When a patient seeks mental health services, the intake assessment is the first step to getting the care and treatment that they need.
What is an Intake Assessment?
An intake provides important background information on clients as well as contextual details on their health status, such as family histories, or even current problem areas.
What's included in a typical Intake Assessment
Many intake assessment questions are designed to help clinicians understand the root causes of mental health and addiction issues, and how treatments can be tailored to each client’s needs.
Specifically, an intake assessment form for mental health will provide important details on a patient’s mental state, particularly in regards to their presenting problems, whether they’re at risk for self-harm, and what type of treatment might be necessary.
In general, a psychological intake assessment may include questions related to the following areas:
- Initial demographic details
- Past diagnoses
- Current medications
- Current mental state
- Presenting problems
- Psychological/emotional status
- Family history
- Safety & crisis support options
- Daily living needs
- Social support networks
- Recreational activities
- Cultural history
- History of legal involvement
Why use an Intake Assessment?
As part of the counseling process, intake assessments provide important biological, psychological, and behavioral data that clinicians need to develop treatment plans.
Each review provides information on where a patient is and where he/she wants to go, including:
- A patient’s therapy goals
- Which issues are most concerning for the patient
- Which issues are most concerning from a clinician’s perspective
