Clinical interviewing and history-taking

The manuals converge on detailed, clinically relevant interviewing as a core part of preparation and screening. Across the extracts, therapists and study clinicians gather present symptoms, trauma or psychiatric history, medical and social background, family history, current stressors, prior treatment, and prior experiences with MDMA, psychedelics, or other altered states. They also emphasise open-ended, empathic interviewing, with attention to participant reactions and the therapeutic alliance, rather than turning preparation into an exhaustive diagnostic interview. The sources differ mainly in emphasis and scope. The MDMA manuals place strong weight on trauma history, alliance building, and avoiding pressure for detailed trauma recounting when the participant is not ready, while the psilocybin and ketamine extracts foreground broader biopsychosocial interviewing, fit, expectations, current stressors, and post-session exploration. One psilocybin trial extract also explicitly mentions structured and semi-structured interviews, documentation, and communication within the study team, which is less prominent in the MDMA manuals. The ketamine extract is also more specific about brief pre and post drug-session interviews and adapting the format to in-person, phone, or telehealth when allowed by protocol.