Mental Status Examinations and Intake Assessments

You are meeting a client for the first time. What do you do? This chapter is designed to help counselors feel more comfortable and knowledgeable regarding the intake process. Case studies and theoretical foundations are provided to familiarize readers with intake procedures including effective practices in developing a working alliance, a listing of pertinent areas of discovery, a glossary of terms (mental status exam), and interviewing techniques. In addition, several checklists, rating scales, and projective techniques are discussed as a supplement to the interview in identifying issues that may not have been readily apparent, to offer an indication of the extent of the problem, and/or establish a baseline from which we can measure treatment outcomes. Overall, the chapter informs counselors how to achieve two seemingly disparate goals in an intake interview: gathering objective diagnostic information and developing the therapeutic alliance.