ABSTRACT
When considering what happens in a consultation, it is very important to know for whom we are doing this assessment. Are we assessing for an organization, for ourselves, or to make a referral? If an assessment is made by a hospital or clinic, there are certain constraints of time and the consequent intensity of work possible, but, on the other hand, there may be the benefit of input by the whole psychiatric team, which would be particularly helpful for severely disturbed patients. If, however, we are looking for a patient for a trainee psychotherapist, we would take extra care in exploring certain areas of the patient’s psyche. We would be particularly concerned about ego strength, ability to commit, addictions, suicidal tendencies, and, of course, psychosis.
