Faculty PublicationsVolume 1 · Issue 3
Assessment Interviewing That Earns Trust
The first twenty minutes decide how much truth you will be given for the rest of the work.
Dr. Alicia Braithwaite, Psy.D.
Lead Faculty, Individual Counseling
June 19, 2026
5 min readGraduate Professional
Cover plate reserved — Faculty Publications, Volume 1 · Issue 3
The first twenty minutes decide how much truth you will be given for the rest of the work.
Assessment is often taught as data collection. It is better understood as the first intervention: the client learns, in those minutes, whether this is a place where difficult things can be said without penalty.
“People do not disclose to competence. They disclose to steadiness.”
Slow the pace. Ask fewer questions and finish each one. Reflect what you heard in the client's own words before moving on. And when something significant is disclosed, do not reward it with visible alarm — the client is watching to see what happens to honesty in this room.
References
References are recorded with the manuscript and published with the article.
Estimated citation
Braithwaite, A. (2026). Assessment Interviewing That Earns Trust. Faculty Publications, 1(3). Holmes Knowledge Center, Holmes Training Academy™.