Intake conversations in mental health services: Where change begins

Intake conversations can be a critical juncture for individuals seeking services, often inducing significant stress as people are required to share their personal stories to access care. These conversations can profoundly shape the course of service and have effects on the individuals. Therefore, great responsibility lies with intake staff to assist people to experience safety and join as active participants in the intake and care process.

This training will discuss how to move intake conversation beyond mere information gathering to become a dialogic and generative experience that sparks hope. Participants will learn how to inform intake conversations through brief therapies, emphasize meaning-making, eliciting and expanding upon individuals’ competencies, while facilitating discussions about problems in a different light.

Learning objectives:

• Gain an understanding of common concepts shaping intake processes and a shift in mindset conducive to change
• Learn a process that prioritizes competency-focused experiences to drive change
• Explore various questions that elicit differences, possibilities, and hope that can inform the next steps
• Learn a different approach to discussing problems to make visible of existing help and support