Assignment 3

Social Work Interviewing Skills Work | Job  Interviews | Post-­Interview  Follow-­Up By Ashley Miller Updated  June  29,  2018

         

Before rushing into interview questions on lengthy agency forms, build rapport and show respect. Chatting casually about everyday life helps establish a personal connection. Avoid coming across like you're just there to do your job. The purpose of a social work interview is to gather information about the client's history, needs and strengths. Developing strong interviewing skills is vital, because asking the wrong questions or responding inappropriately to your client's comments can shut down communication and hinder your overall effectiveness as a professional social worker.

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Provide  a  Comfortable  Setting

One of the most important social work interviewing skills is creating a safe space for your clients. A supportive environment lets your clients know that it's OK to open up and let down their guard. It helps promote a feeling of respect and equality between you and your client. Methods for promoting this type of safe treatment environment vary from one social worker to another. Examples include arranging your o ce space so that you and your client are seated opposite each other, without a table or desk in between to create a power differential, or asking your clients to refer to you by your rst name instead of "Mr." or "Ms."

Ask  Open-­ended  Questions

Asking the right questions is a foundation of any social work interview. However, your questions need to have a purpose and should not be based on your own personal curiosity about a client. Phrasing questions in open-ended form, when possible and appropriate to the function of your interview, shows your clients that you are interested and open to hearing what they have to say. An open-ended question is one that cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no" answer or just a few words. Questions with those kinds of brief answers are referred to as "closed-ended questions." An example of a closed-ended question is, "What do you do for a living?" whereas an open-ended question might be phrased as "Can you tell me about your job?" Open-ended questions encourage clients to open up and talk about themselves, thereby facilitating growth and insight.

Practice  Active  Listening

Active listening is a social work interview technique that helps clients feel heard and understood. Active listening involves the combination of talking and listening skills to convey empathy for your client's problem or situation. During active listening, you use mirroring techniques to paraphrase and re ect back to a client what he or she has just said. For example, a client may say, "I hate my spouse when he yells at me. He makes me feel like a child." An active listening response might involve saying something such as "So you feel like your spouse doesn't respect you or treat you like an equal partner." Each response needs to be tailored to what your clients are saying to demonstrate that you are truly

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listening and engaged in what they are revealing to you.

Reflect  and  Interpret

Interpretation is an interviewing skill that should only be used when you've gathered enough information about a client to make an informed, educated analysis of the situation or problem at hand. It's important not to jump to conclusions or make connections between events that aren't actually related. During interpretation, you help make connections that might not seem obvious to the client but may be clear to you as a trained social worker. For example, you might re ect back to an unemployed client, "Perhaps, you felt inadequate during your job interview because of the time your previous employer told you you'd never get another job in this eld again."

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References

About the Author Ashley Miller is a licensed social worker, psychotherapist, certi ed Reiki practitioner, yoga enthusiast and aromatherapist. She has also worked as an employee assistance program counselor and a substance-abuse professional. Miller holds a Master of Social Work and has extensive training in mental health diagnosis, as well as child and adolescent psychotherapy. She also has a bachelor's degree in music.

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