? The first interview and formal psychological counseling are very different in function, function and goal, so many people who come for help will wonder, what is the first interview? Why do you need an initial interview before entering formal consultation?
? The first interview in psychological counseling can also be called the first evaluation. This process is similar to the "triage" when people go to the hospital for medical treatment. Its purpose is to quickly collect the symptoms and development history of psychological problems/physical diseases, help visitors evaluate the problems efficiently, and match the appropriate psychological counselors/hospital departments and treatment methods.
? In countries with mature consulting industry (such as the United States), appraisers and psychological counselors are two independent occupations. The appraiser is only responsible for the evaluation before counseling (usually 1-3 meetings) and gives the detailed evaluation report to the counselor in charge of the case. At this time, psychological counseling with therapeutic significance began.
In China, many consulting institutions do not strictly distinguish between initial interview and formal consultation, and psychological counselors do both jobs by themselves. However, under this setting, psychological counselors still need to collect the necessary information to evaluate and judge the problems of visitors. Once the counselor finds that he/she is not capable of dealing with the clients' requests for help, or the counseling methods between the clients and the counselor do not match, he/she will enter a "lose-lose" situation, which will not only waste the clients' time and money, but also dampen the confidence of the counselor.
The first interview can help visitors feel safe and trust in the counseling center, which is also a way to establish relationships. Once visitors can feel at ease to consult here, the work with therapeutic significance can be carried out. Not only that, experiencing this process can also help visitors experience whether "talk therapy" is suitable for them. If you are not used to or adapt to it, the appraiser will recommend the corresponding help resources to the visitors. For example, some visitors' symptoms are more suitable for taking drugs (such as hallucinations and delusions), or they need to consult while taking drugs. After the initial visit, the appraiser can give the visitors suggestions on referral, so as not to delay the illness.
? Why do you want to do the first interview evaluation? Generally speaking, the initial interview and follow-up consultation are consistent in objectives and professional ethics, and both take the well-being and interests of visitors as the starting point; The establishment of the first interview mechanism is an important measure to realize the best interests of visitors.