On Friday (13/8), the Psychology Consultation Unit (UKP) of the Faculty of Psychology UGM held the 10th UKP Synergy UKP Sharing (UBUB) which discussed “Trails Behind the Consultation Room: Intake Interview”. The discussion was delivered by Sutarimah Ampuni, S.Psi., M.Si and Dr. Maria Goretti Adiyanti, M.S. In addition, this discussion was moderated by Lucia Peppy Novianti, M.Psi., a psychologist and was attended by 92 participants online via Zoom.
The discussion this time was started by Sutarimah who told her experience while studying at the Master of Psychology in the field of Psychological Counseling, “Imagine, at that time my English was not as fluent as it is now and at that time I had to handle incoming calls… clients who wanted to register and had to do an entrance interview . The experience was very memorable for me which is closely related to the entrance interview”.
Intake interview is the first interview conducted by a counselor or therapist when a client arrives. Intake interviews are conducted to find out what problems bring clients to come. In addition, interviews were also conducted to determine personal and family history. Intake interviews can be conducted by therapists, counselors, assistants, or frontliners face to face or by telephone.
The intake interview is important because it is the first interaction with the client. Through interviews, clients can see or even discourage their intention to continue psychological treatment through the client’s impression of the counselor or counseling service provider institution and vice versa. Based on research, Sutarimah said that the client’s decision to continue therapy or not occurs after the first session of therapy.
“Of course they (clients) come with different feelings. Therefore, there are things that need to be considered and become the interviewer’s obligation,” explained Maria. One of the things that an interviewer must do is be able to create a positive impression. A positive impression is meant by fostering a sense of security and comfort, fostering an understanding that the client is making the right decision with come to counseling services, and providing information about the process during the intake interview. Then the intake interview must also be carried out carefully, both in terms of ability and preparation of facilities and infrastructure.
The intake interview is not just an ordinary interview because the information obtained will bring together the right psychologist with the right therapy. Therefore, psychologists and prospective psychologists are expected to learn well and correctly and continue to improve their skills related to interviews.
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