Preparing for your first session – questionnaires for psychotherapy, couples therapy and sexual therapy
You do not need to arrive at a first therapeutic session with a complete explanation of what is happening or a perfectly formulated goal.
Part of the first conversation is precisely to understand what matters, how different experiences may be connected and what kind of therapeutic work may be useful.
At the same time, a small amount of preparation can make the first session easier.
This page provides practical information and three separate intake questionnaires as PDFs: one for individual psychotherapy, one for couples therapy and one for sexual therapy.
The questionnaires, available as PDFs, help you gather relevant thoughts in your own time and give me an initial orientation. They complement the conversation and they do not generate an automatic diagnosis or treatment decision.
Why complete a questionnaire before a first therapy session?
A first session often needs to hold several things at once: what brings you to therapy now, the context in which the difficulty has developed, what you have already tried and what you hope may become different.
A preparatory questionnaire provides a first structure. It can make it easier to remember important information and can also help you notice which parts of your situation feel most important to discuss.
Your answers do not need to be exhaustive. Some experiences are easy to describe in writing; others need a conversation, time and context. The questionnaire is a starting point rather than a substitute for therapeutic dialogue.
Which questionnaire should I choose?
The three questionnaires are deliberately separate. Individual psychotherapy, couples therapy and sexual therapy require different kinds of initial information. A single long standard intake form would be less clear for clients and less useful clinically.
Intake questionnaire for individual psychotherapy and analytical work
The individual questionnaire begins with what has led you to seek therapeutic support at this point.
It may also include your current life situation, significant relationships, recurring emotional or relational patterns and previous experience of psychotherapy or other relevant treatment.
Depending on the concern, sleep, stress, physical health, medication, work and sources of support may also be relevant.
The aim is not to collect as much information as possible, but to identify what may help the first conversation develop in a meaningful direction.
The structure is open enough for psychodynamic psychotherapy as well as for more in-depth analytical work.
Intake questionnaire for couples therapy
The couples questionnaire gives both partners room for their own perspective while keeping the relationship itself in view. It can explore why the couple is seeking support now and what each person hopes may change.
Relevant areas may include the history of the relationship, communication, recurring conflicts, trust, emotional closeness, sexuality, family circumstances, previous crises and what the couple has already tried in order to improve the situation.
The questions are phrased so that neither partner is positioned as the problem. The focus is relational: what happens between the two people, how each responds and which interactional patterns tend to repeat.
Intake questionnaire for sexual therapy
Sexual therapy may involve highly personal information, so the questionnaire is especially careful about what it asks and why. Intimate details are only requested when they are relevant to the initial therapeutic orientation.
Possible areas include the reason for seeking support, changes in sexuality or intimacy, desire, communication, boundaries, body experience, relationship context and physical or medical factors that may require separate assessment.
Questions about sexual orientation, gender, identity or relationship form are neutral and included only where relevant to your own concern. You can leave any question unanswered if you would prefer to discuss the subject in person.
What can I reflect on before the first session?
A useful starting question is: why am I seeking support now? There may have been a specific event, or a pattern may gradually have become more difficult to ignore.
For couples, the question may be what has made this the right moment to seek help together.
You can also consider what you would notice if therapy were becoming useful. This does not have to be a precise treatment goal.
A direction may be enough: greater clarity, less anxiety, more freedom in everyday life, a different way of handling recurring conflict, more connection in the relationship or a more secure sense of your own needs and boundaries.
If you have had therapy before, it can be helpful to note what supported you and what did not feel useful or appropriate.
What do I not need to prepare?
You do not need to write your complete life history. You do not need to understand the cause of every reaction and you do not need to choose a therapeutic method before the first meeting.
Part of the therapist's role is to help create structure together with you. The questionnaire is a support, not a test of insight, memory or your ability to describe yourself.
If a question feels too private, too early or simply difficult to answer in writing, it can be left open and discussed later if it becomes relevant.
Privacy and sensitive personal information
Therapy intake questionnaires can contain sensitive personal information. For this reason they are provided as PDFs: you complete them privately and decide for yourself what you want to share.
You can bring the completed questionnaire to your first session or go through it together with me during the session. Please avoid sending sensitive information by unencrypted email.
