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The pros and cons of typed vs handwritten notes
 

Handwritten Pros

• Your handwriting may be like mine… illegible (if no one reviews your session notes, it’s an added layer of security, since no one can decipher our hieroglyphics).
• Most counselees seem to have no qualms with their counselor taking notes in-session if they’re doing it by hand.
• If you upload a copy of your handwritten notes to a secure cloud-based website (like BibliCare), you can have all the benefits of handwriting your notes, with limited cons.

Handwritten Cons

• Handwriting may be slower than typing.
• Your handwriting may be illegible (an overseer would have a hard time reviewing them).
• Handwritten notes take up space. I knew a counselor who had an entire wall of his office dedicated to all his counseling notes; and I’ve known several who’ve had to (in their words) “lug their notes around”.
• You may leave your notes in your church when you need them at home, or vice versa.
• Your notes may be stolen, destroyed, or be locked in a place where you can’t access them. What would you do if your church locked the doors and wouldn’t permit anyone to enter? It’s happened before…
• Your notes are inconvenient to access, since you have to physically be in the same location as them to read/change them.

Typed Pros

• Typing is typically faster than handwriting.
• Your home and/or office is cleaner since piles of notes aren’t taking up valuable space.
• An administrator can easily read and make comments on your session notes.
• Typed notes, when uploaded to a secure cloud (like within BibliCare) can be accessed anytime, anywhere.
• Editing typed notes and moving thoughts around the page is much easier than doing so on paper.

Typed Cons

• Some counselees get uncomfortable when their counselor types – either inexplicably, they think their counselor may be distracted, because they may view a laptop as a barrier between them and their counselor, etc.
• Typed notes are easier to read by someone who is looking over your shoulder (but if you’re typing notes in a secure setting, this shouldn’t be a problem).
• If you save typed notes to your laptop (and not in a secure cloud-based platform like BibliCare), you could lose your notes if your laptop is stolen, suddenly breaks, or falls into water. This does happen…