Candidate Psychological Counselors' Experiences in Conducting Comprehensive First Interviews A Qualitative Study

First interviews are of critical importance in terms of structuring the psychological counselling process and laying the foundations for the initial therapeutic relationship. However, conducting first interviews comprehensively can bring certain advantages and various difficulties, particularly for trainee psychological counsellors. In this context, the aim of this study is to examine in depth the experiences of trainee counsellors in conducting comprehensive initial sessions. A phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 candidate counsellors studying in the 4th year of the counselling and guidance licentiate programme who had conducted comprehensive initial sessions. The data were analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis method, which involves a thick description of the data. The analysis identified three main themes: ‘effects on the counsellor,’ ‘effects on the client,’ and ‘general effects.’ Each theme consisted of two sub-themes: positive and negative. The findings revealed that comprehensive first interviews contained both supportive and challenging aspects in terms of the process, the psychological counsellor, and the counselee. For psychological counsellors, this process supported their perception of professional competence and sense of confidence; however, it could also cause difficulties related to performance anxiety, time pressure, and excessive structuring of the interview. For clients, comprehensive first interviews facilitated self-disclosure and viewing problems within context. However, they also brought with them negative aspects such as the length of the interview, the intensity of questioning, and regret. The findings revealed that candidate counsellors need more practical training to balance the processes of gathering information and establishing a therapeutic relationship when structuring first interviews. However, this research was conducted only with candidate counsellors. This constitutes a limitation of the study. Future research comparing the experiences of psychological counsellors with different levels of professional experience in conducting comprehensive initial interviews could contribute to the field.