The Three-Channel Intake Model

This guide is designed for:

• Attorneys
• Associates
• Intake staff
• Paralegals

Step 1: The Trauma-Informed Mindset

Before starting the intake, understand who is sitting across from you.

Trauma affects the brain’s ability to sequence time. A client may vividly recall the smell of cologne during an assault but forget the date it happened.

• The Goal: Do not force a linear narrative immediately. Gather the pieces first, then assemble the timeline.
• The Shift: Move from "What is wrong with this client?" to "What happened to this client?"

Step 2: Remember the Three-Channel Intake Method

Organize your notes into these three distinct buckets. Do not expect the client to do this for you; it is the interviewer's job to sort the information as it comes in.

1. Channel One: Verifiable Facts (The Legal Skeleton)

Focus on objective reality. This builds the timeline.

Key Data Points:

• Police/Legal: 911 call logs, police reports, restraining orders, prior custody orders.
• Medical/School: ER visits, therapy intakes, attendance records, nurse visits.
• Digital: Text threads (exported), email chains, call logs, and recording (where legal).
• Witnesses: Who else saw this? (Teachers, neighbors, neutral third parties).

2. Channel Two: Child Impact (The "Best Interest" Standard)

Courts care less about how the parents treat each other and more about how it affects the child. This channel connects the abuse to the legal standard.

Key Data Points:

• Somatic Symptoms: Bedwetting (regression), stomach aches before visits, sleep disruption.
• Behavioral: Aggression after visits, "re-entry" transition struggles, school decline.
• Verbal: Statements the child has made (e.g., "Daddy says you are going to jail")

3. Channel Three: Patterns Over Time (Establishing Coercive Control)

High-conflict personalities and narcissists do not operate in isolation; they operate in cycles. One event might look minor; the pattern proves the danger.

Key Data Points:

• Litigation Abuse: Does the opposing party file motions immediately after a personal rejection?
• Interference: A pattern of withholding parenting time or disrupting calls.
• Financial Control: Cutting off credit cards or draining accounts without notice.
• Post-Separation Abuse: Harassment that continues or escalates after the relationship ends.

Step 3: Look Out For The Common Intake Traps & Solutions

Trap 1: Emotional Flooding

When the client is in distress, crying, or speaking so fast that they are incoherent. They are providing excessive detail ("He wore a blue shirt, and then the dog barked...") without prioritization. As the interviewer, you should gently redirect them.

• Example: "I can hear how important this is. I want to make sure I don't miss anything. Let’s pause for a second. I am going to write down 'Incident at the Park' as a headline. Now, can you tell me just the date and who was there?"

Trap 2: Apparent Inconsistency

How Trauma Affects Recall, and How Firms Should Respond

Clients impacted by trauma often appear inconsistent during intake. Dates shift, sequences change, and certain details are vivid while others are missing entirely. Stress impairs recall sequencing (hippocampus function), but not necessarily the emotional memory (amygdala). As a result, a client may remember how something felt before remembering when it happened, recall sensory details (tone, smell, fear) before dates, and provide details out of order across retellings.

Again, this is pivotal:

• The hippocampus, which organizes time and sequence, is impaired during high stress.
• The amygdala, which stores emotional and sensory memory, remains highly active.

In this instance, DO NOT challenge the client’s credibility at intake. Help the client orient their memory using neutral anchors such as important dates.

For example:

• “Was this before or after the child's dance recital? ”
• “Was your child still in second grade at the time?”

Whenever possible, build your timeline using external data such as documents, calendars, screenshots, and third-party records. This reduces pressure on the client and strengthens admissibility.

Trap 3: False Mutualization

Due to a lack of training, it is extremely common for both parties appear to be in "high-conflict" situations where one is being abused. Especially in instances where the abusive party presents as calm, articulate, or reasonable, and the client admits to screaming or throwing a phone. You may find that it looks like a "toxic relationship" rather than abuse. When you're in this space, assess further.

• Assessment Questions:
• Who holds the power (money, housing, status)?
• Who is afraid of the other?
• Who benefits if the legal process is dragged out? (Usually the abuser).
• Who is willing to compromise? (Usually the victim).
• Who feels the need to “be careful” about what they say or do?
• Who anticipates backlash after setting boundaries?
• Who emphasizes the child’s needs over vindication?

The goal of this assessment is not to label either party, but to identify dynamics that are often invisible to individuals as they navigate an unsafe or destabilizing situation.