One of the hardest things about being a therapist is confronting the burden of other people’s troubles. In every first session, a group of worried strangers walk in and hand you their most urgent problem. Someone is depressed, or anxious, or scared, or having trouble controlling his or her anger. The pressure to do something about these painful feelings can be almost overwhelming. That’s why for many therapists an assessment is something to get out of the way in order to get down to the business of helping people. You can probably guess that I’m going to say that this is a mistake. If so, you’re half right.