What is a psychosocial check-in for students?

A structured conversation that covers the main areas of a young person’s life, moving from easier topics to more personal ones: home, school, friends and activities, mood, sleep and eating, online life, and safety. Counseld’s version is adapted from the HEEADSSS assessment.

What should a school counsellor do if a safety concern comes up during a check-in?

Follow the school’s protocol straight away, and record the concern on a separate safety record rather than on the check-in sheet.

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Tool 3

Psychosocial check-in

Updated 2026-10-30 · By Meera Manikandan, Counselling Psychologist, Counseld

In shortGet to know a student’s world across six areas, moving from easier to more personal: home, school, friends and activities, mood/sleep/eating, online, and safety. The areas are adapted from the HEEADSSS psychosocial assessment. If a safety concern comes up, follow your school protocol and record it on a separate safety record. Close with one agreed step, your observations and what to focus on next.

Evidence check Know the student’s world. These areas are adapted from a widely used psychosocial check-in for young people (HEEADSSS, see references). Move from easier topics to more personal ones, and only go as far as the student is ready to.

Student name or code

Class and section

Date

Home

Who lives at home with you? Who do you get along with?

School

Which subjects do you enjoy? What’s hard right now?

Friends and activities

Who do you spend time with? What do you do after school?

Mood, sleep, eating

How have you been feeling lately? How are you sleeping and eating?

Online

How much time do you spend online? Has anything online upset you?

Safety

Do you feel safe at home, at school and on the way? Has anyone hurt you? Have you had thoughts of hurting yourself?

Safety concern?Follow your school’s protocol now. Record it on a separate safety record, not on this sheet.

Closing the session

Student name or code

Class and section

Date

1Before they leave

One small step we agreed

Who else needs to know (with consent)

Next session date and time

2My observations

What I saw and heard: appearance, mood, how they spoke. Use quotes, not labels.

3What to focus on next

HomeSchoolFriends and activitiesMood, sleep, eatingOnlineSafety

Why, and what I’ll try next time

If the check-in raises a safety concern, see when to involve your protocol straight away.

Counseld Documentation Toolkit · Not a substitute for supervision, school policy or legal advice.

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