Intake and assessment is a tool that can be used to build the therapeutic relationship. It is concerned primarily with gathering information so that the clinician can put together a working base to deal with a clients issues.
I first learned the intake and assessment form while I was working toward my bachelor’s degree. I ran into this type of form continuously during my schooling and work. It is an important part of the process.
When I began taking on clients in a patient advocacy role, I first used this form. I put it to use again when I began to enroll clients with the social security administration. The assessment was a large part of assisting clients and gathering information that was compiled for disability. Each time that I worked in a new area I would begin by doing intake and assessment. This became a regular part of the job.
Many areas of psychology, therapy, hospitals and doctors’ offices use this intake and assessment form.
Intake and Assessment
The biopsychosocial assessment is the first part of the assessment process. The ability of the counselor to perform this task well is very important. Assessment is a large part of treatment and continues throughout the course of treatment. The counselor must assess the client on a regular basis. The purpose for this is that as the counselor becomes more aware of the clients issues, they can discover undiagnosed problems. In many cases, as the client begins to understand and overcome obstacles some other problematic pathological issues might begin to surface. The client might present with issues of depression but during therapy might reveal problems with substance abuse or anxiety. Life factors might also play a part in assessment during therapy. If the client begins to suffer from life altering events such as divorce or family deaths this can also be an important time to assess.
The point of a good initial intake and assessment will help the clinician to interact with the client. It will allow the therapist to hone in on the issues that are most important to the client. This process helps to discover issues that will impact treatment. This will be an initial time to bring about a more fulfilling therapeutic relationship. This is the time for the client to understand the therapists and their own role in therapy. The clinician can begin to see behaviors that are the core of the problems that the client wants to address.
Form
I am providing an example of an intake/assessment form . This is not intended for use in any setting. It is not provided for use in its current form. It is for informational purposes only. Any names, dates or information has been changed or has been made up for educational purposes.