First-session checklist: consent, confidentiality limits, and intake basics

Before the session, with your supervisor

• Read the site's consent and intake forms. Know what the client signs, who explains it, and where it's kept. If the site is a HIPAA covered entity, find its Notice of Privacy Practices and ask how clients receive it. Schools and some other settings follow different privacy rules, so ask which apply.(HHS)
• Learn the reporting procedure. Ask: if a client discloses child abuse or neglect, abuse of an older or dependent adult, or a risk of harm to self or others, who do I tell, how fast, and may I step out mid-session to consult? Reporting laws differ by state, so ask how they apply to students at this site, whether you personally must report, to whom, and by what deadline. Notifying a supervisor may not fulfill your own duty; do not delay a required report while waiting for approval.(Child Welfare Information Gateway; NCSL)
• Agree how you'll describe supervision to clients. Clients should know a supervisor is involved and how that affects confidentiality.(ACA Code A.2.b, F.5.c; NASW Code 3.02(c))
• If you'll record or bring session material to class, get written permission the way your site requires.(ACA Code F.5.c)
• If the client is a minor or may not be able to consent, ask who gives consent and how the client is still included. Rules vary by state and setting.(ACA Code A.2.d; NASW Code 1.03(c))
• If the session is by video or phone, confirm the extra consent steps. For example: the platform's risks, what happens if the call drops, and where the client is in case of an emergency.(ACA Code H.2.a)
• Know the site's crisis steps and after-hours options, including what you'll do if a safety screening answer is yes. In the U.S., the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text at 988.(988)
• Set up the room and the time: privacy, a visible clock, and time at the end for paperwork.

Opening: consent and confidentiality (first five to ten minutes)

Both codes treat consent as something you explain in plain language and return to, not a form you collect once.

• Introduce yourself as a student or trainee under supervision, name your supervisor, and say how supervision affects confidentiality.(ACA Code F.5.c; NASW Code 3.02(c))
• Explain what the service is: its purpose, approach, potential risks and benefits, alternatives, how long and how often you'll meet, costs, and how to cancel.(ACA Code A.2.b; NASW Code 1.03(a))
• Explain confidentiality and its limits in plain words: describe the specific exceptions that apply in your jurisdiction and setting, including reporting duties and harm-related disclosures, and who else receives information (such as your supervisor or team). ACA B.2.a and NASW 1.07(c) use different harm thresholds; do not treat them as one universal rule. A subpoena or records request needs review, not automatic disclosure.(ACA Code A.2.b, B.1.d, B.2.a; NASW Code 1.07(c), 1.07(e))
• Explain choices, including asking questions, refusing services, or stopping, and any limits or consequences in mandated services.(ACA Code A.2.b, A.2.e; NASW Code 1.03(a), 1.03(d))
• Check understanding, then pause. "What questions do you have about that?" invites more than a yes/no answer, unlike "Does that make sense?"(ACA Code A.2.c)
• Complete the site's signatures, and say you'll come back to any of this whenever the client wants.(ACA Code A.2.a)

Intake basics (follow your site's intake form)

You don't have to cover everything in one session unless your site requires it. Safety and the relationship come first.

• What brings them in, in their words, and why now.
• What they hope will be different.
• Safety, asked directly and the way your site's screening protocol says to. Know your next step before you ask.
• The history the form asks for: for example, past counseling, health and medications, substance use, family and supports, school or work, and what matters to them culturally.
• Strengths and what has helped before.
• Practical details: how they want to be contacted, whether a voicemail is OK, and an emergency contact if the site collects one.

Closing

• Summarize what you heard and ask what you got wrong or missed.
• Agree on the next step and the next appointment.
• Make sure they know how to reach the site and what to do in a crisis after hours.
• Ask how the session was for them.

After the session

• Document on the site's timeline, only in the systems your site uses for records. Keep real-client material in the systems your site authorizes, and share it only as your site allows. Never enter real-session material into SeatTime, even with names changed or identifiers removed; all practice must be fictional.(ACA Code B.6.b; NASW Code 1.07(l))
• Tell your supervisor right away about any safety or reportable concern; don't wait for the next scheduled meeting, and don't delay required reporting or emergency action while waiting for supervision.
• Prepare your reactions and questions for supervision using only the methods your site allows; keep real-client details out of personal worksheets.