Presenting Problems

Presenting problems can be defined as a client’s chief psychological complaint or voiced concerns. When inquiring about a client’s presenting problem, the counselor often begins by asking these questions: What brings you here? What is the reason for your visit? A client’s presenting problem may be an ongoing pattern of symptomology consistent with a particular condition, such as depression, or the explanation of a recent event or situation that has had a psychological impact on the client, such as a crisis (e.g., attempted suicide). Presenting problems in couple and family therapy may not be as easy to understand because people may perceive different concerns as most problematic. Nonetheless, as long as people do not [Page 1312]have mutually exclusive goals based on presenting problems, then different ...