Many counselor training programs use a program of daily journal writing and monthly summaries to help trainees work through their own issues before helping others with their challenges.
Talk leaves no trace of what has been said, and is easily forgotten.
When we keep a journal, we have a concrete map of where we have been and where we want to go. Writing in a personal journal, is like mapping unknown dense and rugged territory that you want to explore. As you try different paths or ideas, you note what paths are efficient and which ones are dead ends or too difficult. From different vantage points, your perspective can shift. As you fill in the blank parts of your map, the best route to take becomes clearer.