Introduction
“Interview is one of the most
important technique used in counseling. It is a two-way conversation with a
specific purpose. Interview are of different types such as structured,
unstructured, semi-structured or intake interview. In counseling all four types
of interview are used. The interview is used to collect all information
relevant to the problem. The information so collected will help in exact
diagnosis of the psychological disorder. The interview remains one of the most
used information collection tools in clinical, industrial, counseling agencies,
schools and correctional settings.
Definition
Interview is a method for gathering data
or information about individual” (Kaplan & Saccuzzo, 2005). The interview
is a conversation with a clearly defined objective. The interview is a type of intentional
and directed conversation. It is regulated and directed by interviewer or sometimes
called as therapist.
Points
Psychologists to Remember for Interview
1. Interview must be focused and directive.
2. It should be characterized by respect,
empathy, active
listening,
and continuous attention to shifts in affect and tone.
3. The tone, format, and direction of the
interview is unique to each client.
4. The interviewer must remain
non-judgmental throughout the interview.
5. Clinical interview is beyond the normal
information collecting process rather the interviewee should try to draw a
complete picture of the psychological problem of the client.
6. The client should be asked about the
intensity, frequency, and duration of symptoms, and any history of substance
abuse or suicidal or homicidal ideation.
7. The tone of the interview should be one
of helpfulness and friendliness so as to minimize the immediate barriers to
forthright communication.
Characteristics
of Interview
1. Attitude of interviewer and interviewee
– Communication and assessment are the domain of interviewer. The interviewer
must be genuine because the initial interaction sets the course of future
sessions and degree of personal information shared by the interviewee.
Interviewee should be capable to communicate, translate the emotions and
thoughts into words.
2. Conducive environment –
The responsibility of feeling-at-ease environment rests with the interviewer.
The questions that can create embarrassment to the client must be avoided at
any cost. The interview must not be inquisitive or probing type rather it
should be self-divulging and of volunteer nature where client feels comfortable
to be self-exploratory.
3. Interviewer’s responses
– The responses that encourages the client to share more should be exhibited by
the interviewer. It happens only when interviewer is a genuine unbiased
non-judgmental listener, giving enough room to the client to express freely,
being contextual, and ask questions only at appropriate times. Many times it
occurs that the views expressed by interviewee are not compatible with the
thought process or belief system of the interviewer in that case to interviewer
should encourage the client to continue expressing himself.
4. Measuring understanding
– The basis for understanding other’s ideas and expressions is the level of
empathy. The higher the empathy in the interviewer better he will be able to
understand the point of view of the client.
5. Recording responses
– The responses of the clients must be recorded in some form. For digital
recording the client’s consent is must. The recordings are of great help at the
later stage.
6. Interview is different from communication
– Interview is a type of communication but it has got its own purpose. It is
directed and designed to achieve certain objectives. In this technique the
roles of interviewer and interviewee are clearly defined.
Purpose
of Interview
1. To gain insight about the interviewee.
2. To build rapport.
3. To develop shared understanding with the
client.
4. To collect information specific to the
cause.
5. To communicate and converse in an
objective way.
6. Diagnosis.
7. To draw a clear picture of interviewee
problem.
8. To develop an information platform for
problem Identification and exploration.
9. Steering the interview process in the
intended lines.
10. Planning and preparation for dealing with
client’s distress.
Questions
that must be included in Clinical Interview
(i) What does life look like for the client
and does it work well?
(ii) How have his or her symptoms become so
salient?
(iii) What has he or she already tried to
alleviate suffering?
(iv) What has brought the client to seek
treatment now?
(v) Are there significant social supports in
his or her life?
(vi) Are there roadblocks in place that will
make treatment difficult?
Types
of Interview
(i) Structured Interview
– Questions to be asked are planned in advance. During the interview only these
questions are asked in the set sequence only. This is used when similar
information is required from several clients or from the same individual at different
point of time or occasion. It is considered more reliable and valid. The major
limitation of this method is that it relies exclusively on respondents.
(ii) Unstructured Interview
- The interviewer asks questions depending upon the needs of the client, the
order and sequence of questions can be changed, modified etc. The new questions
can be added and irrelevant questions can be deleted altogether. Questions can
be asked as per the flow of communication. The advantage of this type of
interview is flexibility. The unstructured interviews are less reliable and
more prone to error than structured interviews.
(iii) Semi Structured Interview
- Semi structured interview contains the features of both the methods. It is
used in order to minimize the disadvantages of both methods. Certain questions
are always asked, but there is freedom to add more questions depending upon the
situation.
(iv) Intake Interview
- The interview that occurs in the first meeting. It is done
to
gather information about the problem with which the client has approached the
counselor. This interview includes presenting problem, general life situation,
history and interpersonal functioning. Some time it is also called as ‘history
interview’. It is applied for the provisional diagnosis.
Indicators
of High Anxiety Level
(i) Color of face
(ii) Erratic body movements
(iii) Varying eye contact
(iv) Dryness of the mouth
(v) Pitch of the voice
References:
1. http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/50991/1/Unit-2.pdf
2. https://hbr.org/1964/01/strategies-of-effective-interviewing
3. http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/23936/1/Unit-3.pdf
4. https://connect.springerpub.com/content/book/978-0-8261-9916-4/chapter/ch01.
*******
No comments:
Post a Comment