Intake Interview: Fill & Download for Free

I already wrote about the guy who tried to take off all his clothes before starting our intake interview, but that never became an actual therapy case, since he decided I was a nude-shamer and left in a huff before I could think of anything empathic to say. Thank heaven.Thing is, it’s hard to write about “most unusual” since I have an obligation to disguise the details so much that the person wouldn’t even recognize himself or herself if they read my answer. So if I did couples therapy in a hot-air balloon over Miles City, Montana, or had a client in love with a crayfish, or an a person with an extreme phobia of anything round or British, I could never disguise it enough without losing the main point.So I’m not allowed to answer the question.

I’ll just speak for one psychologist, me.Tattoos are fascinating. It’s a way of altering the body to make some kind of statement, or to conform with an idea of what’s beautiful, or provocative, or attractive in a particular subculture.In Thailand many orange-robed monks sport holy tattoos with ancient and mysterious meanings.I’ve seen hundreds and hundreds of clients with visible tattoos. At some point during an intake interview, if it seems OK, I ask about tattoos, and what they mean, and why and when folks got them. Sometimes I learn a lot about the person. I often ask what tattoo they plan to get next, which can be even more interesting.I know some therapists pretend not to notice tattoos or ignore them entirely. I suspect that at some level they disapprove of tattoos, or even of people who have them, and cover the reaction under a veneer of politeness.Tattoos can be a minor source of information about the unique human in front of me, and on occasion, a very significant one.

I’m going anonymous on this one to protect the privacy of another person.My ex-wife was referred to a psychiatrist after a self-harm incident. When I took her to the emergency room, they asked her what had happened, and why she did it.As they were treating her, a doctor pulled me aside and told me she was exhibiting behaviors that indicated serious mental illness, and recommended inpatient evaluation and treatment in a psychiatric hospital.During the intake interview, we sat with a psychiatrist. I was seated slightly out of my wife’s line of sight. He would ask her questions, then sneak a glance at me. I would nod if her answers were factual, and shake my head if they weren’t.He was trying to determine her grasp of reality, and whether she represented a danger to herself or others.Then we got to this one.Doctor: “Do you ever hear or see things that other people don’t?”Wife: “I hear voices, like I’m sitting in a stadium with everyone talking at once.”I nodded. She had told me about having “head noises”.Doctor: “These voices…do they say anything specific?”(He’s writing notes on a legal pad, barely looking up at this point.)Wife: “They say, kill the children, kill the children”He can barely conceal his shock, but gently asks, “Do you have any children?”Wife: “Well…not anymore…”His eyes almost fell out of his head.I quickly told him we had no children, alive or dead.Wife: “Well, just because I’m crazy doesn’t mean I can’t crack a joke.”She assured the doctor that she never actually heard the voices say anything specific, and that the stadium statement was accurate. The doctor was very relieved, and told her that her ability to maintain a sense of humor was a good sign.She was eventually diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, among other things.After hospitalization and treatment, she was able to manage her illness and live a productive life. She’s now married to a great guy, and we all remain friends.But she still doesn’t have any children.