Clinical Interviewer

Clinical Interviewers spend their days asking people about mental health issues. The answers they get from patients or their family members help professionals or organizations understand and cure mental disorders, ranging from depression to anxiety to addiction.

Clinical Interviewers can work in a few different environments. Mental and public health organizations carry out clinical interviews for the purpose of learning more about mental health diseases, or finding undiagnosed patients who need help. On a typical workday as a Clinical Interviewer in one of these organizations, you might call up former or current drug users and interview them to better understand the reasons behind their drug use. Or you might screen patients to find out what kind of help they need.

You can also work in clinics. Doctors with private practices need to interview patients so they can create specific treatment plans. This also helps them better understand patients or their families.

Interviews can happen either in person or over the phone. You might have a list of specific patients, with detailed information about their medical history (as is usually the case with a Doctor’s patients). Or you might be contacting a range of survey participants (like in a public health survey).

You ask questions regarding their general health, family history, and drug and alcohol use, as well as questions that gauge mental health. You might just be gathering information to be used later, or you might make a diagnosis either on your own or with the help of a registered mental health provider. The diagnosis you give will alert your patient to any possible mental illness (like depression or anxiety), and give them resources and options for handling their problems.