What in the actual fuck is a process recording you may ask?
Well aside from being the absolute, most, obnoxious, biggest, pain in the dick for any a student intern just trying to survive their required hours, required readings, and weekly assignments for any of their classes….it is simply put a detailed document ment to aid in the theraputic process.
A process recording is a written record of a therapy session or theraputic interaction. It is used to track the therapeutic process and progress and is a detailed, verbatim account of what happened during the session.
This includes a verbatim reflection of every word a client said as well as their non-verbal contributions. This includes pitch, tone, facial expressions and physical reactions.
There is also a reflection of the therapists verbatim responses. This is more than just a written dialog, but a labeling of intervention, technique and tools used for the questions, statements and possible activities tbe clinican is performing.
A segment is included for the clinician to make note of any nonverbal cues, body language and any other notable behaviors as well as the therapists thoughts, hypotheses and observations about the case. This can include reflection in pre-engagement activities, goals and agenda setting,observations and reflections of the client’s progress.
Lastly, there can also be a segment for a professor or supervisor to offer feedback to help the clinician develop new skills, sharpen their abilities and consider other perspectives or possible interventions they may have overlooked for many reasons. It may also cause the clinician to reflect on any possible biases or blindspots that caused them to overlook something.
Obviously these are a bucket of fun and a great way for anyone to spend their time…but despite this part on a computer screen there are other purposes a process recording serves.
Process recordings help the therapist evaluate their own performance, identify where they need to improve and develop their skills further.
They can also be used as a training tool for supervisors to help untreated techniques ,enhance theraputic skills and discuss challenging situations. Despite my absolute hatred for these fucking pieces of paper they have proven time and time again to help disect complicated situations and multiple layers in complicated cases….especially when dealing with an individual, diagnosis and complicated family dynamic that can easily overlap and blur the lines.
These bits of paper can also be used to help track the growth and progress of your clients ,identify patterns of behaviors, reoccurring themes (especially ones clients are trying to deflect or avoid) and provide detailed information that can aid on informing the treatment plan.
A final aspect for students handing in their assigned load of these fucking recordings is that the contribute to the research compiled to determine the theraputic effectiveness and the outcomes across multiple studies in the field.
So, despite the tedious drone of these fucking documents their simple review ca. Help us refine our approach ,define our style, enhance client engagement and improve treatment outcomes
…..I fucking hate when things I despise doing are actually fucking useful 🤦♀️
Until next week
herewesayf&@#k!!! 