Counselling assessment form template (UK)

    The first session decides whether you can help, and sets the terms for everything after it. Here is what an initial assessment should cover, a form you can copy, and how to run the session without it feeling like an interrogation.

    By the NoteSono team · Last reviewed · 7 sources checked

    The short answer

    A counselling assessment records why the client has come, the background they choose to share, their health and GP details, current support, what you asked about risk and what they said, their goals, your decision on whether you are the right person to help, and what was agreed in the contract. Measures such as PHQ-9, GAD-7 or CORE-10 are optional.

    BACP, UKCP and NCPS do not prescribe an assessment form, but all three expect you to explain your terms and the limits of confidentiality at the outset, and to work only within your competence. A free template is below.

    What an initial assessment covers

    An assessment has two jobs. It helps you and the client decide whether to work together, and it creates the starting record you will come back to at reviews. A thorough one covers:

    1. The presenting issue: what is happening, how long for, and why the client is coming now.
    2. Background the client chooses to share: life events, family, work, and previous therapy, including what helped.
    3. Health: physical conditions and medication as the client reports them, and any other mental health support.
    4. GP details, and whether and when the client agrees you may contact their GP.
    5. Current support: people, communities and activities that help.
    6. Risk and safety: what you asked, what the client said, and your judgement.
    7. Goals: what the client would like to be different, in their words.
    8. Suitability: whether this is work you are trained and competent to do.
    9. Contracting and consent: terms, fees, confidentiality and its limits, records, and any recording or note-taking tools.

    Describe, do not diagnose

    Unless you are trained and qualified to diagnose, record what the client reports and what you observe. The NCPS Code of Ethics says practitioners should not attempt to diagnose physical symptoms, and should advise the client to consult a registered medical practitioner.

    Free counselling assessment form template

    Use it as a guide for the conversation and a record afterwards, not as a questionnaire to read out. Copy it into your own document or download it as a Word file, and delete what does not fit your practice.

    Counselling assessment form

    Initial assessment record

    Client: [full name] Client reference: [reference]

    Date of birth: [DD/MM/YYYY] Pronouns: [optional]

    Contact: [phone, email, and whether it is safe to leave messages]

    Emergency contact: [name, relationship, phone, or declined]

    Assessment date: [DD/MM/YYYY] Format: [in person / video / phone]

    How they found me / referred by: [self-referral, GP, directory, employer, other]

    1. What brings you to counselling now?

    [The presenting issue in the client's own words, and why now.]

    How long has this been going on: [ ]

    How it affects daily life, work, sleep and relationships: [ ]

    2. Background the client chose to share

    Relevant life events: [ ]

    Previous counselling or therapy: [when, what kind, what helped or did not]

    Family and relationships: [ ]

    Work, study or caring responsibilities: [ ]

    3. Health

    Physical health conditions the client mentions: [ ]

    Current medication (client-reported): [ ]

    Any current mental health support: [e.g. GP, NHS Talking Therapies, psychiatrist, community team, none]

    Alcohol, drugs or gambling, if relevant: [ ]

    4. GP

    GP name and practice: [ ]

    Consent to contact GP: [yes / no / only if I am seriously concerned about your safety]

    Circumstances explained to client: [yes]

    5. Current support

    People or things that help: [friends, family, faith, activities, groups]

    Other professionals involved: [ ]

    6. Risk and safety

    Questions asked: [e.g. thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life, past self-harm, harm to or from others, children or adults at risk in the household]

    Client's responses, in their words: [ ]

    My judgement and reasoning: [ ]

    Further record needed: [no / yes, see risk and safeguarding record dated DD/MM/YYYY]

    7. Measures (optional)

    [PHQ-9 / GAD-7 / CORE-10 / other / not used] Score: [ ] Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]

    Any individual item followed up in conversation: [ ]

    8. Goals

    What the client would like to be different: [ ]

    How we will know it is helping: [ ]

    9. Suitability and decision

    Is this something I am trained and competent to help with: [yes / partly / no]

    Decision: [offer counselling / offer a set number of sessions then review / refer on / further assessment needed]

    Reasons: [ ]

    If referring: [to whom, and what the client was told]

    Discussed in supervision: [date, or not needed]

    10. Contracting and consent

    Contract given and explained: [yes, signed DD/MM/YYYY / client taking away to read]

    Limits of confidentiality explained: [yes]

    Privacy notice given, including how long records are kept: [yes]

    Fees, cancellations and session length explained: [yes]

    Number of sessions or review point agreed: [ ]

    Consent to recording or note-taking tools, if used: [yes / no / not applicable]

    11. Next steps

    First session: [DD/MM/YYYY at time]

    Anything to send the client: [contract, privacy notice, measures]

    Completed by: [your name, professional body and membership number] Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]

    How to run the first session

    Before the session

    BACP's Ethical Framework (point 30) says practitioners will usually give clients the information they ought to know in advance, so they can make an informed choice. Sending your contract, privacy notice and fees ahead of time means the session can focus on the client. Our therapy contract template and privacy notice template cover what to include.

