This is not on the basics of handwriting analysis but on some of it's uses. Even if you never get into it deep enough to go for a certification it can be useful. I used to do the handwriting of my daughter's friends at school and later her co-workers and they seemed to enjoy it and it helped them understand each other better. When it comes to the different uses for the study of handwriting it amuses me how each discipline tries to claim no relation to graphology or handwriting analysis as if it were demeaning. This is largely because of the universal opinion that it is a fraud or pseudo science used by charlatans in carnivals. In fact, it took about 8 years of lobbying the National Library to get graphology out of the occult section. Since handwriting analysis is used in job placement, document examination, jury selection, and grapho- therapy you can see why they were afraid of any connection to the occult. Handwriting has been used since Socrates noted that a man's character could be seen from his writing with similar notations throughout the centuries. In order to do any of these jobs it is essential to examine the writing in great detail and thereby form opinions on the person to whom the writing belongs. While they may not tell the client about the personality of the writer they do tell of the traits revealed. I made a listing of 277 traits and missed some but my Trait Directory lists indicators for each and room for a drawing of the examples for reference. With job placement a client would be interested in knowing how focused the writer is, would they be loyal, does the job description fit the prospect, would they be reliable and honest, can they take stress if it comes with the job, can they communicate readily with others or are they a loner. This is just a fraction of what an employer may want to know. Often in a big case a lawyer will go to a person who works with the jurors writing to see if they would be sympathetic or not, are they racist, can they be swayed easily or only with a determined effort. Any thing that could effect their case. Grapho-therapy is another area which should only be done by an expert and it must proceed slowly. Too much too soon can be worse than nothing at all. Also they need to work on the right things not just what the client might think needs worked on. Analysis first then discuss and make suggestions. Document examination requires a lot more training because you are asked to verify writing that may be of a person who was ill or is now deceased as well as a verified writing and it is up to you to determine if it is legitimate.