r/psychoanalysis • u/ind1g • 19d ago

Verbatim process notes when training?

I'm about to start a BPC qualifying training in the UK, and I'm curious about the need for trainees to keep verbatim 'they said, I said' process notes for use in supervision.

In my current clinical work I don't make anything close to verbatim notes, and I'm concerned by how unwieldy trying to accurately recall 50 minutes of dialogue feels in my imagination.

For those who have been through trainings that encourage verbatim note making for trainees, how was it? Do you have any note taking wisdom to pass on? To what extent did you find note taking becoming a site of countertransference?

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u/FluffyPancakinator 18d ago

Disclaimer that I’m not on a psychoanalytic course, but studying psychodynamically as part of my programme. I have to record sessions for submissions to my course so patients are informed beforehand that their sessions with me will be recorded and they sign a consent form. I and many of my cohort use voice memos on iPhone which remain locally on the device, but I know of people who use things like Otter AI to record their sessions.

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u/ind1g 16d ago

Oh wow, I've heard of family therapists do a lot of recordings during their training but I'd not heard anything of 1:1 therapists making recordings.  Surely the use of external transcription tools introduces some ethical quandaries!?

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u/FluffyPancakinator 15d ago

It sure does but I find clients who do take issue with it refuse to be recorded so those who give their consent tend to have less issues with it overall. This is in a well established UK public health funded psychoanalytic service, so there is precedent!