Universal · Between Sessions
What I Want to Talk About Today
3-minute client prep so the first ten minutes of session aren't 'I don't know where to start'
About this worksheet
A three-minute pre-session worksheet for the client, so they walk in with material already surfaced instead of using the first ten minutes on warm-up. Fields cover: how they've been since last session (one sentence), the best and hardest moments of the last two weeks, something they've been thinking that they haven't said out loud yet, the one thing that matters most if there's only time for one, something they want to revisit from a previous session, anything they've been avoiding bringing up (and what makes it hard), plus mood and therapy-connection ratings. The 'avoiding' field routinely surfaces material that would otherwise take four or five sessions to reach.
When to use it
- Weekly or biweekly clients, especially teletherapy where the opening minutes are easily lost to logistics.
- Clients who tend to open with small talk and never quite land on the real thing.
- Clients who leave session and remember what they wanted to say in the car.
- New clients still learning how to use session time.
How to use it
- 1Send it the morning of session
Not the night before (they'll forget) and not an hour before (too rushed). Morning-of hits the right window.
- 2Ask them to actually write it, not just think it
Writing surfaces material thinking doesn't. Two-word answers are fine — completeness isn't the point.
- 3Open session by asking about the 'one thing that matters most'
Skip the small-talk warm-up. If they've prepped, honor the prep.
- 4Circle back to the 'avoiding' field before session ends
That field usually holds the material worth the whole hour, if you make room for it.
Frequently asked questions
Won't this make sessions feel scripted?+
It surfaces material; it doesn't run the session. Most clients report the opposite — sessions feel less rushed, not more scripted, because they're not starting from zero.
What if the client won't fill it in?+
That's information. Some clients experience the sheet as pressure — for them, it's not the right tool. For most, non-completion tracks avoidance patterns worth naming gently.
Is this only for weekly clients?+
No — it's often more valuable for biweekly and monthly clients, where two weeks of material can otherwise get compressed into 'nothing much has happened'.
Is this worksheet free?+
Yes. Free printable PDF. Sign in to TherapistAssist to send it to a client's portal automatically before each session.
Related worksheets
Worksheet — What I Want to Talk About Today — provided by TherapistAssist for clinical use. Not a substitute for assessment or treatment.