Each answer is worth 0 to 4 points, for a total between 0 and 40. Four questions about coping are scored in reverse, so feeling in control lowers your score. 0–13 is low, 14–26 is moderate, and 27–40 is high perceived stress.

It shows how stressed you've felt over the last month, based on how often certain thoughts and feelings came up. It's a snapshot, not a verdict. It doesn't say why you feel this way, or what you should do about it. That's what a conversation is for.

Trust yourself first. A short check can miss context, like a hard week that skewed your answers, or stress you've gotten used to and no longer notice. If the result feels off in either direction, that's worth talking about too.

Once every few weeks is enough. Because it looks back over the last month, retaking it more often won't show much change. Many people use it to notice how things shift over time, before and after starting sessions.

Only your score and level are shared, never your individual answers. Your therapist reads it before your first call, so you can skip the long introductions and start with what matters most to you. You can choose not to share it at any point.