The Clinical Interview Flashcards
What is closely linked to the identity of clinical psychologists?
Assessment is closely linked to the identity of clinical psychologists.
Are there other mental health professions that incorporate assessment other than clinical psychologists?
No other mental health profession
incorporates assessment into their work as
clinical psychologists do.
What is the most frequent assessment tool?
Clinical interviews are the most
frequent assessment tool
- More than any specific test
- Vast majority of practicing clinical
psychologists use interviews
What are the essential qualities of assessment techniques?
All assessment techniques (including interviews)
should have adequate:
Validity—measures what it claims to measure
Reliability—yields consistent, repeatable results
Clinical utility—benefits the clinician and ultimately the client
What is validity?
Validity is when the test measures what it claims to measure.
What is content validity?
The test has content appropriate for what is being measured.
What is convergent validity?
The test correlates with other techniques that measure the same thing.
What is discriminant validity?
The test does not correlate with techniques that measure something else.
What is reliability?
The test yields consistent, repeatable results.
What is test-retest reliability?
The test yields similar results across multiple administrations at different times.
What is interrater reliability?
The test yields similar results across different administrators.
What is internal reliability?
The test consists of items that are consistent with one another.
What is clinical utility?
The test improves delivery of services or client outcome.
What is feedback?
- Common to all kinds of psychological assessment
- Provide results of tests or interviews
- May be face-to-face, a report, etc.
What are the general skills a clinical psychologist must have?
- Quieting yourself
- Being self-aware
- Develop positive working relationships
What is quieting yourself?
Minimize excessive internal, self-directed thoughts that detract from listening
What is being self-aware?
Know how you tend to affect others interpersonally, and how others tend to relate to you
What is develop positive working relationships?
- Can segue into psychotherapy
2. Respectful and caring attitude is key
What is the specific behavior a clinical interviewer must have?
Listening
What is listening?
the primary task of the interviewer, consisting of numerous building blocks
What are the building blocks of listening?
- Eye contact
- Body language
- Vocal qualities
- Verbal tracking
- Referring to client by proper name
What are the components of the interview?
- Rapport
2. Technique
What is rapport?
- Positive, comfortable relationship between
interviewer and client - How an interviewer is with clients
What is technique?
- What an interviewer does with clients
2. Directive vs. nondirective styles
What are the specific interviewer responses?
- Open-ended questions
- Close-ended questions
- Clarification
- Confrontation
- Paraphrasing
- Reflection of feeling
- Summarizing
What are the open-ended questions?
- Allow individualized and spontaneous responses from clients
- Elicit long answers that may or may not provide necessary info
What are the close-ended questions?
- Allow less elaboration and self-expression by the client
2. Yield quick and precise answers
What is clarification?
Question to make sure the interviewer accurately understands the client’s comments
What is the confrontation?
For discrepancies or inconsistencies in a client’s comments
What is the paraphrasing?
Restatement of client’s comments to show they have been heard
What is reflection of feeling?
Echo client’s emotions, even if not explicitly mentioned
What is summarizing?
Tie together various topics, connect statements that may have been made at different points, and identify themes
What are the pragmatics of the interview?
- Note-taking
- Audio and video recording
- The Interview Room
- Confidentiality
What is note-taking?
- Little consensus about note-taking
2. Provide a reliable written record, but can be distracting to client and interviewer
What is audio and video recording?
- Also provide a reliable record, but can be inhibiting to clients
- Must obtain permission
What is the interview room?
Professional yet comfortable
What is confidentiality?
Explain confidentiality and its limits to clients (e.g., child abuse, intention to harm)
What are the types of interviews?
- Intake interviews
- Diagnostic interviews
- Mental status exam
- Crisis interviews
What are the intake interviews?
To determine whether to “intake” the client
into the agency or refer elsewhere
What are diagnostic interviews?
- To provide DSM diagnosis
- Structured interviews often used
- - Minimize subjectivity, enhance reliability
- - SCID is an example
- – Currently being revised for DSM-5
- - Semi-structured interviews include some structure but also some flexibility or opportunities to improvise
What is a mental status exam?
- Typically used in medical settings
2. To quickly assess how a client is functioning at that time
What are crisis interviews?
- Assess problem and provide immediate intervention
2. Clients are often considering suicide or other harmful act
What are the cultural contexts?
- Appreciating the cultural context
2. Acknowledging cultural differences
What is appreciating the cultural context?
- Knowledge of the client’s culture, as well
as the interviewer’s own culture - For behavior described or exhibited during
interview
What is acknowledging cultural differences?
- Wise to discuss cultural differences rather
than ignore - Sensitive inquiry about a client’s cultural
experiences can be helpful
