How Taking Notes in Therapy Can Help!
When you or your teen attend therapy sessions, one great way to increase your progress is to bring a note pad or journal.
It might sound strange to take notes as the client during a therapy session, but it can make a huge difference in your progress and personal growth.
Therapy is only 1 hour per week. In fact, most of the “work” of therapy is done between sessions, when you implement what you learned during your therapy session. You may learn a new coping skill, have a breakthrough or gain an important insight about your life during your session. But often clients forget these skills and insights when they need them most (in between the sessions), and then spend time re-learning skills and re-gaining insights.
As a teen therapist I spend a lot of time talking to teens about practicing skills in order to learn how to use them in the moment. Or about recognizing negative thought patterns that impact our moods and behaviors. However, if you forget what your therapist told you later on during the week you may begin to feel like you aren’t making progress in therapy, which often can lead to feelings of hopelessness.
When you and your teen take notes during session it helps you to keep your insights with you and reminders of your coping strategies until your next session.
Benefits of Taking Notes in Therapy
You can take notes on coping skills and tools your therapist shares with you. Include when and how to use the skill. You can revisit these notes when you need coping strategies or recommendations at any time for the rest of your life
Write down your homework from therapy sessions to help you stay organized and increase the likelihood of completing it during the week
Taking notes can help you organize your thoughts and feelings and process the information you gained during your session. Therapy can be overwhelming, but notes can help you make the most of your sessions.
You can use your notes journal to write down issues, thoughts, and emotions that come up during the week that you want to discuss during you next session.
Take notes helps improve memory
Taking notes can help you keep track of your therapeutic progress and increase hope. You can see how your thoughts and feelings have changed throughout the therapeutic process
Taking notes can help you organize your thoughts and process the information you gained during a session. Therapy sessions can be taxing, but organized notes can help you make sure nothing you covered during your session slips through the cracks.
When you and your teen come to therapy prepared and take notes in session you will be amazed by how the progress you can make. It will make it easier for you to use the tools you are learning in session, and you will have a concrete way to measure your progress.