Psychiatric rehabilitation differs from traditional approaches to mental health, because it places much greater emphasis on the importance of the person's relationship with the environment. In psychiatric rehabilitation, the importance is not placed on finding a cure for the client's mental illness; rather, what matters is the ability to hold a job, to live independently, and to enjoy a reasonably happy life. Interviewing, as it is ordinarily taught, focuses on the thoughts, feelings, and internal responses of the person being interviewed. This paper presents characteristics of behavioral interviewing, an assessment tool designed to identify information of value in helping persons with psychiatric disabilities live more adaptive lives. The behavioral interview approach is two sided, and is consistent with the psychiatric rehabilitation model because both the person and the environment are important focal points in the assessment process. The central defining feature of a behavioral interview is the attempt to elicit objective and verifiable descriptions of events. The following dimensions of behavior about which can be inquired are discussed: frequency, variety, intensity, consequences, amount, rate, direction, latency, conditions, and duration. Contains a table of questions asked in behavioral interviews contrasted with questions typically asked in a standard counseling interview. (JBJ)