Counselor, Author, and Reflective Eclectic
Has there ever been a shrink that does not suggest that her clients keep a journal? None that I ever knew of.
Journaling can help you clarify your thoughts and feelings, know yourself better, release the intensity of feelings, and unlock creative capabilities.
If you have a shrink that suggested that, then you may be at a lost of what to say in your journal. This site can help.
I'm a licensed mental health counselor and certified alcohol and substance abuse counselor in private practice with more than 30 years experience. My newest book is The Road to Reconciliation: A Comprehensive Guide to Peace When Relationships Go Bad. I recently published a workbook connected to it titled, How to Make an Apology You’ll Never Have to Make Again. I also have another self help book, Constructive Conflict: Building Something Good Out of All Those Arguments. I’ve also published two novels, a satire of the mental health field: Fate’s Janitors: Mopping Up Madness at a Mental Health Clinic, and Intersections , which takes readers on a road trip with a suicidal therapist. If you prefer your reading in easily digestible bits, with or without with pictures, I have created a Twitter account @theshrinkslinks. MyFacebook page is called Keith R Wilson – Author. View more posts
Keith R Wilson
I swear by journalling. I’ve had a lot of therapy over the last year and if I don’t note down what goes on for me in and out of those sessions, I get a head like a washing machine and stop being able to think. It is a fantastic way to put jumbled thoughts in order.
I agree it’s necessary to record a therapy session soon after having it. On my end of the process, as a therapist, I’ve always been required to write notes. The notes tend to resolve the session, so I don’t have to take it home with me. Only recently have I begun to share these notes with clients so that they have a record of my summary. Most have said it’s helpful. I worry though that my voice might replace their’s.
That’s interesting. I was just reading one of Yallom’s books and he talks about the experience of sharing notes on sessions with clients. He says it was always fruitful to explore the discrepancies in the two accounts, as often his clients would recall different themes etc. being more important than what he had noted. I think this kind of transparency and discussion could be really valuable, but I suppose it depends on the individual and whether they are confident enough in their own voice.