ABSTRACT
This chapter includes assessment from a psychodynamic approach; assessment from a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approach; and issues common to both. Making a psychodynamic formulation is a process that takes place during counselling, but particularly in the assessment session. As the counsellor listens to the patient's story and presenting problem, he/she attempts to formulate a link between significant relationships and central conflicts in the patient's past history and his/her present relationships. The idea of CBT counselling being a collaborative project for both counsellor and patient is an important place to start the work. Some therapists find it useful to use charts and diagrams for recording the information that the therapist and patient have uncovered and understood together. Assessing the patient's support network gives the counsellor an indication of how much challenge the person may withstand throughout the counselling.
