The Impact of Interviewing Environments on Client Engagement and Communication

1. Interviewing • Range of environments – • office, phone, corridor, home, hospital bedside, car, coffee shop. • Office – think about the pros and cons • Home environment? • On the street? • On line/telephone Discuss the issues we need to consider?

2. Setting • For some the home may be appropriate • But can entail disruptions – TV, visitors, children • Agency worker may feel more at home in the office but does the client? • Think about the impact of the environment on the process of engagement.

3. Practice settings • Different practice settings will have different policies and procedures regarding what can be done by whom and to who. • The mandate of the agency provides the framework for the relationship of worker and client • Need to be clear about the role and purpose of the agency and worker.

4. How clients come into contact • Self referral –initiate own contact • Referral - Someone else refers the client - by phone or in writing • Mandated attendance – legal obligation

5. Beginning the process • Greetings and introductions • Discussing purpose • Confidentiality • Record keeping –the written documentation- notes of progress, assessments, letters • Privacy legislation • Explaining agency limits- confidentiality, note taking , eligibility.

6. Skills • Empathy • Verbal and non verbal communication skills • Questioning

7. Involuntary Clients • Formal court orders • Other forms of compulsion- e.g school insists on a young person seeing a counsellor • Worker is part of the sanction • Try to see the strengths - focus on what the person does well • Belief that everyone has strengths and resources

8. Solution focused • Focus is less on the problem more on the solutions to the problem • Search for exceptions to the problem • Encourage appropriate goals - how things will be different when the problem is no longer there • Encourage pro social actions and encourage and praise • Challenge anti social actions

9. Problem solving Model • Identify the issues of concern • Identify what to work on first -priority • Why is the client a client? EG a drug problem – then focus on this first • Goals are specified in relation to the problem i.e what specifically do they want to achieve? • Strategies are developed/contract is agreed • Review is ongoing • Use alongside a strengths focus.

10. Think about • Barriers -not easy to ask for and receive help • Fears and anxieties • Involuntary clients • Is the agency accessible? • Appearance and physical location • Friendliness of staff • Reception • Furniture/tea/coffee/play area

11. Common Anxieties of the worker • Not being able to help • Causing harm • Fear of hostility • Fear of loss of control of the interview • Fear of rejection and aggression • Fear of painful feeling brought up by the client’s situation • Other?

12. Activity • Exercise – short practice session • Partialising and sorting • Practice exercises - triads

13. Practice Interviews • Think of a real conflict or difficulty • Interview the person asking for a general outline about the situation and about the feelings attached • Search for facts- give me specific examples and information of what was said, what you did, what happened next etc, • Search for feelings How did you feel when this happened? Search for meaning - what does this all mean to you? Bring out facts feelings and meaning.

14. Interviews • Refer to interview structure hand out • Refer to interview checklist hand out. • Practice your skills!