ABSTRACT
Most counseling theorists and practitioners agree that comprehensive assessment, in which counselors obtain as much information encompassing as many aspects of clients as is reasonable, is essential and crucial to successful counseling. Using intake assessment instruments in counseling and psychotherapy is an efficient and systematic way to obtain information about clients and to subsequently tailor a counseling approach most likely to serve clients optimally. Clinical interviews provide a unique condition for gathering certain types of information that would be difficult to obtain with a paper-and-pencil instrument, such as follow-up questions that search for more detailed descriptions of the client, her circumstances, and her experiences. Many of the research participants—despite their enthusiasm or fondness for a given inventory—reported that they would prefer to assess their clients via dialogue or informal interview rather than with paper-and-pencil instruments.
