Interview Questions Flashcards
A client has covered his room in small pieces of silver foil. Generate a number of alternative ideas about why he might have done this.
- The first thing I would want to do is ask the client, rather than making assumptions or speculating. But taking the question at face value…
- The first thing that comes to mind is that it might relate to a delusion or hallucination of some kind.
- Having said that, I really try to avoid assuming that a behaviour is pathological without good reason.
- Something that’s really shaped my views on this was watching a TED talk by a woman living with schizophrenia. She recounted that while at university, she was a presenter on a student news broadcast. She told her psychologist that she was going to be reading the news that afternoon. She later found out that the psychologist had labelled this statement as a delusion in his notes.
- So, let me try again. Maybe the foil reflects the light and creates rainbows. Maybe he has an ant problem and ants hate foil.
If you had to complete an assessment on a client who, for unknown reasons, would not co-operate, speak to you, refused to come to your office or wanted nothing to do with you, how would you complete the assessment?
- The first thing I would consider is consent. This behaviour gives me the impression that they do not consent to the assessment. If I were unable to contact the client, I would send an email explaining that I’m interpretating the behaviour as a withdrawal of consent, and I will therefore stop attempting to contact them. I would make sure I let them know that I would always be glad to hear from them in the future if they would like to contact me.
- If the client is a child, incapable of giving consent, or if there’s some legal mandate that they receive the assessment, there would be an ethical conflict between autonomy and beneficence. I would attempt to discuss the issue with them and their caregivers, and work out whether there’s a different approach that might work better for them.
Are there any problems or demographics you don’t you want to work with, and why?
If you did not get accepted into Clinical, for whatever reason, do you know what you would like to do otherwise?
- My plan is that if I don’t get accepted to a Clinical Masters this year, I’ll take a year to get some more work experience and try again next year.
- In that case, I would also apply for professional psychology programs with the goal of eventually doing a second postgraduate course to gain clinical endorsement afterwards.
- If I still don’t get accepted after that, I will have to re-evaluate, do a lot of reflection, and make a new plan.
Why psychology rather than psychiatry/ counseling?
Why Masters?
Which areas of clinical psychology would you like to work in when you qualify? / Where do you see yourself in the future?
- I’m planning to spend the first few years after I graduate trying out different things. I want to get a bit of experience with different environments like hospitals, private practice, and community services. I also want to try out working with different age groups and different kinds of problems. - In my support work job, I found it especially rewarding to work with people experiencing mood disorders, ADHD, and psychosis.
- This is only tentative, but I think I eventually want to work in private practice. Long-term, I love the idea of starting my own group practice. I have some experience running a small business, and that would let me combine my business skills with my passion for psychology.
What would you be doing if you were not in psychology?
- In the past, I’ve considered doing similar work like psychiatry, counselling, or social work, but I decided that clinical psychology was the best fit for my values.
- If I were to do something beyond mental health, I would probably go back to running my business. I had a small business for five years called Mind Over Batter. I made cakes for weddings, birthdays, and corporate events.
What do you do for fun?
- I have lots of hobbies.
- In high school I took circus classes, so I can juggle and ride a unicycle.
- I do a lot of gardening on my tiny balcony. - I do lots of different arts and crafts - at the moment it’s mostly candle making.
- I love cake decorating, and I had a business doing it for five years.
- I take salsa and bachata dance classes with my partner.
- I also love reading and learning about random things. At the moment I’m really interested in evolutionary biology.
What methods do you have for coping with stress?
- I find journaling and mindfulness very helpful
- In my support work role, I had access to group and individual supervision. I found that was incredibly helpful when I was stressed about a client or something that had happened.
- I go to the gym a few times a week, and that’s been really good for my mental health
Can you describe a situation at work that you have found overwhelming and how did you deal with that?
- In my support work role, one of my long-term clients had a tendency to run onto the road, into traffic, when she got very upset or angry.
- During the year I worked with her, it happened twice while I was on shift with her.
- It was incredibly stressful both times. I could feel my heart racing and I was full of adrenaline. I was glad to find that I was able to stay calm, think things through, and handle the situation as well as possible. I’d anticipated the risk of this happening, and I’d discussed in advance with the client and my supervisor what I should do if it happened. By using de-escalation techniques and my rapport with the client, I was able to resolve the situation without anything bad happening, and without the client actually running into traffic.
- Afterwards, I found that it took a while for the adrenaline to leave my body, but I was able to stay calm and professional, and finish the rest of my shifts for the day.
- After I finished work, I found it helpful to debrief with my supervisor to make sure that all the risks were being documented and managed. Some of the other things that helped were taking a bath, journalling, and mindfulness. Sometimes it also helps to do calming hobbies like candle making or baking.
How would you judge the quality of a paper?
How would you carry out a literature review?
Tell me about your thesis topic
What is the most challenging or frustrating thing about research for you?
Describe a research project you would do if you had unlimited funds?
Tell me about yourself
Why are you a good fit for the program?
What is your greatest accomplishment? / in your clinical work
Have a bit of humility. Connect your achievement to your future and your passions.
What are your strengths?
(“I’ve been told that I…”)
What are your weaknesses?
What were some challenges you faced in support work? How did you handle them?
What were some challenges you faced in your reception role? How did you handle them?
How would your best friend describe you?
Could you please outline your relevant experience?
Describe a personal experience that has shaped your professional life.
How do you intend to improve yourself?
What is a specific mistake that you have made and how did you learn from it?
How do you feel about working with clients? Any fears? How do you feel about doing therapy?
What do you hope to get out of clinical training?
