Brief Child and Family Phone Interview

Before a child starts to receive treatment at a Children's Mental Health Centre, his or her parent will likely be asked to do a Brief Child and Family Phone Interview (BCFPI). The parent will be asked a number of questions about his or her child by a trained mental health professional such as the following:

• "Do you find that Johnny blames others for his own mistakes?"
• "Do you find that Mary is overly anxious to please people?"
• "How much has Sam withdrawn or isolated him/herself as a result of these problems?"

This interview can usually be done over the phone and lasts anywhere from 20-40 minutes. The interviewer enters each answer into a computer program which saves and scores the responses. The parent's answers are compared to those for a 'typical child',  and ranked in areas such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Anxiety or Depression. These data are then used by a trained mental health professional in deciding what type of treatment a child might need.

All of the information gathered during the interview is confidential and cannot be shared with anyone outside the centre without explicit written permission from the family.

Learn More About BCFPI