A good interview is all that there is to a psychiatric evaluation, and that's been enough for psychiatrists for years. For psychologists, we have interviewing and testing which together make assessment. That means if we miss something, testing may catch it for us. It also means that if testing reveals things that make little sense to us or that we can't interpret, interviewing can clarify them and improve our understanding of the person.

A good interview begins with some effort to make a client comfortable, knowledgeable, and relaxed. Offer a comfortable chair a reasonable distance from you, make eye contact, and greet them politely. Sometimes the most anxious or resistant clients can be put at ease by simply offering a cup of coffee or tea, especially if the examiner has one. Double check who sent them and why they are here, ask if they know what you will be doing, and if not explain the process briefly, how long it takes, and who sees and ultimately gets the report. Ask if they have questions, and try to answer them reasonably. Explain consent forms and sign them before beginning in earnest.

A good interviewer can convey respect, curiosity, and open-mindedness at the same time. Be sure to address others by the title "Mr." or "Ms." to convey respect. Try asking questions in terms like,

"I want to make sure I'm clear on this, now as I understand it, this is what happened…" and then repeat what you heard and double check it with them "Wait, I think I'm missing something, can you explain how such and such happened…" and when they add in things say something like, "Oh I see now…" "Hmmm. I'm curious why you didn't…" "Of course, it often depends all on the situation, but I'm wondering what was happening then and there that made you decide that was the best course of action…"

As to curiosity and open mindedness, stay calm, be patient and relaxed yourself, but don't be afraid to ask clear and focused questions to get what information you need, and to repeat those questions if you don't get clear answers. The client is counting on you to direct the interview in some ways, and let them know where and how they should go into more detail. If you're worried about coming across as rude, you can explain that you want to be doubly sure you got the important details down in the time you have, and then be sure to ask something like, "Now, is there anything we haven't discussed on this that I should have asked about or should know?" If they say no, I note that I try to always ask that to make sure I didn't miss anything, just to be sure they don't think I know something they haven't told me and want them to admit it or something.

A good interview will include the following areas, and some of the information included in each.

	Family Background
		Where and when was the client born, how many siblings did they have, are all still alive, the client's place in sibship… Quality of family relationships, who raised them until when and why did things change if they did, how did they get along with each parent figure, where there any divorces or deaths that resulted in loss of a parent-figure or family member, how did the family cope… Family education level, SES, and values, some on how the adult now relates to their parents Any childhood traumas, which can include physical or sexual abuse, physical neglect, emotional abuse or neglect, hospitalizations, a fire in the home in the middle of the night, alcoholic relatives… What we're looking for: 1) any history of physical or sexual abuse, since this is sometimes predictive of other conditions, and 2) any history of other trauma that would impact current functioning
	Educational Background
		Years completed of school, number of schools attended, any grade failures or promotions, grades and their best and worst subjects… Problems with reading, spelling, and math as a child or now, LD/BD/ED classroom placement, any childhood or teen behavior problems, the family's emphasis on school… If they dropped out, why and at what age, how did the family react, did they earn a GED, if not did they try and how many times… Advanced education, which can include college classes, junior or community college work, vocational courses, etc… What we're looking for: 1) educational level, since it predicts other things like SES and life expectancy, 2) any learning problems that would impact current functioning, 3) any early signs of current problems, such as substance abuse or antisocial behavior, 4) documentation for future referral, as if they later end up being brain damaged, there is some documentation of their past accomplishments, 5) some signs of personality functioning, since "reviewing" the past tells us something about how people think about themselves, their lives, and their world
	Employment
		First job at what age and why, family's response and attitude toward work… Job, age started, length of time at that job, any problems, best and worst thing about the job… Longest period of stable employment as well as unemployment, what's been the cause of both… Overall best jobs and worst jobs, and why, as well as ideal job for them… What we're looking for: 1) self-care and self-support skills, 2) signs of impulsivity in their past, since impulsive people often quit jobs and have difficulty maintaining them, 3) some understanding of their "best fit" environment, and their understanding and insight into this, 4) more insight into personality, as noted above on Education
	Substance Use
		This is covered in depth in a Substance Abuse Page What we're looking for basically is: 1) presence or absence of a substance problem, 2) whether it is abuse or dependence, 3) treatment and relapse prevention needs, 4) any limitations their substance use would place on this evaluation
	Mental Health History
		When a problem began and when it became serious, what brought them to seek treatment, who diagnosed it and where … What treatment was sought, how long did it last, what did it entail, what was most helpful, what was least helpful, what follow-up services were used, and did the client continue with them… How did the family respond, who has been their support, who has made matters worse… What do they do to prevent problems from becoming serious again… What we're looking for: 1) signs of mental illness or conditions that would impact current functioning, 2) treatment recommendations, 3) strengths and weaknesses, stressors and resources, coupled with self-insight and awareness
	Violence or Impulsive Behaviors
		Have they ever become violent due to relationship or job conflict, any police involvement or arrests, did these incident happen under the influence of something If never violent, what's the closest they came, and how did they keep their cool… What we're looking for: 1) prediction of harm. We'll discuss this in three more handouts covering Assessing Spousal/Partner Abuse, Assessing Risk To Harm, and assessment and work with Dangerous Clients… and if you're interested Information on Adult Abuse
	Current Family and Living Situation
		Activities of Daily Living are discussed in the ADL Page Ask about history of relationships like committed relationships as well as breakup and divorce, and be sure to ask questions with both sex terms (e.g., "Has a boyfriend or girlfriend ever…") so that both or either can be discussed, inquire about a history of physical or sexual violence in dating too Ask if sexually active now, do they have a current relationship and how is it going including compatibility and disagreements, ask about safe sex if active now… Any children including their names, ages, other parent, where they reside, and how much contact with them now… Ask about religion and its importance, their relationship to the community, their connection to family of origin, the number of "friends" and "associates" they have… Ask about family of origin's ethnicity as well as current relationship, any cultural conflicts or issues, how are they dealt with, any acculturation issues, any family left behind in another country or contented there, frequency of visits to see them… What we're looking for: 1) current risk factors and stressors, 2) current resources and strengths, 3) cultural issues to take into account in forming our case conceptualization, 4) some indication of prognosis
	Current Health Issues
		Any health problems, any treatment prescribed, their compliance with it, how helpful they think it is Any impairment their health problems cause in their daily life and how they deal with it What we're looking for: 1) current risks and stressors, 2) ability to care for themselves
	Reason for Referral
		Ask about why they were referred, what they think the issue is, and what would be helpful in dealing with it Ask about past evaluations, what they recall, what happened, and whether or not they were helpful and why… What we're looking for: 1) biggest problem for them now, 2) its history
	Past Services
		These may have been recommended after the last evaluation or may have been independently sought. Ask what they did, whether or not it was helpful and why, whether they continued with it and if they quit why, and what would be helpful now What we're looking for: 1) treatment recommendations, 2) prognosis