Session Preparation · · 2 min
Pre-session preparation: a brief checklist for psychologists
A preparation checklist connecting the previous goal, new information, follow-up and the client's agenda, with a fictional example.
Author: SüpervizAI · Updated: 2026-10-05
Pre-session preparation connects earlier information with today's questions. A useful note highlights the shared goal, changes to review, information gaps and room for the client's new agenda. A full script is unnecessary.
Review information relevant to decisions
What did you work on together last time? What understanding or action did the client leave with? Was anything agreed for follow-up between sessions? Review notes for these questions rather than summarizing every historical detail.
Notice follow-up related to current safety or care needs separately. This brief list is not a comprehensive assessment. Use professional assessment and consultation to address uncertainty.
A preparation checklist you can copy
Shared goal: […]. Question from the previous meeting: […]. Change to follow up: […]. Client feedback: […]. Unknown area: […]. Agenda to clarify together at the start: […].
Not every field must be completed. “Not yet discussed” is meaningful. Do not describe a hypothesis in preparation notes as a goal already agreed with the client.
Fictional example: choosing between two topics
Last time, a client wanted to set boundaries at work and also mentioned a change in sleep. Prepare two topics: understand the new situation, then jointly consider which agenda connects with the shared goal.
Deciding in advance to work on boundaries may exclude new information. Your options are starting points; the session agenda develops from the client's input and your assessment.
Narrow your preparation with SüpervizAI
For a fictional note, ask: “Separate the previous goal, missing information and two possible session focuses. State the basis for each; do not add information absent from the text.”
Select questions faithful to context and evaluate the generated agenda. For ongoing case work, client notes and supervision history in SüpervizAI help revisit earlier questions.
Frequently asked questions
How detailed should a session plan be?
Enough detail to recall the shared goal, follow-up and uncertainty may suffice. The necessary scope varies with case context and your approach.
SüpervizAI prepared this content for education and product information. Fictional examples are not clinical assessments or treatment protocols. Clinical decisions and professional responsibility remain with the therapist.