Process Recording

Process recording is a fairly detailed account and analysis of an encounter. It is best matched to the student's work with individuals or families or groups (e.g., sick visits, meetings with grieving families, a conversation with a convert, and so on). A process recording usually runs about four or five pages.

It consists of:

• A brief statement of the purpose of the encounter.
• A fairly detailed record of what happened (what was said by each party, any important nonverbal behavior, observations about the other person or oneself, feelings that were raised by the encounter).
• An evaluation of the encounter (here students write about what they think was accomplished, how they evaluate their own actions in the encounter, and questions that emerge from reviewing what happened).

The intent of the process record is to allow the student and mentor to inspect closely the way the student interacted with the people involved.

Process recordings should focus on such content as:

• What did I observe during this encounter?
• What did I notice in hindsight?
• How well was my stated purpose/goal realized in this encounter? How well did I address others' concerns?
• How well did I make their concerns a part of my agenda?
• What do I think I did well during this encounter?
• What could I improve on when these situations arise again?
• Why did I intervene the way I did?
• What knowledge, values, skills, or feelings was my intervention based on?
• Did I notice any patterns in the way I handled this situation and the way I handle others like it?

Sample Process Recording