it terms

Techniques for Interviewing Dr. Clinical Psychologist Aslidila Akiş

Asking Questions

  • Clinical interviewers go beyond listening and evaluate clients through skilled questioning.

  • Interviewers may encourage clients to take certain adaptive actions.

  • Learning Objectives:

    • Range of questions suitable for interviews; their usage and effects (including side effects).

    • Benefits and responsibilities of questioning.

    • Inappropriate or unethical questions.

    • General guidelines for question-asking in interviews.

Importance of Questions

  • Questions are essential tools for interviews.

  • Varying methods and skills should be applied, not solely depending on questions.

  • General Question Types:

    • Open-ended questions

    • Closed-ended questions

Advantages of Asking Questions

  • Open questions promote deeper discussion of clients' thoughts and feelings.

  • Closed questions help clarify difficult information.

  • Authoritative questioning can relieve some clients, providing clarity on discussion topics.

  • Questions clarify and identify client issues.

  • Excellent for eliciting specific, concrete client behaviors.

  • Critical in diagnostic interviews; preferred by some clients for structure.

  • Control over the interview is maintained through skillful questioning.

Disadvantages of Asking Questions

  • Focus on the interviewer's curiosity rather than the client's needs.

  • Power dynamics may result in defensive responses.

  • Excessive questioning may lead to client passivity and dependency on the interviewer.

  • Paradox: Seeking information through questions can hinder client assertiveness.

Open-ended Questions

  • Require more than yes or no responses; prompt detailed client information.

  • Use 'why' questions sparingly to avoid defensiveness.

  • Appropriate in positive relationships for deeper exploration of thoughts.

Closed-ended Questions

  • Answered simply with 'yes' or 'no'; guide client responses.

  • Common in diagnostic interviews, can start non-directive and then shift to closed types.

Curiosity and Ethics

  • Counselors should avoid asking questions solely to satisfy personal curiosity.

  • Ethical implications arise when interviewers ask inappropriate questions.

Best Practices for Questioning

  • Five Guidelines:

    1. Prepare clients for questioning.

    2. Avoid over-reliance on questions during listening.

    3. Relate questions to clients' concerns.

    4. Elicit specific behavior examples through questions.

    5. Approach sensitive topics with care.

Relationship in Clinical Interviewing

  • Agreeableness and unconditional positive acceptance are essential for true empathy.

  • Psychoanalytic and interpersonal factors, e.g., transference and therapeutic alliance, affect interviewer-client dynamics.

Carl Rogers' Contribution

  • Author of "On Becoming a Person."

  • Advocated for humanistic psychology, emphasizing what it means to be a therapist; creating a comfortable environment for self-disclosure and exploration.

Three Core Conditions of Therapeutic Relationship

  1. Congruence (Genuineness)

    • Therapist authenticity and openness promote client trust.

    • Engage genuinely, avoiding manipulative behaviors.

  2. Unconditional Positive Regard

    • Acceptance of clients regardless of their behaviors or feelings.

    • Creates a safe and understanding environment.

    • Models behavior and mitigates judges or advice during interactions.

  3. Accurately Empathic (Understanding)

    • Understanding others' perspectives without judgment.

    • Prioritizes client understanding and care.

Empathy

  • Empathy: understanding thoughts and feelings of clients.

    • Involves deep listening to both verbal and non-verbal messages.

    • Responses demonstrate understanding and concern.

Techniques for Empathy

  • Rephrasing verbal and emotional content.

  • Checking accuracy of empathy.

  • Affirmation, summarization, and reflecting deep emotions.

Avoiding Wrong Interventions

  • Avoid statements like "I know how you feel."

  • Inappropriate responses may undermine trust and empathy.

Reminders for Empathetic Listening

  • Avoid evaluative listening; retain neutrality.

  • Pay attention to non-verbal cues.

  • Maintain presence and patience in listening.

Important Terms in Psychoanalytical Approach

  • Transference, Countertransference, Resistance, Therapeutic Alliance.

Transference

  • Reliving childhood feelings toward significant people projected onto the therapist.

  • Not exclusive to psychoanalysis; essential for understanding client behavior.

Types of Transference

  • Positive: affection, trust, admiration transferred to therapist.

  • Negative: hostility, jealousy, distrust manifested in treatment.

Symptoms of Transference

  • Inappropriate intense emotional reactions; signs of resistance arise during sessions.

Countertransference

  • Unconscious emotional reactions of therapists toward clients' transference.

  • Recognized as a tool for understanding rather than an obstacle.

Therapeutic Alliance

  • Professional contract between client and interviewer, crucial for effective therapy.

  • Trust and relational quality impact healing; influenced by clients' past relationships.

Summary

  • Rogers identified key conditions for personal growth: adaptability, unconditional positive acceptance, and accurate empathy.

  • Various relationship factors, including transference and resistance, influence clinical interviews across theoretical orientations.