Intake Interview Essay

An intake interview is primarily an assessment tool designed to answer critical questions that will facilitate an understanding of a client’s current presentation and problems and allow for an initial formulation to be developed (Hughes & Byrne, 2009; Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2003). The central function of an intake interview is to gather necessary information from the client. It also serves as an opportunity to orientate the client to a potentially new situation as well as promote rapport within a collaborative relationship (Hughes & Byrne, 2009; Morrison, 2008). Types of intake interviews, factors affecting intake interviews

The intake interview as the first stage of the helping process is considered to be the assessment stage

Some clients will be very reluctant to talk about themselves, whereas others will reveal extensive information straightaway, as well as numerous other differences can be present in the helping process (Egan, 2014). Developing a sense of a client’s interpersonal style involves getting a sense of how the client has related to others in the past, how the client relates to people in their current situation, and observations of the client’s interaction with the interviewer during the interview session (Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2003). This will aid the therapist in determining the most appropriate intervention and treatment methods that the client will feel comfortable with. It is also important that, while therapists do not ignore a client’s problem areas, they identify a client’s strengths and unused resources (Egan, 2014). In doing so, a therapist is able to further encourage clients to become proactive in their problem-management (Egan, 2014). A therapist’s emphasis on a client’s strengths and resources in the intake interview also develops rapport between therapist and client and can result in client’s leaving the intake interview feeling hopeful about the outcome of the helping process (Egan, 2014; Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan,