Session resources
A better opening move can lead to a better conversation.
Starting a session with a check-in is a great way to reconnect, get a feel for where your client is today and open the door to meaningful conversation. Below you’ll find 40 check-in questions, visual check-ins and quick picks you can use at your next session.
Why the first question matters
Sometimes it’s about asking a different kind of question. Especially with kids, teens and young adults, the familiar “How was your week?” tends to get a familiar answer: “Fine.” “Good.” “I don’t know.”
That doesn’t mean your client has nothing to share. They may need a little time to warm up, a choice about where to begin, or a chance to approach the conversation from a different angle.
Therapy check-in questions can help create those chances. Whether you’re a therapist, counselor or coach, a thoughtful opening can give you useful insight into how your client is feeling, what matters to them and where they’d like to go next. Sometimes the best check-in doesn’t even sound like a check-in.
Therapy check-in questions are prompts that help clients share how they’re feeling, reflect on recent experiences or identify what they’d like to focus on during a session. They can be simple and familiar, creative and unexpected, or more reflective.
A check-in might reveal something important. It might lead to a longer conversation. It might simply help someone settle into the session. All three are valuable. Think of a check-in as an opening move, not a requirement to get somewhere specific.
Our three rules
Not every client wants to begin with feelings, and not every question will fit the moment. Offer two or three options. Let them choose a category, pick a number, or decide whether to start with something light or reflective. Sometimes the chance to choose matters as much as the question itself.
Creative questions can be wonderful, especially with younger clients. Teens and young adults, though, can spot a forced conversation starter a mile away. A little humor, curiosity or surprise makes a question more inviting without making it feel childish. The goal is an invitation that feels natural.
The best part of a check-in might be something you didn’t expect. A passing comment, a quick laugh, an unusual answer or even a hesitation may offer something to explore. You don’t need to get through every question you’ve prepared. Sometimes one good answer is enough.
The question library
Choose a category that fits your client, their energy and the kind of conversation you’d like to invite. Ask the questions as written, adapt the language, or offer a few and let your client decide.
Easy questions that feel natural and leave plenty of room for conversation.
What’s been taking up most of your brain space lately?
What’s something good that happened this week, even if it was small?
What’s one good thing coming up soon?
What felt harder than you expected this week?
What turned out better than you thought it would?
If you could change one thing about today, what would it be?
What would you do more of if you had the time?
Who or what helped you out this week?
A note for practitioners: These are starting points, not a checklist. Adapt the depth, wording and pace to your client. Passing, changing the question or beginning with an activity are always valid options.
Bring your check-ins to life
You don’t have to start every session with another list of questions. Opening Play brings interactive games, creative check-ins and Session Enhancements together in one place, so you can choose what fits your client and the moment.
Use a few questions, start with a game, or invite your client to choose how to begin.
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Screenshot
An Opening Play check-in on screen
Beyond the first question
It’s easy to think of a check-in as something to move through before the “real” work begins. The opening moments of a session can be meaningful in their own right, though.
A client’s choice of question, the way they describe their week or the topics they naturally gravitate toward may give you a better sense of how they’re arriving today. Sometimes a light question turns into a deeper discussion. Other times, it simply gives you a shared moment before moving into something else.
A check-in can also give clients some ownership of the session. Instead of beginning with what you want to know, you’re inviting them to share what feels relevant. The value isn’t in how many questions you ask. It’s in what becomes possible when you give someone room to respond.
In Opening Play
There’s no single right way to open a session. Choose the approach that fits your client and how you’d like to begin.
Make it playful
Games such as Random Question and S’mores Stroll make answering questions feel more like a shared activity than a traditional check-in. A little anticipation, an unexpected question or a moment of laughter can change the energy of the conversation.
You might discover something about your client’s interests, sense of humor or the way they approach a challenge. You can follow a playful moment with a more reflective question, but you don’t have to. Sometimes the connection itself is the point.
Make it your own
Prefer a more familiar check-in? Choose question packs, switch individual questions on or off and add your own prompts, including emoji-scale questions for clients who would rather point than explain.
Keep a few reliable questions ready for regular appointments, build a set for a particular age group, or include something more reflective when it makes sense. The goal isn’t to replace your approach. It’s to give you more ways to make it your own.
An opening move
Here’s one way a therapist, counselor or coach might combine a game and a check-in at the start of a session.
Invite your client to choose from a few games you’ve picked for today. Maybe it’s something quick and competitive, a silly guessing game or one that gives you both a chance to laugh. You’re sharing an experience, not asking them to launch straight into their week.
When the game ends, you might say:
“That was fun! Before we jump into everything else, want to pick a question or two?”
Or:
“Okay, your turn to choose. Something funny, something random or something a little more thoughtful?”
Perhaps a question leads to something worth exploring. Perhaps they have something else on their mind. Or perhaps you’ve simply helped them feel a little more comfortable.
Opening Play might be the first five minutes of your session, fifteen minutes or a larger part of your time together. You decide how much to use, and when it’s time to move on. See how a session works.
Make it feel natural
Give them five possible questions and let them choose one without seeing it first.
Let them decide between something light and something reflective.
A little shared participation can make a check-in feel more like a conversation.
Try an emoji, a visual scale, a choice between two options or a quick game.
Offer a different question or another way to respond, so an answer never feels mandatory.
The question someone picks may be as interesting as the answer they give.
Starting with a game instead? See our telehealth games for kids and teens.
Works wherever you meet
Opening Play runs in a web browser, with nothing to install. Use it on a shared device in person, or pull it up over video and share your screen.
Your clients never need an account.
Client names and answers are never saved.
Questions about interests, preferences, daily experiences, energy and personal perspectives make useful starting points. Offer choices, use language that feels age-appropriate, and avoid making every question about emotions.
A quieter client may appreciate a little more time, a choice of questions or a shared activity before the conversation begins. Games, visual check-ins and simple either-or choices offer ways to participate without requiring an immediate answer.
Short rounds work best: one word for how you’re arriving, a rose, thorn and bud, or a quick energy rating with fingers or thumbs. Keep the first round brief and let anyone pass.
Absolutely. A check-in can involve humor, creativity, questions, games, drawing or a visual choice. A playful approach doesn’t make the conversation less meaningful.
There isn’t a required number. One useful question may lead to a longer conversation, while several lighter questions may help someone warm up. Follow your client’s responses and the needs of the session.
Yes. Many of these prompts adapt well to counseling, coaching, mentoring and other supportive conversations. Choose questions that fit your role, your setting and your client.
A question. A game. A little laughter. An unexpected answer. Find your favorites, make them your own and use what fits today. 14 days free, no card needed.