Psychologist interview questions and answers

I start by introducing myself, explaining how sessions work, the fees, and confidentiality including its limits, and I get informed consent. Then I ask what brought them in and why now, and take a history covering current difficulties, their onset, family, education and work, relationships, physical health, substance use and any previous help. I always screen for risk, including thoughts of self-harm. Towards the end, I summarise what I heard, check whether I understood correctly, and agree on initial goals and the next steps. I write notes the same day.

I ask directly and calmly, for example, “Have you had thoughts of ending your life?” Asking does not put the idea in someone’s head. If they say yes, I explore how often the thoughts come, whether there is a plan, access to means, past attempts, alcohol or drug use, and what keeps them going. I work with the client on a written safety plan with warning signs, coping steps and people to contact. If the risk is high, I do not leave them alone; I follow our protocol, inform my supervisor or the psychiatrist, and involve family with the client’s knowledge. I document everything.

Confidentiality is central, but it has limits that I explain at the first session. I would share information when there is a serious risk of harm to the client or to others, when a child is at risk of abuse, where the law requires it such as under POCSO, or with a court order. Even then, I share only what is needed and only with the people who need to know. Wherever safe, I tell the client first what I am sharing and why. I always discuss such decisions with my supervisor and document the reasons.

I start from the assessment and a formulation of what keeps the problem going. Then I consider the evidence for that problem, what the client prefers and practical factors like how many sessions they can attend. For example, for panic disorder I would usually use CBT with exposure, because the evidence is strong. For a client dealing with grief and relationship patterns, I might use a more integrative approach. I explain the options to the client and agree together. I review progress with outcome measures every few sessions and change the approach if it is not helping.

During my MPhil training, I administered intelligence tests, personality inventories and screening scales for depression and anxiety under supervision, along with some neuropsychological screening. I follow standard instructions exactly, record behaviour during testing, and score carefully. In the report I include the reason for referral, background, tests used, behavioural observations, results in plain language, a summary and recommendations. I avoid over-interpreting a single score and make sure recommendations answer the referral question. My supervisor reviewed and co-signed my reports during training.

I review it with the client openly: are the goals still right, is the approach helping, and how do they feel about our work together? A weak therapeutic relationship is often the reason, so I ask about it directly. I revisit my formulation, check for things I may have missed such as substance use, a physical health problem or a trauma history, and use outcome measures to see objectively where we are. I take the case to supervision. If another approach or professional would help more, such as a psychiatrist review or a specialist trauma therapist, I discuss referral with the client.

I would not accept the request. At the next session I would raise it gently, explain that I do not connect with clients on social media to protect their privacy and our professional relationship, and make sure they do not feel rejected. I would explore what the request meant for them, since it can bring up useful material about relationships. I mention my social media policy at the start of therapy to prevent this. I would note the conversation in my records and, if the pattern continued, discuss it in supervision.

Parents give consent, but I also explain things to the child in simple words and get their agreement to take part. I meet parents first for history, then the child, often using play, drawing or games to build rapport. I agree with both at the start what I will share with parents: general progress and anything about safety, but not every detail the child tells me. I involve parents in the plan, because home routines matter a lot. If a child discloses abuse, I follow the POCSO reporting requirements and our safeguarding protocol, and I discuss it with my supervisor.

I explain that decisions about medicines are for their psychiatrist, and stopping suddenly can be risky, so they should not change anything without speaking to their doctor. I do not leave it there, though. I explore why they want to stop: side effects, feeling better, stigma or cost. I encourage them to discuss it with their psychiatrist and, with their consent, I share my observations with the psychiatrist too. In my current role, I work closely with two psychiatrists, and we agree a joint plan so the client hears one consistent message.

At the start I confirm the client’s identity, their location for that session and an emergency contact, and I keep the local emergency numbers for where they are. I use a secure platform approved by the organisation and check that the client can speak privately, sometimes suggesting headphones or a code word if someone walks in. I explain what happens if the connection drops. I assess whether online work suits them; for someone at high risk or in crisis, I may recommend in-person care. I keep my own space private and never record sessions without explicit consent.

