Life Coaching Intake Form: 18 Questions to Include + Free Template

Are you a life coach?

If you are, then a life coaching intake form is the perfect tool to help your clients start gaining insights and understanding their world. It’s an easy way to get them thinking about what they want, why they want it, and how they can achieve it. Plus, it should make sure you don’t forget anything important in your first session with them!

Now, you can’t just throw together anything… you want your life coaching intake form to feel like a coaching session on its own. It should be easy to use while guiding their thoughts as they think about their lives and how they want things to change moving forward. 

By the way, we’re Cass + Tee. Web designers, coaches, and the duo behind Lovely Impact. We know how busy life coaches are – which is why we created a free form that was simple enough without being too complicated or overwhelming. 

Keep reading to learn more about how to create your own life coach intake form, OR get instant access to our free template by joining our resource library HERE >> 

What Is a Life Coaching Intake Form?

A life coach intake form is a type of life coach tool that your clients will receive when they have paid for a session, but before the session happens. It is the paperwork that’s going to tell you all about who your client is, what they need, what matters to them, and where they want to end up.

You will then use this form to develop your approach to your client and their first session with you. The form will help you and them to make sure that the first session is successful, and covers the areas that it needs to.

This form might ask questions like the client’s basic information (name, address, etc.), and then cover other useful information to help you prepare for your first session. With this form, you will create a transformational process for each client who comes to you, ensuring that you get all the basics you need to help improve their lives.

Why Do You Need An Intake Form?

Well, an intake form stops you from looking like a hot unorganized mess during your first session! Trust us… that’s the worst way to meet with your client the first time. 

Without an intake form, you will spend most of your first session getting to know your client, and trying to make notes on all the basic information that they give you. This can be a tricky process, and it leaves your client feeling that they haven’t got much from the first session, except a lot of basic questions.

Also, without this form, during your first call, you’ll have to think of follow-up questions on the spot, because you had no information to prepare or plan. Everything will be done in a rush, and you may find that your first experience with your paying client feels rushed.

Questions to Include In Your Life Coaching Intake Form

Now that we’ve covered the what and then let’s dive into the sections every life coach needs in their intake form.

Section 1: Client Goals

You need to know your client’s current life goals, and this is one of the first things that you should ask about on this form. This will help you make a plan for the entire contract period and what you will do with your client.

Questions you might ask include:

1. What are your long-term goals for the next five years?
2. What are your short-term goals for the next three months?
3. What are three things that you feel are hindering you?
4. What do you value most in your life right now?
5. Where do you see yourself in [x] years, when coaching is over?

You may choose to vary these, but they should help you and your client to get a clear idea of what they want from coaching, and this will allow you to craft a plan for moving them forward. You can’t help them achieve their goals if you don’t know what their goals are.

Section 2: Client Personal History

What your client has done is almost as important as what they want to do. You need to know who your client is, and this will be heavily based on their past experiences. You must ask some questions about where they have been in the past, so you can get a sense of the context in which they are operating.

Questions you might ask include:

1. What has your biggest success been so far, and what did you do to accomplish it?
2. What has your biggest challenge been so far, and how did you deal with it?
3. What have you already done to move toward your goals?
4. What things have hindered you and made it hard to reach your goals?
5. Who has been important in supporting you so far?
6. On a scale of 1 – 10, 10 = HIGH, what is your current level of stress?
7. On a scale of 1 – 10, 10 = HIGH, how would you rate the quality of your life today?

Understanding their past challenges, what they’ve overcome, big life changes, their health and wellness, and more can help you get to know your client and develop a coaching program that works for them. 

Section 3: Client Coaching Preferences

A life coach needs to understand how their client would like to be coached and what they find effective. Knowing whether your client responds best to praise or criticism, whether they like to talk by phone, and how they like to approach coaching is a great way to ensure you are able to coach effectively.

Be careful; your client may not have ever done coaching before, so don’t phrase these questions as “coaching preferences,” or you may get lots of “I don’t know” responses. 

Try questions like:

1. What motivates you, and what deters you from trying?
2. Do you prefer video calls or face-to-face sessions?
3. How do you respond to being criticized?
4. How frequently do you feel you need to review your progress to stay on track?
5. What methods help learn most effectively?
6. How can I best support you throughout this relationship?

It’s fine if your client can’t answer every question; just getting some answers will set you up for coaching success!

Designing Your Life Coaching Intake Form

Don’t skip this part! So many coaches put materials out there that don’t match their brand. 

Take the extra steps to create an intake form that reflects your brand perfectly. If you don’t have a brand you love, you can purchase one of our life coaching websites or logo templates. 

They are easy to customize. Here is an example of how our free intake form template could be designed using our life coaching logo template:

Imagine how wonderful your client will feel when they get something that looks like that! You’ll feel confident knowing that every client who fills out your form will know they are working with someone who cares about their business and their client experience.

And if you get the matching website, your entire brand will be elevated: 

We all deserve happiness and fulfillment in our lives – let’s make sure everyone knows how valuable their investment in your services is by designing a beautiful intake form!

Final Thoughts: Life Coaching Intake Form

As you can see, your life coaching intake form is the most important document you can give your client. It’s an easy way to get them thinking about what they want, why they want it, and how they can achieve it.

Plus, it makes sure you don’t forget anything important in your first session with them!

When was the last time you updated yours?

Let us help! We offer a free download of our Canva Life Coaching Intake Form to all the members of our resource library.

Just sign up for free HERE and customize it to fit your business before your next client meeting. 

It’ll take less than 10 minutes to ensure that every detail is covered.