How I handle your information – storage, access and deletion – is described in the privacy policy and discussed in the first session. Everything you share is covered by professional confidentiality.
Informed consent and the therapeutic framework
Preparation also means knowing the practical framework of the therapeutic contact. Current fees and the contact form are at the bottom of every page.
If explicit consent is required for a particular service or technical process, it is presented clearly and separately. An intake questionnaire never replaces consent or privacy information.
You can always see what information is being requested, why it is relevant and how it will be handled.
What happens in the first session?
The first session is used to develop a shared understanding of what brings you, or you as a couple, to therapy.
Which concerns are most important? What context needs to be understood? Which patterns are already visible and which questions need more time?
The questionnaire can provide a starting point, but it does not determine the conversation. Information can be clarified, expanded or given a different emphasis when you meet.
Together, you can begin to consider the therapeutic focus and the form of work that appears relevant.
If medical, psychiatric or another specialist assessment is also indicated, that can be identified as part of the initial orientation.
Still exploring? Use the self-assessment for a first orientation
If you have not yet decided whether to begin therapy and mainly want to understand your situation more clearly, the website includes a separate self-assessment page.
It offers short orientation sections around relationships, anxiety and worry, low mood, sexuality and intimacy, and the question of which kind of therapeutic support may be relevant.
The self-assessment is an open reflection tool. The intake questionnaires on this page, by contrast, belong to preparation for a concrete therapeutic contact.
Content of the three intake questionnaires
Individual psychotherapy – main areas
- Contact details and practical circumstances
- Reason for seeking therapy and the current question
- Present life situation and significant relationships
- Recurring emotional or interpersonal patterns
- Previous psychotherapy and other relevant treatment
- Physical health, medication and sleep where relevant
- Resources, supportive relationships and experiences that help
- Expectations, questions and desired direction
Couples therapy – main areas
- Basic information about both partners
- Length of the relationship and current life situation
- Why you are seeking support now
- Recurring conflict and communication patterns
- Trust, connection and emotional closeness
- Sexuality and intimacy where relevant
- Family, children, separations or other significant circumstances
- Previous couples therapy and what you have already tried
- What each partner hopes may change
Sexual therapy – main areas
- Your own description of the concern
- Individual or couple contact
- Sexuality and intimacy in the present situation
- Changes over time
- Desire, communication, boundaries and safety
- Relationship context where relevant
- Physical symptoms or medical factors that may require separate assessment
- Orientation, identity or relationship form only where relevant to the person's own question
- Previous support and expectations of therapy
Frequently asked questions about preparing for therapy
Do I have to complete a questionnaire before the first session?
No, the questionnaire is optional. Many people find it a helpful way to prepare. You can bring it completed or simply use your notes during the session.
Is the intake questionnaire a psychological test?
No. It gathers relevant background information and questions for discussion. Diagnosis, where relevant, requires a separate professional assessment.
Do both partners complete the couples questionnaire?
The couples questionnaire gives both partners space for their own perspective. You can complete it together or each write your own answers.
Do I have to answer every question?
No. Particularly personal questions can be left unanswered and discussed directly if and when they become relevant.
Is there a separate questionnaire for sexual therapy?
Yes. Sexual therapy has its own intake questionnaire so that intimate questions can remain relevant, careful and appropriately limited.
What is the difference between the questionnaire and the self-assessment ?
Self-assessment is an open first-orientation tool. The intake questionnaire is used to prepare for a concrete therapeutic contact.
Where can I find fees and practical information?
Current fees and the contact form are at the bottom of every page.
Can I make contact if I do not yet know which type of therapy is right for me?
Yes. The most appropriate starting point can be clarified in the initial contact or during a first session.
Make an enquiry and clarify the next step
To request a first session, use the contact form at the bottom of the page, where you will also find current fees.
You can indicate whether your enquiry concerns individual psychotherapy, couples therapy or sexual therapy. If you are unsure, that can also be clarified in the first contact.
Download the three intake questionnaires (PDF)
The three intake questionnaires are available to download directly below: for individual psychotherapy, couples therapy and sexual therapy. You can complete each questionnaire on screen or on paper and bring it to your first session.