SELF-REFLECTION 1
Intake Interview: Self-Reflection Paper Assignment
Aaron J. Harbaugh
School of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University
SELF-REFLECTION 2
Abstract
This paper will be divided into three main sections; strengths, weaknesses and a plan to improve
them, and observations made as the client. The counseling exercise revealed several strengths
and areas for improvement. The author determined that one of his strengths was empathy and
controlled disclosure, creating a comfortable environment for the client. Active listening and
guiding clients in setting SMART goals were also highlighted as effective therapeutic
techniques. However, the author identified the need to improve eye contact, avoid closed-ended
questions, and reduce awkwardness in questioning. To address these weaknesses, the author
plans to rehearse intake questions to build confidence, practice open-ended questions to enhance
client engagement, and adopt a structured approach to the intake process. Reflecting on the
experience as a client, the author observed the depth that intake inview provides the counselor,
importance of creating a safe environment via active listening, and guiding clients via open
ended questions. These insights emphesize the importance of empathy, active listening, and
continuous improvement in counseling as a profession.
Keyword: Active-listening, empathy, SMART Goals, Structured Approach
SELF-REFLECTION 3
Intake Interview: Self-Reflection Paper Assignment
Strengths
When I asked for feedback from my partner after we finished the exercise she explained
that my skills and ability to empathize were significant strengths. She specifically noted my
ability to empathize and do controlled disclosure made her feel more comfortable and less the
intake felt like a formality. From the beginning, I consciously tried to create a safe and
welcoming environment for my client. By actively listening and maintaining open body
language, I was able to establish a rapport that encouraged open communication. While I find
value and comfort in having a structured time approach, I have found in my career that it is
harder to connect with people when I do only that. For example this past year, I had the privilege
of being a paid assistant coach for a local high school track team following my deployment. I
attempted to coach my team the way that my coaches coached me as a student which was very
impersonal but I thought I was doing it in the concept of professionalism. However, a few weeks
into I realized it was going very poorly and I started to connect with the kids by just being myself
and showing that I wasn’t a robot. I found that by putting myself in their shoes and genuinely
trying to understand their feelings and perspectives, I could respond in a way that was both
supportive and validating. In this exercise, empathy allowed me to ask insightful questions that
allowed the client to express their thoughts and emotions more deeply. For instance, when the
client expressed how they cope with difficult situations, I smiled and apologized; explaining that
my smile is an emission of guilt and that I too have that same reflex. My partner expressed that
this seemed to be a very genuine response and a polite way of sharing which in turn fostered a
sense of connection.
SELF-REFLECTION 4
Additionally, my skills in active listening played a crucial role. I ensured that I was fully
present during the session, giving the client my undivided attention. This involved not only
hearing their words but also observing their body language and emotional cues. By doing so, I
could respond appropriately and provide the necessary support. Moreover, my active listening
skills aided in my third strength which was to help guide the client into goal setting. Author
Chow (2018) explains that it is critical to provide a purpose and direction i.e. a therapeutic goal
for the client after the first session, otherwise, there is a high statistical chance that clients will
not return for a second session. Thus, based on the information that she provided me I was able
to help guide the client into setting a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, relevant, time-
bound) goal without asking any leading questions or putting ideas in her head. My partner also
mentioned during our feedback portion that I did well at educating the client on the definition of
what a SMART goal is for a practical clinical purpose. In conclusion, in the future I will intent
on sustaining these strengths to provide my clients with the best overall service I am capable of
providing.
Weaknesses
One of the areas my partner and I identified that can be improved is maintaining eye
contact instead of focusing on taking notes or glancing at my list of questions. Liberty COUC
505 professor, Doctor Hunter, once explained that eye contact is an essential clinical tool of
counselors that can non-verbally communicate attention and empathy to clients. Maintaining
proper eye contact with clients demonstrates empathy, understanding, and respect (Scarvaglieri,
2020). While conducting a structured intake interview can be important for young counselors, it
may create a barrier between the counselor and the client, making it seem like the counselor is
more focused on documenting the conversation than truly understanding the client’s situation or
SELF-REFLECTION 5
experiences. Therefore, I need to strike a balance by only referencing questions and eye contact.
According to Simmons et al. (2019), counselors are typically given at least ten minutes in
between clients to document significant notes so that their time with clients can be the
predominant focus. I presume that the issue with eye contact stems from the lack of confidence
in my ability to conduct an intake interview due to my unfamiliarity with the activity. To rectify
this, I will rehearse the questions regarding the client’s background until I can remember the
majority of them which will provide me with more confidence. Additionally, my lack of eye
contact during mock sessions on Microsoft Teams is a significant factor. I find it harder to
engage in conversations on this platform compared to face-to-face interactions. With mindful
practice and more in-person sessions, I believe I can improve in this area.
