ABSTRACT
Beginning therapists usually rely too much on using questions when contacting a client, perhaps thinking they are doing well if they are collecting information. Before using a skill in the therapeutic interview, it's important to know the purpose of that skill. Questions should not be fillers, but instead should help to either expand the client's story so the therapist can develop a better conceptualization of problem formation or should be part of the therapist's theory of problem resolution. Perception checks are questions that assess whether the therapist's previous response is on the right path. There are many ways to classify questions. The simplest is between open and closed questions. Relational questions bring forth information for the therapist but also send an implicit message to the client that the problem is not just one person but several. Questions can be very useful in the therapeutic interview in exploring a story and bringing forth information.
