The questions to explore ask about recovery, spirituality, personal growth, and other relevant topics. As a counselor, I’ve used the questions with adults who struggle with mental illness and addiction, mostly in a group setting.
Asking open-ended questions is a basic counseling skill. Open questions invite the client to explore his or her thoughts, beliefs, and ideas. In contrast, closed questions can be answered with a yes or no.
The first section, “Conversation Starters,” is comprised of questions to explore that can be used as icebreakers, at a party, or even on a date. In a clinical setting, use a “Conversation Starter” as a group check-in. It provides an opportunity for group members to engage and to learn about their peers.
Click below for a free printable handout that includes questions to explore from each category:
Questions to Explore Values, Ideas, & Beliefs
Conversation Starters
- What is the most interesting thing you heard this week?
- What’s the one thing you really want to do but have never done, and why?
- Would you take a shot if the chance of failure and success is 50-50?
- Which one would you prefer; taking a luxurious trip alone or having a picnic with people you love?
- If your life was a book, what would the title be?
- If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?
- What is your favorite day of the week and why?
- What do you do when you’re bored?
- Shoe size?
- Favorite color?
- Favorite band (or artist)?
- Favorite animal?
- Favorite food?
- One food you dislike?
- Favorite condiment?
- Favorite movie?
- Last movie you saw in a theater?
- Last book read?
- Best vacation?
- Favorite toy as a child?
- One item you should throw away, but probably never will?
- Superman, Batman, Spiderman, or Wonder Woman?
- Chocolate or vanilla?
- Morning person or night owl?
- Cats or dogs?
- Sweet or salty?
- Breakfast or dinner?
- Coffee or tea?
- American food, Italian food, Mexican food, Chinese food, or other?
- Clean or messy?
- What is your favorite breakfast food?
- What vegetable would you like to grow in a garden?
- Tell about a childhood game you loved.
- What’s your favorite dessert?
- What’s your favorite month of the year and why?
- Who is your favorite celebrity?
- Which celebrity do you most resemble?
- If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
- Share about one of your hobbies.
- What’s a unique talent that you have?
- Introvert or extrovert?
- Describe yourself in three words.
- Tell about a happy childhood memory.
- Name three things (or people) that make you smile.
Questions to Explore Mental Health & Addiction
- On a scale from 1 to 10, where are you at in your recovery and what does that number mean to you?
- Tell about a healthy risk you have taken this week.
- What brought you to treatment?
- How has your life changed since getting clean and sober?
- What do you miss the most about drug/alcohol?
- What would your life be like if you weren’t addicted to something?
- What makes your addiction possible?
- What are your triggers?
- Name at least three ways you can cope with cravings.
- Name three of your relapse warning signs.
- Tell about someone who is supportive of your recovery.
- What’s one thing you wish everyone knew about mental illness?
- Is it okay to take medications if you’re in recovery?
- Is it possible to get clean/sober without AA or NA?
- Do you have a sponsor? What’s helpful and what’s not?
- Do you think you’re going to relapse?
- What’s the difference between helping and enabling?
- Tell about a time you were in denial.
- Do you have an enabler? Explain.
- Is it possible for someone in recovery for drugs to be a social drinker?
- How have drugs and alcohol affected your health?
- Is addiction a disease?
Questions to Explore Personal Development & Values
- Are you doing what you truly want in life?
- What are your aspirations in life?
- How many promises have you made this past year and how many of them have you fulfilled?
- Are you proud of what you’re doing with your life or what you’ve done in the past? Explain.
- Have you ever abandoned a creative idea that you believed in because others thought you were a fool? Explain.
- What would you prefer? Stable but boring work or interesting work with lots of workload?
- Are you making an impact or constantly being influenced by the world?
- Which makes you happier, to forgive someone or to hold a grudge? Explain.
- Who do you admire and why?
- What are your strengths?
- What are your weaknesses?
- Are you doing anything that makes you and people around you happy?
- Tell about a short-term goal you have.
- Tell about a health goal you have.
- Tell about a long-term goal you have.
- Tell about a value that is currently important to you.
- What do you like most about yourself?
- What do you like least about yourself?
- What in life brings you joy?
- What are you grateful for?
- Who is the most influential person in your life and why?
- Tell about one dream you have always had, but are too afraid to chase.
- What is something you want to change about yourself and what are two things you can do to accomplish this?
- Describe your perfect world. (Who would be in it, what would you be doing, etc.)
- Where were you one year ago, where are you now, and where do you want to be a year from today?
- Share about a character flaw you have.
- What kind of a person do you want to be?
- When is the last time you helped someone and what did you do?
- Tell about a problem you have right now. What can you do to solve it?
Family & Relationships
- Have you ever failed anyone who you loved or loved you? Explain.
- Who is your favorite person?
- What was it like growing up in your family?
- What makes someone a good friend?
- What happens when you’re rejected?
- What makes a relationship healthy or unhealthy?
- Would you rather break someone’s heart or have your heart broken?
Education & Career
- As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
- Tell about something you do well.
- What’s your dream job?
- What are your career goals?
- What classes would you be most interested in taking?
- Tell about a job you would hate doing.
- Would you prefer to work with people or by yourself?
- Would you ever do a job that was dangerous if it paid a lot of money?
- Would you still work if you didn’t have to?
- What do you want to do when you retire?
- If you have a job, what do you like about it? Dislike?
- How do you deal with difficult co-workers?
- What qualities would you like your supervisor to have?
Emotions
- When was the last time you laughed, and what did you laugh at?
- If happiness was a currency, how rich would you be?
- How do you express happiness?
- What are three healthy ways you can cope with anger?
- What are three healthy ways you can cope with anxiety?
- What does being happy mean to you?
- If your mood was a weather forecast, what would it be?
- Tell about a time you were happy.
- Tell about a time you were heartbroken.
- What is the difference between guilt and shame?
- Is guilt a healthy emotion?
- Can guilt be excessive?
- Is there a such thing as “healthy shame”?
- What makes you happy?
- What makes you mad?
- When do you feel afraid?
- When do you feel lonely?
- Share about the last time you felt guilty.
- What embarrasses you?
Questions to Explore Spirituality
- How does one practice forgiveness (of self and others) from a religious point of view and from a non-religious point of view?
- What does it mean to forgive?
- Do you have to forgive to move forward?
- What brings you meaning in life?
- How do you define spirituality?
- What’s the difference between religion and spirituality?
- When do you feel most at peace?
- Do you meditate? Why or why not?
Additional Thought-Provoking Questions
- If you could travel to the past in a time machine, what advice would you give to the 6-year-old you? Would you break the rules because of something/someone you care about?
- Are you afraid of making mistakes? Why or why not?
- If you cloned yourself, which of your characteristics would you not want cloned?
- What’s the difference between you and most other people?
- Consider the thing you last cried about; does it matter to you now or will it matter to you 5 years from now?
- What do you need to let go of in life?
- Do you remember anyone you hated 10 years ago? Does it matter now?
- What are you worrying about and what happens if you stop worrying about it?
- If you died now, would you have any regrets?
- What’s the one thing you’re most satisfied with?
- If today was the end of the world, what would you do?
- What would you do if you won the lottery?
- If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
- How do you think others see you?
- What is your biggest fear?
- How do you get someone’s attention?
- What masks do you wear?
- Tell about a poor decision you made.
- When is the last time you failed at something? How did you handle it?