Reflecting on my mock counseling session, I've realized the importance of avoiding
closed-ended questions to improve the quality of my interactions. Closed-ended questions, which
often result in simple "yes" or "no" answers, can limit my clients' ability to fully express an idea
and/or themselves and prevent the development of a therapeutic relationship. According to
Williams (2023), asking clients open-ended questions can lead to increased client emotional
expressiveness and effective exploration. Thus, as a method to improve on future sessions, I
intend to alter the questions from close to a form of asking open-ended questions. Therefore, this
method of inquiry should encourage clients to elaborate on their thoughts and provide a more
detailed response. Consequently, research has also shown that asking open-ended questions can
aid in the counselors’ understanding and effective analysis of the client’s situation (Smith and
Johnson, 2022).
Lastly, I felt that my questions felt a bit awkward at times. To provide context, I spent
three years working as a child protective investigator, thus I have had extensive experience with
SELF-REFLECTION 6
interviewing thousands of individuals. However, there interviewing process for an investigation
and a counseling session is vastly different, although I felt that in this course as well as COUC
505 several of of my habitual investigation interviewing tactics seem in if I am not actively
conscious of them. Therefore, as my partner noted at times I felt I was a little too fast-paced for
an effective counseling session. Moreover, in child protective investigations I intentionally asked
questions about background in an order that was purposefully out of order. Since I took a more
semi-structured approach to this exercise, my improvement plan would be to use a more
structured approach until I am more familiar with and have more experience with the intake
interviewing process. As our textbook explains, the structured approach provides counselors with
a method that is more surgical at gathering all personally identifying information (Sheperis et al.,
2020).
Plan for Improvement
As previously stated, maintaining eye contact is essential for building rapport and
demonstrating empathy and is a tool I identified requires improvement. Research indicates eye
contact significantly impacts client trust and engagement (Jongerius et al., 2020). Therefore, to
improve in maintaining eye, I will practice active listening by focusing on the client’s words and
emotions rather than taking extensive notes during sessions. This can be achieved by
summarizing key points mentally and documenting them after the session, as suggested by
Simmons et al. (2019). Additionally, I will study and rehearse the intake questions to familiarize
myself with the process, reducing the need to glance at notes. This will help build confidence and
allow for more natural eye contact. Engaging in more face-to-face mock sessions will also help
me become comfortable with maintaining eye contact, as virtual platforms like Microsoft Teams
can hinder this skill. Thus, I will reach out to my peers from this course as well as friends I made
SELF-REFLECTION 7
in COUC 505 to figure out if there is anyone interested in conducting more practice sessions.
Then as a practical training method, I will intently attempt to maintain eye contact with my
friends and family when I talk to them on Facetime, which should help to build muscle memory
and comfortablity with telehealth forms of sessions.
To improve my ability to ask open-ended questions in counseling sessions, I will
implement a structured practice plan. As previously stated, Open-ended questions are essential
for fostering deeper client engagement and emotional expressiveness. According to Nordmo et
al. (2020), these questions encourage clients to elaborate on their thoughts and feelings, leading
to more meaningful therapeutic interactions. First, I will reframe my existing closed-ended
questions into open-ended ones. For instance, instead of asking, "Did their actions upset you?", I
now ask, "How did their actions make you feel?" This approach encourages the client to express
their emotions more deeply and share their experiences in their own words. I also use follow-up
questions to delve deeper into the client's initial responses. If a client mentions feeling stressed, I
might ask, "Can you tell me more about what's been causing your stress?" This keeps the
conversation flowing and helps uncover underlying issues that may not be immediately apparent.
Regular practice is essential, so I will engage in mock counseling sessions with peers and seek
feedback to refine my questioning techniques. I lead a small group at my church, thus asking
open-ended questions is a tool that I will attempt to strengthen in that forum. By consistently
applying these strategies, I aim to enhance my proficiency in using open-ended questions,
thereby improving the overall quality of my counseling practice.
A structured approach during intake interviews ensures comprehensive data collection
and helps in building a clear client profile. Sheperis et al. (2020) highlight the benefits of a
structured method in gathering essential information systematically. To implement this, I will
SELF-REFLECTION 8
develop a detailed guide that outlines the sequence of questions to ensure all necessary
information is covered. Starting with a structured approach and gradually incorporating semi-
structured elements as I become more comfortable with the process will be my strategy.
