HEADDSSS Psychosocial Interview for Adolescents
These questions are meant to guide the counsellor-adolescent interview, not serve as a checklist. The interview should be as close to a conversation as possible.
Home
Who lives at home with you? Where?How long have you lived there? What are relationships like at home? What do you do together?
What do your caregivers do for a living? What are their working hours like? How much time do you get to spend with them at night? On the weekends?
Any new changes in the home environment?
Have you ever lived away from home? (to uncover history of running away/incarceration)
Do you feel safe at home?
Education/Employment
What school do you attend? What year level are you in?How many schools have you attended in the past 4 years?
What are your favourite subjects? Any subjects you really don't like/are having a hard time with?
Who are your favourite teachers?
How are your marks this year? As compared with last year?
Ever have problems in school with peers? Teachers?Bullying? Cyberbullying? What happened?
Any current or past employment? Hours per week? Problems with employers/employees?
Activities
How do you like to spend your free time? Where? With whom?What kinds of things do you do with friends for fun? With family?
Are you involved in any sports? Clubs? Projects? Religious groups?
Do you have anyone you consider your closest friend? What's that relationship like?
Diet
How many meals do you eat a day? How about
snacks?
What do you like the most about the way you look? The least?
How do you
feel about your weight? Do you feel you're too thin? Too fat?
Have you ever done
anything to try and change your weight? What kinds of things?
(Pursue a more detailed history of
eating-disordered behaviour as needed)
Drugs
Many young people your age experiment with
different drugs like alcohol, tobacco, cannabis? Do people in your school use
drugs? Your friends? You? (start with tobacco and alcohol, then street drugs)
Do
your family members? How does your family feel about using ... ?
Amounts, frequency, patterns of use? How were/are drugs obtained?
Has use ever gotten you into trouble with
friends/in school/at home/with the law? Have you ever done anything you
regretted afterwards when you were using ... ?
Have you ever been in a car with
an intoxicated driver? What can you do to avoid that situation in the future? Is
there someone you could call who would come and get you?
Have you ever been in drug treatment? Any family members ever been in drug treatment?
Sexuality
Many young people your age experiment with their sexuality these daysIs there anyone that you find yourself attracted to at this point in your life? What is that situation like? Tell me about that.
Have your feelings of attraction ever made you feel uncomfortable? Do you find yourself attracted to guys, girls, or both?
Have you ever been in a romantic relationship with someone? Did that relationship involve having sex?
What sexual experiences have you had? Were they with males, females, or both? Have you had any experiences that were unwanted? Unpleasant? Confusing?
Have you ever had an infection from having sex? Have you ever been pregnant/made someone pregnant as far you know?
Do you use any form of birth control? What kind(s)? How often? How would you feel if you found out you were pregnant/got someone pregnant? Have you ever wanted a pregnancy?
Has anyone ever tried to approach or touch you in a way that made you feel uncomfortable? Recently? In the past? Was this ever disclosed to anyone else?
Suicidality/Depression
What do you do when you're stressed? Angry? Sad? (exploring coping mechanisms)
Is there someone you can talk with when something's troubling you?
Have you ever experienced a "low mood" or felt "really down" for more than a few hours at a time?
Did it ever last more than a few days?
Did it ever affect sleep? Appetite? Ability to enjoy things? Behaviour with others (make you irritable/moody)?
Have you ever felt hopeless? Helpless? Did your feelings ever make you want to hurt or kill yourself? Did you ever come up with a plan? Did you ever carry out a plan? What happened? How are you doing now?
Does your family have a history of mental health problems?
Safety
Topics to include in conversation: domestic violence, relationship violence, drug use, need for barrier contraceptive use, gun availability, and seat belt use.
References
1. Goldenring JM, Cohen E. Getting into adolescent heads. Contemp Pediatr 1988;5:75-90.
2. Stashwick I. When you suspect an eating disorder. Contemp Pediatr. 1996;11:124-53.