About this resource
The first few minutes of a session set its direction. This check-in card invites clients to rate their week, note what went well and what was hard, choose what they most want to focus on today and flag anything urgent, so the session starts with their priorities.
Purpose
To help clients arrive, reflect and shape the session agenda, so time is used for what matters most.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Counsellors and therapists. Also relevant for psychologists.
Client or participant group: Adolescents and adults in ongoing counselling.
Practice setting: The first few minutes of individual counselling sessions, in person or by telehealth.
Suggested uses
- Starting each session with the client's priorities
- Reviewing between-session practice
- Noticing patterns across weeks
- Building collaborative agendas
Instructions for practitioners
- Offer the card at the start of the session, or read it aloud on telehealth.
- Use the client's focus to agree the agenda together.
- Respond to anything flagged as urgent first, following your procedures if there is risk.
- Keep cards to notice patterns over time.
Instructions for clients or participants
- Rate your week.
- Write what went well and what was hard.
- Choose what you want to focus on today.
Accessibility considerations
Can be completed verbally. The week rating can use faces.
Scope and limitations
A session structuring tool. It is not a risk assessment or outcome measure.
Research basis
A strong working alliance and routine progress feedback are among the most consistent predictors of good outcomes in therapy.
- Flückiger, C., Del Re, A. C., Wampold, B. E., & Horvath, A. O. (2018). The alliance in adult psychotherapy: A meta-analytic synthesis. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 316–340. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000172
- Lambert, M. J., Whipple, J. L., & Kleinstäuber, M. (2018). Collecting and delivering progress feedback: A meta-analysis of routine outcome monitoring. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 520–537. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000167
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced.
