Skills and Techniques for Interviewing and Counseling Flashcards
What are some general suggestions for skills and techniques for interviewing and counseling?
Beforehand, learn as much as possible about the person
Beginning: Make clear how much time there is
Use interviews to confirm information
Don’t let people wander (take the whole conversation)
double check inconsistencies tactfully
What are some things we can say or use as seaways to get the conversation back on track?
Speaking of that…”
“That reminds me of something you said earlier”
“Along those lines…”
“That brings up a good point…”
What were some things that rosslyn delmonico said about ways to shift topic?
“that makes me think of”
“by the way”
“on a completely different topic”
what are response antecedents
things a person said earlier and making a bridge to what they just said right now
For example: “When you mentioned that Joey stutters more on the playground, it reminded me that you talked about his sister teasing him at home. Can you tell me more about this situation?”
another example:“You talking about your husband’s moodiness after his stroke reminds me of something you said earlier. You had talked about the fact that before his stroke, he had a really calm personality. Tell me more about the difference you see between him before the stroke and him now.”
How can we double-check inconsistencies tactfully?
NOT: “Earlier, you said something different. Which fact is accurate?”
INSTEAD: “I’m confused. Earlier, I thought I heard you say that ABC. Now I am hearing XYZ. Can you help me understand which one is correct?”
If we don’t know the answer to a question, or are unfamiliar with certain information, what can we say?
“I am not as familiar with that particular therapy technique, but I will do some research on it and get back to you. Why don’t we discuss it then?”
If you run out time and the person still wants to talk what are some things you can say?
“I’m so sorry—I have another meeting in 5 minutes. Why don’t we set up another appointment so I can hear the rest of what you want to say?”
“I hate to cut this short, but there is another parent waiting for a meeting. Here is my business card and email address—please feel free to email me and we can discuss this further.”
Describe the psychology of email
The more prompt your reply, the more likely the person is to send you more emails
Let 1-2 days lapse before you answer
How are silences different in america vs. other cultures?
for Americans it’s uncomfortable but in many cultures, silences are expected
What does research show about silences?
Silences more than 5 seconds result in shorter verbalizations from interviewees
Short silences of 5 seconds or less—helpful because people are given time to think; often encouraged to say more
What are guggles?
Less obvious and less powerful than interruptions—more subtle
Redirect conversation
What are the types of verbal behaviors?
orientations
encouragers
interpretations
Describe orientations
At beginning, state what interview is about
If digressions occur, orientations get the meeting back on track
For example: Let’s say that the mother of Precious P. begins talking about Precious’ worthless father who ran off
You can say “I’m so sorry that happened. Being a single parent has to be so challenging. It must be especially challenging when Precious doesn’t seem to follow the directions you give her. Let’s get back to talking about the results of the language testing I conducted. When I asked Precious to follow directions, she…”
Describe encouragers
Social reinforcers that help people to say more
Describe interpretations
Verbalizations that describe WHY behaviors, events, or feelings have occurred
Goal: Provide new perspective for a client
Careful—people can get mad
Example of an interpretation : With Oscar’s mother, who is “too depressed” to take him for a necessary orthodontia evaluation, you can say: “It would be very natural to be depressed when the baby is always sick, your husband is gone a lot, and you feel so alone. I’m wondering too if the idea of braces right now feels really overwhelming, given everything else that you are dealing with.”
What are some nonverbal behaviors
touch
facial expressions
eye contact
head nodding
body posture and leaning
Describe touch
use it carefully
Sometimes I will briefly touch someone on the arm, hand, or shoulder to convey sympathy
Helpful if appropriate
Describe facial expressions
Rosslyn Delmonico (8/10/15): 60% of communication is body language, 30% is our voice (tone), words are 10%
Describe eye contact
People generally appreciate direct eye contact
Very cultural
Describe head nodding
Positive head nodding encourages a person to keep going and say more
Describe body posture and leaning
Leaning backward often conveys negative feelings and disinterest
Leaning forward indicates interest, respect, liking.
What are some “fundamental techniques” to counseling?
summaries
reflections
confrontations
self-disclosure
repetitions
Describe summaries
At the end of a session to highlight and review major points
(with Cody’s grandma) “Dolores, thanks so much for coming. During this meeting, our school nurse Mike Wong shared that it is important to see Cody’s pediatrician about possible juvenile diabetes. I said that I will continue seeing Cody for speech to work on his sounds. Lastly, Judy Wynn, our resource specialist, will test Cody’s reading and writing skills next month to see if he needs resource assistance. Are there any questions?”
VERY useful for keeping things moving!
“Mr. Brown, thanks so much for sharing about how you felt when you stuttered as a child. As I just said, Neil is very embarrassed about his stuttering just as you were. Again, my testing revealed that he is a moderately severe stutterer. Let’s talk about some specific strategies that will help him become more fluent.”
Describe reflections
Careful—irritating if overused. Repeat portion of client’s previous utterance.
“When I tell cody to do something at home, he doesn’t listen.” —“Doesn’t listen?”
Describe confrontations
Confrontations enable clients to deal with realities that they might avoid or deny. “You said ____, but____”
Describe self-disclosure
Keep it brief
Helps people feel understood
example: “My own Mark received 2 years of occupational therapy and 1.5 years of vision therapy because his fine motor and reading comprehension skills were so low. I know how hard it is to see your child struggle to read basic books when all his classmates are reading Harry Potter. I think that an evaluation by a neurodevelopmental optometrist might be helpful for Sam.”
Another example: “I know how hard it is to see a loved older family member with dementia. I remember when my grandma had Alzheimer’s—it was so sad to see her deteriorate.”
Describe repetitions
help people remember
to not be insulting, rephrase each time
rephrase and add a little bit more information each time
What are the different types of questions in an interview?
primary questions
secondary questions
closed questions
open question
Describe Primary Questions
Introduce new topics or new areas within a topic
Describe Secondary Questions
Follow up—more detail
Describe Closed Questions
Highly structured
“How old was Benny when he began to talk?”
“Is Jenny frustrated by her speech?”
Helpful when interviewees love to talk on….
Do not encourage a person to give details; may be a good thing!
Helpful when interviewees are shy or intimidated by you
Easy to control; answers are short
Describe Open Questions
Allow a lot of latitude
Draw a client out
Encourage answers that may be more accurate
Can be time-consuming