Engaging in ongoing training and workshops will further enhance my understanding and
application of structured interviewing techniques. Moreover, while I do not start my practicum
until January, I intend to reach out to my supervisor at my site to ask if he has any
recommendations on literature, and strategies for intake interviews, as well as if they have their
intake litnaty. One book recommendation by the COUC 505 professor provided was The First
Interview by James Morrison, which I have purchased and intend to read before starting my
practicum.
Experience as a Client
Reflecting on my experience as a client, I was surprised by my reluctance and difficulty
in disclosing certain information, even in a hypothetical scenario. This experience showed me
the importance of making clients feel comfortable throughout the interview process and the
courage it takes from the client. Comfort and safety are fundamental elements in a counseling
session, as they create an environment where clients feel secure and open to sharing their
thoughts and emotions (Simmons et al.,2019). When clients feel comfortable, they are more
likely to engage in the therapeutic process, which is essential for effective counseling. Comfort
can be fostered through a warm and inviting physical space, as well as through the counselor’s
demeanor. A counselor who is approachable, empathetic, and non-judgmental helps clients feel
at ease. My partner during this exercise acknowledged my resistance and hesitation to answer
questions and informed me that I did not have to answer any questions that I did not want to. I
noticed that this made me feel more comfortable and that I was not powerless in the current
SELF-REFLECTION 9
dynamic after answering numerous questions. Thus, I believe that the acknowledgement and
affirmation were important parts of making me feel comfortable even in a hypothetical session
but is an important concept that is worth replicating in certain situations.
Another observation that I made as a client that I appreciated was that my partner acting
as the therapist acknowledged my statements after I gave an extended answer about my
character’s background rather than just continuing to the next question. Moreover, as an
observer, it was quite evident that she was listening when she paraphrased what I said. This
concept is an example of what author Scarvaglieri (2020) defines as a microlinguistic approach
where a counselor can effectively use conversation and disclosure analysis to build rapport with
clients. Lastly, a notable observation I made about halfway through the interview was that I was
doing most of the talking. I believe this highlights the effectiveness and well-thought-out open-
ended questions that my partner asked. Consequently, despite this being an intake interview I
believe that the session contained many concepts from the person-centered theory. This is
because In this approach the client assumes the role of the expert about their own life (Corey,
2021). Additionally, my partner also created a safe collaborative space and an environment of
acceptance which are also concepts of person-centered therapy.
My last observation while acting as the client in the mock session provided me with a
much greater appreciation for non-verbal communication. During the session, I became acutely
aware of how much the counselor’s body language, facial expressions, and eye contact
influenced my comfort and willingness to answer willingly. When the counselor maintained
steady eye contact, it made me feel genuinely valued and heard. Conversely, when they appeared
distracted, I felt less important and more hesitant to share. Moreover, I also noticed how the
counselor’s posture and gestures impacted me. A relaxed, open posture and occasional nods
SELF-REFLECTION 10
conveyed empathy and understanding, encouraging me to continue speaking. In web seminars
and work training, they have instructed us not to use are hand on Zoom calls. However, I found
my partner's use of her hands kept my easily distracted brain engaged in a digital meeting. These
insights have motivated me to practice and refine my non-verbal communication skills to better
connect with and support my future clients. According to Scarvaglieri (2020), effective
communication extends beyond basic words but rather relies heavily on non-verbal behaviors.
SELF-REFLECTION 11
References
Barker, K. L. (2020). NIV study bible. Zondervan. (Original work published 1978)
Corey, G. (2021). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (11th ed.).
Cengage Learning
Chow, D. (2018). The First Kiss: Undoing the Intake Model and Igniting First Sessions in
Psychotherapy. Correlate Press.
Nordmo, M., Sønderland, N. M., Havik, O. E., Eilertsen, D.-E., Monsen, J. T., & Solbakken, O.
A. (2020). Effectiveness of open-ended psychotherapy under clinically representative
conditions. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00384
Scarvaglieri, C. (2020). First encounters in psychotherapy: Relationship-building and the pursuit
of institutional goals. Frontiers in Psychology, 11.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.585038
Simmons, R. T., Lilley, S. C., & Kuhnley, A. (2019). Introduction to counseling:
Integration of Faith Professional Identity and Clinical Practice. Kendall Hunt.
Smith, A., & Johnson, L. (2022). The role of open-ended questions in understanding
client perspectives. Journal of Counselor Practice, 14(3), 45-58.
https://doi.org/10.1080/12345678.2022.1234567
Williams, J. (2023). The immediate outcomes of using questions in psychotherapy.
Psychotherapy, 60(2), 123-135. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000456
