An intake appointment is a structured, collaborative conversation designed to give your psychologist the human context behind the raw data. While standardized testing measures how a brain processes information in the moment, the intake interview maps out how those processing styles impact daily life, routines, and history.
The exact questions will depend on whether the evaluation is for an adult or a child, but the conversation generally focuses on five core areas.
1. The Presenting Concern (“Why Now?”)
The interview usually starts by exploring the specific tipping point or challenge that prompted you to schedule the evaluation.
For Adults:
- What specific hurdles are you encountering in your daily life, relationships, or career right now?
- What made you decide to seek answers now specifically, rather than a year ago?
For Parents:
- What are you noticing at home, or what feedback are you getting from teachers that causes the most concern?
- How long has this particular learning or behavioral struggle been happening?
2. Developmental and Medical History
To evaluate neurodevelopmental profiles—like ADHD, learning disabilities, or Autism—psychologists look at how the brain grew and adapted over time.
For Adults:
- Looking back at your childhood, did you feel like you had to exert twice as much effort as your peers to get the same results?
- Have you experienced any major medical events, head injuries, or prolonged periods of burnout?
For Parents:
- Tell me about the pregnancy and delivery—were there any early complications?
- Did your child meet early milestones like walking, talking, and reading on an expected timeline?
3. Academic and Work Functioning
Psychologists look at how cognitive traits play out in highly structured environments.
For Adults:
- What does a typical day look like for you regarding organization, time management, and starting tasks?
- Have you noticed a pattern in your employment history, such as thriving in fast-paced roles but hitting a wall with administrative details?
- What patterns have shown up in your romantic relationships and friendships that have led to conflict or distress?
For Parents:
- How does your child handle homework or multi-step chores?
- What parts of the school day do they love, and what parts cause them to freeze up, push back, or tune out?
4. Overlapping Traits and Everyday Well-Being
An assessment is a process of elimination. For example, focus issues can stem from ADHD, but they can also look identical to chronic anxiety, trauma, or a sleep disorder.
Universal Questions:
- How are your (or your child’s) current sleep patterns, appetite, and energy levels?
- Do you (or your child) experience persistent feelings of anxiety, panic, or low mood, and how do those impact your focus?
5. Strengths and Coping Mechanisms
A high-quality assessment isn’t just a list of deficits; it is a blueprint of capabilities.
Universal Questions:
- What are your (or your child’s) greatest strengths, deep interests, or areas where you feel completely capable and energized?
- What strategies have you naturally developed over the years to manage your blind spots, and what systems actually work for you?
About the Author:
Dr. Amanda McKerracher, CPsych is a Registered Psychologist and the Psychology Assessment Lead at the Toronto Psychology Clinic in Toronto, Ontario.
She offers assessments for children, teens, and adults.
Once you are ready to walk through your history and build a tailored roadmap, taking the next step is straightforward. At the Toronto Psychology Clinic, our psychologists are highly experienced with a strong track record of providing comprehensive assessments.
To move forward, contact the Toronto Psychology Clinic today at 416-551-1759 ext.2 or intake@torontopsychology.com to schedule an intake call and book your assessment.