Psychotherapy/Psychoanalysis Interpersonal Relationship Questions
John R. Paddock, Ph.D., ABPP, LLC
Over the years, new patients have found the following questions helpful to think about either prior to our first meeting or after we have decided to work together.
Please read these items, think about them, and then respond to each with as much specificity and detail as you feel comfortable sharing with me in writing at this juncture.
Print and bring to your first appointment.
1. What problem, issues, or concerns prompted you to reach out to me, and how come now?
2. Who referred you to me (or, how did you find out about me)?
3. What are three aspects (relationships, accomplishments, etc.) of your life about which you feel currently most satisfied or proud?
4. Relevant to your reasons for seeing me, what three aspects of your life do you want most to change right now, as a result of working with a psychologist-psychotherapist? Put another way, what do you want to get from our relationship that you think could help address and resolve the problems, issues, or concerns which have brought you here?
5. Regarding the three aspects of your life that you want most to change right now (above), please tell me how you will know that you have made each of those changes?
6. What have you attempted in the past to address these problems, issues, or concerns, and with whom?
7. What approaches or people (e.g., professionals, teachers, relatives, friends, etc.) — if any — have helped you with these problems, issues, or concerns in the past?
8. What strengths do you think you bring to our relationship that are most likely to help us help you right now?
9. What do you think would be most helpful, right now that I could bring to our relationship?
10. What do you think would be least helpful in this regard?
11. Please rank order and describe three “positive” events in your life, events that you judged to be particularly significant to you, and briefly explain how come they were so positively impactful.
12. Please rank order and describe three “negative” events in your life, events that you judged to be particularly significant to you, and briefly explain how come they were so negatively impactful.
13. In the table below, please list in decreasing order of impact, the 10 people in your life who have been – for better or worse most influential in forming the person you have become:
