it needed to be memorialized in writing for later reference. And once he had TWO files filled with scribbles he'd written, and at that point I had to ask, "Why do I have TWO files!?" He explained one was for the insurance company, just non-personal stuff, and the other was the file for what I said in session. He even read to me what he'd written about our first session, and it was all okay things.

Early on, my t took notes in a purple notebook- we wrote in it together and drew pictures. After a few weeks when she got to know us, we would tell her "dont write that, no dont write that down either!" and then we told her about our phobia about having things written down, due to some abuse and trauma that happened as a teenager over someone finding some things that we had written down in a suppsedly private journal. So t stopped taking notes altogether.

[sugahorse1]

My first t took notes, but my current doesn't. Yet i feel she knows me so much better

[anilam]

My T doesn't take notes- luckily for me cause I find it very distracting. He remembers or writes notes after my session's over- IDK, he says he has some notes but won't let me see them. Yeah I know it's weird and it bothers me a bit but he had told me in our first session- stg about the notes being personal. Not sure I remember it right (6 years ) but it was stg along these lines- like I wouldn't understand his notes, they contain his private thoughts...
Well, not ideal- but what is?
Maybe she's just taking the notes because she doesn't know you yet? Anyway, it's stg worth talk about.

[~EnlightenMe~]

Both Ts took notes. Yes, I have asked my T not to write something down, and he didn't.

[retro_chic]

My first T took more notes than my current one but it never really bothered me. My Pdoc that I have just started seeing took a lot of notes at our first session but that's pretty normal. I actually don't mind the note taking - to me it means they wont forget anything and wont forget me.

Maybe you could mention to your T that it makes you feel uncomfortable/distracted? She probably wont stop taking notes completely but may be able to cut back a little.

[sconnie892]

My t took notes the first session or two, but has not done so since. I know she does write notes after the session because she's talked about them.

My t takes notes, but not distractingly so. (Is that even a word? LOL)

no note taking. he didn't at first, then i took a break, came back and he started taking notes, and i said "no way"... so he doesn't

and i have seen what he has written down. i asked for them once and got copies of them. some stuff i expected to see and didn't, and stuff i didn't expect to see were there.

it has been years since i have seen them. but no note taking while i'm in session. thank you very much.

My psychiatrist (who is my therapist) took notes in our first three meetings. It was part of the assessment so I tolerated it. She hasn't reached for the pad since then.

can you ask to read them?

[feralkittymom]

Mine never did in session. He would write them after sessions, or dictate them after sessions. They were very brief. I think he saw it much as I do in teaching: the notes aren't a record of everything that happened, but reflect my basic "read" of an interaction, class meeting, etc. And reminders to follow up on something specific, perhaps. I would find it very distracting as a client and a teacher to write during the interaction.

my XT took notes, made me feel like a test subject...new T takes notes mentally and writes them down in between sessions.... i prefer this.

[Chopin99]

My T took more notes in the beginning. Now she still has her pad and pen ready, but she rarely writes anything down anymore. If she does, it's just a few words.

[CantExplain]

I remember a scene from Ellen.

Ellen: What are you writing? Are you writing that I'm crazy?
T: I'm writing "Wednesday".

Originally Posted by CantExplain

I remember a scene from Ellen.

Ellen: What are you writing? Are you writing that I'm crazy?
T: I'm writing "Wednesday".

my T actually admitted when he gets bored with people he will start doodling on his "notes", so if he ever tries that crap on me, I'm calling him out.

[Chopin99]

Originally Posted by CantExplain

I remember a scene from Ellen.

Ellen: What are you writing? Are you writing that I'm crazy?
T: I'm writing "Wednesday".

Originally Posted by LolaCabanna

my T actually admitted when he gets bored with people he will start doodling on his "notes", so if he ever tries that crap on me, I'm calling him out.

My boss does this. He looks like he is seriously writing notes during meetings, but he's actually drawing weird shapes on his notepad.

I've seen my T just write my name on the notepad and that's it. Last session, she didn't write anything.

[CantExplain]

Originally Posted by LolaCabanna

can you ask to read them?

You can certainly ask.