Relationship Needs Checklist
Gain a greater understanding of if your clients’ emotional needs are being met with our Relationship Needs Checklist.
Fact Checked by Ericka Pingol.
What is a Relationship Needs Checklist?
Relationships are as varied and individual as the people that enter into them. What is a red flag for one person can be a green flag for someone else, and we will all have a different idea of the “perfect” relationship.
Preferences in relationships are also subjective and often change over time as we grow and our life situation evolves. Your preferences for a relationship in your early twenties are likely very different from what you would look for in your forties, fifties, or beyond.
There are, however, a few aspects of relationships that most of us can agree are good ingredients for a healthy relationship. These include communication, empathy, intimacy, respect, and acceptance.
Unlike highly subjective preferences such as physical appearance, religion, or career choice, these are universal values that are widely accepted and sought after as part of a healthy and emotionally satisfying relationship.
This Relationship Needs Checklist presents twenty relationship needs as a fillable checklist to help your clients assess which needs are being met in their current relationship and which could use some work.
This interactive resource is a great option for couple’s counseling homework, a therapy activity, or just a mindful activity for your client to spend some time reflecting on their emotional needs.
Printable Relationship Needs Checklist
Download this Relationship Needs Checklist to help your clients assess which needs are being met in their relationship.
How does it work?
Download the template and provide it to your clients
The first step is to access this template using the link provided on this page to the free printable Relationship Needs Checklist template.
Fill out the name and date
Your client should then add their name and the date they are completing the Relationship Needs Checklist for record-keeping purposes.
Check off which needs your client feels are being met
The most important step is to work through the provided relationship needs and check off which your client feels is being met in their current relationship or in the relationship they wish to dive deeper into during your session.
Tally up the final score
Once your client has completed the checklist, tally up how many ticks they gave to obtain a final score out of twenty.
Add any extra notes
There may be some needs your client wishes to discuss which are not provided on this list, and these can be written in the additional notes section. Any extra comments, context, or thoughts your client has in session with you can also be noted in this section.
Save securely
The last step is to save this checklist securely with the rest of your client’s record so it can be accessed in the future. Carepatron’s clinical documentation software is a great option for safe and accessible data storage for your clients’ counseling records.
Relationship Needs Checklist example (sample)
To get some inspiration as to the sorts of ways this Relationship Needs Checklist can be used to help your clients reflect on their own needs, just take a look at our example Relationship Needs Checklist.
Download this Relationship Needs Checklist example:
When would you use this template?
This Relationship Needs Checklist can be used in a variety of situations when navigating the complex landscape of interpersonal connections. It is a strategic tool for couples facing challenges or seeking to enhance their relationship. Some practitioners who may find this Relationship Needs Checklist particularly useful include:
Couples’ therapists
This checklist can be particularly beneficial during times of transition, such as moving in together, getting married, or deciding whether to end a relationship. Couples' therapists may find it particularly useful to guide their clients through targeted conversations about needs, foster understanding, and promote effective communication.
Marriage counselors
Marriage counselors can employ the checklist to structure sessions, ensuring a comprehensive exploration of each partner's expectations. Couples considering marriage or looking to improve their marriage can use this checklist to identify areas of concern that they wish to work on in sessions.
Relationship coaches
Relationship coaches may choose to leverage this list to facilitate constructive dialogues and provide practical insights for couples working towards mutual fulfillment.
Counselors and life coaches
Counselors and life coaches can use the checklist to empower individuals with the knowledge of their own needs to assist in building healthier connections with others.
What do the results mean?
There are many ways this free Relationship Needs Checklist could look once finished. Perhaps your client has ended up with all ticked boxes, or perhaps they have a sparse-looking checklist at the end of this activity. While there is no absolute interpretation of this checklist due to the subjectivity of emotional needs and what constitutes a good relationship for your client, here is a simple way to interpret your client's results.
Score of 15 or more
A score of 15 or more indicates that the majority of your client’s needs are being met, and only a few can use some work. That being said, even if many or all of the needs are being met, there may still be therapeutic work to be done. This list is non-exhaustive, and your client may have other needs that are not being met that are indicative of a problem despite a high score in this checklist.
Score of 10–15
A score of 15 or more indicates that your client feels that the majority of their needs are being met, but there are still a reasonable amount of needs that could use some work. Depending on your client’s preferences, values, and feelings towards their present relationship- these needs that were not met could make a good focal point for future couples’ therapy sessions.
Score of 5–10
A score of between 5 and 10 means your client feels that many of their needs are not being met. Focusing on the missing needs is a good starting point, and work can be done on why these needs are not being met, which are most important to your client, and what it would look like if these needs were to be met.
Score of less than 5
A score of less than 5 indicates your client feels that the majority of their needs are not being met. This is indicative of an unhappy relationship and signals that more work can definitely be done on why your client’s needs are not being met, and the best next steps for them.
Why use Carepatron as your Relationship Needs Checklist app?
Carepatron offers a comprehensive range of time-saving solutions designed to streamline administrative tasks. Using Carepatron as your Relationship Checklist app provides access not only to its template within the app but also to a library of assessments, intake forms, chart templates, and more.
Carepatron simplifies note-taking, saving time while enhancing accuracy with AI-powered medical dictation software. Benefit from the convenience of both desktop and mobile platforms, granting access at any time and from any location.
Carepatron’s integrated telehealth platform facilitates seamless video sessions, fostering efficient client communication. Your clients can also benefit from dedicated patient portal software, facilitating appointment booking, accessing their records, and communicating with you.
Carepatron's robust features include scheduling, medical coding software, automated billing, appointment reminders, and a global community of healthcare practitioners dedicated to delivering optimal care.
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References
Lee, J., Gillath, O., & Miller, A. (2019). Effects of self- and partner’s online disclosure on relationship intimacy and satisfaction. PLOS ONE, 14(3), e0212186. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0212186
Rempel, J. K. , Holmes, J. G. & Zanna, M. P. (1985). Trust in Close Relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49 (1), 95-112.
Yoo, H., Bartle-Haring, S., Day, R. D., & Gangamma, R. (2014). Couple Communication, Emotional and Sexual Intimacy, and Relationship Satisfaction. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 40(4), 275–293. https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2012.751072
Commonly asked questions
Relationship Needs Checklists are often used when individuals want to assess and communicate their emotional, physical, and social requirements in a relationship. This could be at the beginning of a new relationship, before making big decisions in an existing relationship, or reflecting on a past relationship.
This resource works just like any other checklist and is scored out of 20. This score can give a rough indication of your client’s satisfaction regarding their relationship needs.
While there are commonalities, not everyone has the exact same relationship needs, as individual preferences, values, and priorities can vary. As such, we have tried to focus on the more universal relationship needs in this resource and have provided space for further comments to be added if needed.