    Opening

    Explain what the assessment is for and how long it will take, that you will take some notes, and that either of you may decide this is not the right fit. Explain the limits of confidentiality early, before the client tells you anything that might fall within them. BACP (point 55d) asks practitioners to tell clients about any reasonably foreseeable limits of confidentiality, including to protect a client or others from serious harm; UKCP (clause 21) asks for the same.

    The conversation

    • Let the client tell their story first. Use the form to check what you have missed, not to set the order.
    • Ask about risk plainly and kindly. Vague questions are easy to deflect, and a clear question shows the client it is safe to talk about.
    • Record the client's own words for the presenting issue and goals. They make reviews far more meaningful.
    • If a measure is used, look at individual answers as well as the total, and follow up anything that concerns you in conversation.

    Deciding on suitability

    All three bodies expect you to stay within your competence. BACP (point 13) says practitioners must be competent to deliver the service, and should consult, seek second opinions or refer where needed. UKCP (clauses 23 and 24) asks members to offer only the forms of therapy in which they have adequate training or experience. NCPS asks practitioners to be prepared to refer where appropriate and to take clients outside their scope to supervision. If you decide to refer on, record why and what you told the client.

    Contracting

    UKCP (clauses 14 and 15) expects you to explain your terms, fees and conditions and to confirm consent through a clear contract at the outset. BACP (point 31) asks for terms in language the client understands, a clear statement of how confidentiality and privacy will be protected, and a record of what was agreed. BACP's GPiA 065 notes the contract would usually be signed in the first session, though some clients may want to re-read it and sign at the second.

    Using PHQ-9, GAD-7 and CORE-10

    Standardised measures are optional in private practice. Some practitioners find them useful for a baseline and for reviewing progress; others prefer not to use them. If you do, use them consistently and talk about the results with the client.

    MeasureWhat it coversWorth knowing
    PHQ-9Symptoms of depressionOne question asks about thoughts of self-harm. Always look at that answer, whatever the total.
    GAD-7Symptoms of anxietyShort and quick to repeat at reviews.
    CORE-10Anxiety, depression, trauma, physical problems, functioning and risk to selfA 10-item measure for people aged 17 and over, scored 0 to 40, which includes one risk item.

    A score is not a risk assessment

    BACP, summarising NICE guidance on self-harm, says assessment tools should not be used to determine risk of suicide or to sort clients into low, medium or high risk. Use a measure to start a conversation, and record your own judgement. See our risk assessment record guide.

    Keeping the assessment record

    The assessment is part of the client's record, along with the contract, any measures and your correspondence. BACP's GPiA 065 lists assessments and psychological measures among the documents that make up a record.

    • Write it up the same day, while the detail is fresh.
    • Record only what the work needs. BACP point 15 asks for records that are "adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary".
    • Keep the contract, privacy notice and any consent with the assessment, so it is clear what the client agreed and when.
    • If you assess and decide not to work together, keep the record anyway, with your reasons, under your normal retention policy.
    • Tell clients how long you keep records before therapy starts. See how long to keep therapy notes.

    Common questions

    Is there an official BACP assessment form?

    No. BACP does not prescribe the form notes or records take. Its Ethical Framework expects you to give clients the information they need in advance, contract clearly, explain the limits of confidentiality and work within your competence. An assessment form is a practical way of showing you have done that.

    Should I charge for an assessment session?

    That is your choice. Whatever you decide, say so in advance with your other fees, as UKCP and NCPS both expect you to explain fees before the service begins.

    Do I need the client's GP details?

    It is good practice to ask, and to agree with the client when you would contact their GP, for example only if you were seriously concerned about their safety. A client may decline, and you should record that.

    Do I have to use PHQ-9, GAD-7 or CORE-10?

    No. They are optional in private practice. If you use them, look at individual answers, especially any question about self-harm, and do not use a total score to predict risk.

    What if I decide I am not the right person to help?

    Tell the client honestly, offer to help them find someone suitable, and record your reasons. BACP, UKCP and NCPS all expect practitioners to work within their competence and to refer on where appropriate.

    Sources

    Checked on 30 October 2026. Rules and prices change, so check the source before you rely on a figure.

    1. BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions (2018) — points 13, 15, 30, 31 and 55
    2. BACP: Confidentiality and record keeping (GPiA 065, January 2024) — what counts as a record, signing the contract
    3. BACP: Notes and record keeping (blog, 21 March 2025)
    4. UKCP Code of Ethics and Professional Practice (2019) — clauses 14, 15, 21, 23 and 24
    5. National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Code of Ethics — offering and delivering a service
    6. BACP: Suicide prevention — use of risk assessment tools, NICE NG225
    7. CORC: CORE-10

    This guide is general information, not legal or clinical advice. It reflects the guidance as we read it on the date above. Your professional body's, employer's and insurer's current guidance takes precedence.

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