Three Authors, One Client: A Qualitative Description of Marriage and Family Therapy Initial Case Documentation

During the client screening and initial session process at a marriage and family therapy training clinic, three types of forms are completed: a Telephone Information Form (TIF), completed by an intake coordinator; a Client Information Form (CIF), completed by the client; and a first session Progress Note (PN), completed by the therapist. The researchers examined documents from closed client files of cases seen by masters students at a university-based brief therapy training clinic. Qualitative descriptive analysis was used to explore the level of consistency in the depiction of clients' reasons for coming to therapy within and across cases on the three forms. Findings suggest that there was a high level of consistency between and amongst cases on two of the three forms. Implications for clinical training, practice, supervision, and research are explored.