I have regular supervision every two weeks, even now with five years of experience, and I prepare for it. I bring cases where I am stuck, risk cases, ethical dilemmas and cases where my own feelings are strong, for example when a client’s story reminds me of something personal. Supervision helps me notice blind spots and keeps my work safe. I also take part in monthly peer supervision with colleagues. Last month, supervision helped me see I was avoiding a difficult topic with a client, and addressing it moved the therapy forward.

A company that referred employees to our clinic asked me for session details about one employee who was on leave. The client had not agreed to share anything beyond attendance. I declined politely, explained our confidentiality policy and offered to provide a fitness-to-work letter only if the client consented and reviewed it. I discussed it with my supervisor, who agreed. I then spoke to the client, who chose to share a brief letter. I documented each step. It taught me to clarify with referring organisations at the start exactly what information they will receive.

During my training, a college student disclosed in session that she had taken extra tablets that morning. I stayed calm, asked exactly what and when, and told her we needed medical help right away. I informed my supervisor, who called the emergency team in our hospital, and I stayed with her until they arrived. With her consent we informed her sister. She was treated and admitted. I saw her again the following week and we built a safety plan together. The experience taught me to keep emergency contacts and the protocol within reach in every session.

A client was angry that I had rescheduled his session at short notice because of a hospital meeting. He said I did not care about him. I did not defend myself. I acknowledged that the change had been hard for him and that I understood why he felt let down. We talked about how it connected to experiences of being let down earlier in his life, which became an important theme in our work. I also changed my practice so that non-urgent meetings never replace client sessions. Repairing that rupture strengthened our relationship.

During my internship in a hospital psychiatry unit, I was part of the team for a young man with psychosis. I did a detailed assessment of his cognitive functioning and presented it at the weekly team meeting in simple terms, focusing on what it meant for his daily life and work. The psychiatrist used it to plan his follow-up, the social worker used it to talk to the family, and the occupational therapist planned activities around his attention span. I learned to translate psychological findings into practical recommendations others can use.

I worked with a middle-aged woman from a small town who described her depression mainly as physical pain and tiredness and felt ashamed to talk about sadness. Instead of pushing psychological words, I started with her physical symptoms and daily routine and gradually linked them to stress and mood. She valued her family’s involvement, so with her permission I included her husband in two sessions. I also used examples from her religious practice when talking about acceptance. She stayed in therapy for twelve sessions and her mood scores improved.

At my clinic, a colleague went on maternity leave and I took on part of her caseload, bringing me to over thirty regular clients. I reviewed all cases with my manager and prioritised by risk and need. Some clients moved to fortnightly sessions, and two were referred to a group programme that suited them. I blocked the last hour of each day for notes and kept my supervision slot. I also watched my own stress and took my weekly off seriously. No client missed a risk review, and I did not burn out.

Yes. I completed my MPhil in Clinical Psychology and I hold a current RCI registration as a clinical psychologist, which I can show you along with my certificates. I understand that registration is required to practise as a clinical psychologist in India, and I keep up with the continuing education it expects. If I had not been registered yet, I would have been clear about it and applied only for roles within a counselling scope under supervision.

Your centre works with adolescents and young adults, which is the group I enjoyed most during training and where early help makes a big difference. I also like that you have psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors under one roof, with regular case meetings, because I learn best in a team. I saw that you run school outreach programmes, which I would like to contribute to since I have done workshops on exam stress. I am looking for a place where I can build long-term experience with this age group.

I have three years of experience after my RCI registration. For a full-time role, I am looking for a salary in line with what similar clinics in this city pay for that experience. If the model is per session, I would want to know the expected number of sessions per week and the share per session. For hours, I can work evenings and Saturdays, which clients often need, but I would like a cap of about six client sessions a day so I can give each client proper attention and keep notes up to date.