INITIAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT

^{A developmental and mental health assessment will give us a picture of how clients think, feel, reason, and remember. The test will assess the client’s emotional wellbeing via a series of questions and include a physical examination.}

^{An assessment will be designed to:}

Diagnose developmental and mental health conditions
Differentiate between developmental, mental, and physical health problems
Assess a person referred because of problems at school, work, or home.

^{We will conduct a detailed assessment of our clients. The purpose of an assessment will be to build up an accurate picture of the client’s needs. During an assessment, the following points will be considered (where relevant):}

Mental health symptoms and experiences
Feelings, thoughts, and actions
Physical health and wellbeing
Housing and financial circumstances
Employment and training needs
Social and family relationships
Culture and ethnic background
Gender and sexuality
Use of drugs or alcohol
Past experiences, especially of similar problems
Hopes and aspirations for the future

^{The person will be encouraged to only talk about what they want to talk about.}