Questions about therapy, recovery and mental health

Could being on a plan make it harder to rent an apartment or get a mortgage before it ends?

Lenders and landlords set their own rules, and the counselor can only report what past clients have run into. If a move or a home purchase is on the horizon, say when, and put the same question to a lender directly.

From: Questions to Ask a Credit Counselor

Where did you go when you wanted to be left alone?

Under a bed, up a tree, a long walk, a book, a locked bathroom. Retreats are usually well remembered, and the modern equivalent, whatever you do now when overwhelmed, is often a direct descendant of it.

From: Questions to Ask Your Inner Child

Are you licensed as a psychologist, and where can I check that?

'Psychologist' is a legally protected title in many places and not in others, and the rules on who may use it change from one country or state to the next. Get the name of the board or register and their registration number, then look them up yourself. Some registers also show conditions on a license or past discipline, so see whether theirs does.

From: Questions to Ask a Psychologist in an Interview

What in your life would you not want to lose?

Naming a job, a child, a flat or one particular relationship gives the conversation something to protect rather than something to condemn. If they cannot name anything, that is a serious answer and worth telling a professional about.

From: Questions to Ask About Drugs

How is your sleep, and what happens at night?

Nightmares, hypervigilance at bedtime and early waking each point to different mechanisms. Severe sleep deprivation also limits how much processing a client can tolerate in a session, so it may need addressing first.

From: EMDR Questions to Ask Clients

What are you doing with the time now?

Recovery frees up a startling number of hours, and people often fill them with something they are quietly pleased about: running, a course, cooking, an instrument, work. Asking about it treats them as a person with a life rather than a condition.

From: Questions to Ask Someone in Recovery