ABSTRACT
Th e core of any psychological assessment should be the clinical interview. Findings from psychological testing, review of medical and other pertinent records of historical value (e.g., school records, court records), collateral contacts (e.g., family, teachers, work supervisors), and other sources of information about the patient are important and can help to understand patients and their problems. However, there is nothing that can substitute for the type of information that can be obtained only through face-to-face contact with the patient. As Groth-Marnat (2003) stated,
Probably the single most important means of data collection during psychological evaluation is the assessment interview. Without interview data, most psychological tests are meaningless [emphasis added]. Th e interview also provides potentially valuable information that may be otherwise unattainable, such as behavioral observations, idiosyncratic features of the client, and the person’s reaction to his or her current life situation. In addition, interviews are the primary means of developing rapport and can serve as a check against the meaning and validity of test results. (p. 69)
Th e purpose of this chapter is to provide a broad overview of the three general types of clinical interview, followed by a detailed discussion of the process and content of a specifi c semistructured clinical interview. Th is will be followed by an overview of three of the more commonly used structured interviews in clinical practice and research. Th e goal of this chapter is to answer the following questions:
Generally, what approaches can be taken in conducting a clinical interview and how do they diff er from each other? What type of client information should be obtained during the clinical interview? What are some examples of structured clinical interviews?
