Week 3 Discussion: Challenges In Unstructured Interviews

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Week 3 Discussion challenges in unstructured interviews “Tell me about your relationship with your daughter.†“How satisfied were you with the services provided by your last family center?†“Describe a time when you thought your alcohol usage affected your job performance.†Unstructured interviews using questions like these often are used to gather information that might be subjective or specific to only one person. An unstructured interview is a conversation-based approach that is especially helpful in establishing rapport between interviewer and interviewee. Unstructured interviewers use strategies such as active listening and paraphrasing and summarizing, among others. A challenge with unstructured interviews is that interviewees tend to deliberately or subconsciously avoid subjects that make them uncomfortable.

This can make it difficult to accomplish the goals of the interview. In this Discussion, you will explore the challenges of unstructured interviews and consider strategies for maintaining focus to accomplish interview goals. To prepare for this Discussion: Review the information in Chapter 2 in your course text, The Helping Process: Assessment to Termination. Focus on the section titled “Structured and Unstructured Interviews.” Review the information in Chapter 4 in your course text, The Helping Process: Assessment to Termination. Focus on the section titled “Closed and Open Inquiries.” Read the information in Chapter 6 in your course text, The Helping Process: Assessment to Termination. Focus on the section titled “Gathering Additional Information,” particularly the subsection titled “Interviewing.” Read the article, “The Unstructured Clinical Interview.” Reflect on the challenges of completing a successful unstructured interview. How would you determine what questions to ask? How would you control the topics covered? Consider the following scenario: You are a human services professional who works for an organization that offers parenting classes. A woman has been referred to the program because she has lost custody of her baby and must take the classes in order to regain custody. You are asked to interview her to determine her eligibility for the program and the type of parenting classes that would be the most helpful. She starts out answering your questions, but soon veers into a tirade against the food at the hospital where she gave birth and how badly the nurses treated her. With these thoughts in mind: Post a description of two strategies you might use to elicit the information you need from the woman in the scenario while still maintaining focus. Justify the strategies you selected using the Learning Resources.

Paper For Above instruction

Unstructured interviews serve as vital tools in human services for fostering rapport and gathering detailed personal information. However, they pose unique challenges, especially in maintaining focus and obtaining specific data necessary for assessment and intervention planning. In scenarios such as evaluating a woman's eligibility for parenting classes after losing custody, it is essential to employ effective strategies that balance openness with directed inquiry. Two effective strategies to elicit relevant information while maintaining focus are the use of reflective listening coupled with gentle redirection, and the implementation of structured yet flexible questioning frameworks.

The first strategy, reflective listening, involves attentively hearing the client's remarks and paraphrasing or summarizing her statements to confirm understanding and demonstrate empathy. This technique encourages the client to continue sharing relevant experiences while subtly guiding her back to the primary topic when she deviates. For example, if the woman begins criticizing hospital staff, the interviewer might respond, “It sounds like your experience at the hospital was very upsetting for you. I appreciate you sharing that. I’d like to understand more about your current parenting situation—can you tell me how you’ve been caring for your baby since the custody issue?” This approach validates her feelings but gently steers the conversation toward relevant content, aligning with principles discussed in Chapter 6 of the course text, which emphasizes active listening and focusing on gathering pertinent information (The Helping Process, 2023).

The second strategy involves the use of structured, yet adaptable, questioning frameworks based on open-ended questions designed to cover essential areas without allowing the conversation to veer completely off-topic. This can include prepared questions or themes that guide the interview, such as questions about her current living situation, her involvement with her child, and her understanding of parenting skills. During the interview, the interviewer can employ probing questions like, “Can you tell me more about your daily routine with your baby?” or, “What do you feel are your strengths as a mother?” If the conversation drifts toward unrelated grievances, the interviewer can acknowledge her feelings and then redirect: “That’s important to share. I also want to understand your current circumstances. Could you tell me how you’ve been managing since the custody change?” This method aligns with the techniques discussed in Chapter 4, emphasizing the importance of guided inquiry to gather specific information in a flexible manner.

These strategies are supported by research indicating that combining active listening with guided questioning helps maintain interview focus while respecting the client’s emotional expression (Lamb et al., 2020). Using reflective listening demonstrates empathetic engagement, which helps clients feel heard and reduces their defensiveness, making it easier to address sensitive topics. Meanwhile, structured yet flexible questions ensure that the interview covers critical assessment areas without becoming sidetracked by unrelated content. Together, these approaches facilitate the collection of comprehensive, relevant data that informs effective intervention planning, particularly in complex cases like the scenario described.

References

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