CLINICAL DECISION-MAKING IN INTAKE INTERVIEWS FOR PSYCHOTHERAPY - A QUALITATIVE STUDY

The present paper is based on a study, carried out in an institute for psychotherapy, of intake workers' appraisals of encounters with their clients during intake interviews for psychotherapy. The main purpose of the study was to gain insight into the factors determining intake w orkers' perceptions of encounters with their clients. The presumed rel ationship between the perception of clients and the formulation of spe cific proposals for treatment by intake workers was an additional poin t of interest. Four intake workers were interviewed by the first autho r. Each intake worker described his or her encounter during the intake with two separate clients. A semi-structured qualitative interview fo rmat and a qualitative method of response analysis were used. A consis tent relationship was found between the client's mode of self-presenta tion as perceived by the intake worker and the formulation of a specif ic proposal for treatment. The most conspicuous distinction found was that between the proposal of either deep insight-oriented therapy or s upportive therapy and the client's perceived ability or relative inabi lity to be genuinely open emotionally, and get to the core of his or h er problems as presented. Further research will be necessary to corrob orate the findings described.