Initial Interviewing: what students want to know/ Tricia McClam,

CHAPTER I Introduction to the Initial Interview i
Why Do People Come for Help Today? 2
How Do People Know Where to Go for Help? 2
What Is the Difference Between a Helping Relationship and
a Friendship? 3
What Is the Helping Process? 3
What Are Some of the Professional Organizations That Focus
on Helping Others? 4
How Does the Initial Interview Fit into the Helping Process? 4
What Is an Initial Interview? 5
How Long Is an Initial Interview? 6
Where Does the Initial Interview Take Place? 6
What Exactly Is the Structure of an Initial Interview? 7
Contact and Connection 7
The Essence 7
The Close 7
What Types of Interviews Are There? 8
What Do All Helping Interviews Have in Common? 9
References 10
CHAPTER 2 Contact and Connection n
Why Is the First Contact with the Interviewee so Important? 12
How Does the Interviewee View the First Meeting? 12
How Important Is the First Impression? 13
How Can I Make a Good Initial First Impression? 13
Does the Interview Begin When the Client Walks in the Door? 14
How Do I Arrange the Interview Setting to Facilitate Relationship
Building? 14
What Plans Should I Make for the Interview? 15
Should I Establish Goals for the Interview? 16
How Do I Greet the Interviewee? 16
What About Introductions? 17
What Should I Share About Myself? 17
How Do I Break the Ice? 18
References 21
CHAPTER 3 Rapport and Relationship 22
Why Build a Relationship? 23
What Is Rapport? 23
How Does an Interviewer Achieve Rapport With Another
Person? 23
What Determines if You have Successfully Established Rapport with
the Interviewee? 24
What About That Client Whose World or Behavior Is so Different
from Mine? 24
How Do I Get Another Person to Trust Me? 25
Are There Things I Shouldn't Say? 25
What Is the Best Way to Help the Interviewee Feel Secure in an
interviewing Situation? 26
^ Relationship with a Person Who Comes
w"am Hdp? is Referred but Doesn't
How Do I Help a Person Like This Open Up? 27
What Kind of Nonverbal Behavior Will Help Me Establish a
Relationship During This Initial Encounter? 27
How Do You Use Verbal Communication to Build the Relationship? 28
It Seems Like I Am Getting a Sense of Working Together with the Client.
What Can I Call This? 29
References 3I
CHAPTER 4 Skills and Strategies 32
What Are Those Skills that Will Help Me with Problem^
Identification? 33
Is it Okay to Ask Questions? 34
When Is a Question a Good Idea? 35
What Type of Questions Should I Ask? 35
And How Do I Ask? 36
What Are Some Other Ways to Elicit Information During the
Interview? 36
What is Referral? 37
I've Identified a Client Need that I Can't Meet. Is This When
I Refer? 37
Making a Referral Doesn't Mean I've Failed, Does It? 37
I've Decided to Refer. What's the Key to a Successful Referral? 38
How Will I Know Where to Refer? 39
What Communication Skills Are Going to Be Mpst Useful? 40
Do I Need to Evaluate Referrals? 40
References 43
CHAPTER 5 Data and Documentation 45
What Does Data Have to Do with the Initial Interview? 45
Does Every Interviewee Have a Case File? 46
What Information Do I Need to Acquire to Help the Interviewee? 46
Where Do I Get All of the Information That I Need? 48
What Is a Medical Evaluation/Report? 48
What Is the Psychological Evaluation/Report? 48
What is a Social History? 49
How Do I obtain a Release of Information? 50
Why Do I Need to Provide Documentation of the Initial Interview? 51
How Do I Document What I Learned in the Initial Interview? 52
Are There Any Guidelines to Follow When I Write My Notes About
the Interview? 53
References 56
CHAPTER 6 Roles and Responsibilities 57
What Are My Roles and Responsibilities? 58
Am I Really Going to Be Able to Help Anyone With My Limited
Skills? 58
What Do I Do If I Don't Know or Don't Understand Something? 59
How Can I Make the Most of Supervision? 59
What if I Make a Mistake? 60
How Do I Know if I Have Helped Someone? 60
How Can 1 Keep the Issues That Interviewees Have from
Affecting Me? 61
How Will I Know if I'm Burning Out? 61
What Can I Do to Prevent Burnout? 62
These Days Safety Seems to be a Real Concern. What Can I Do to Make
Sure I'm Safe at Work? 63
Agency Level 63
Individual Level 63
How Will I Know When I've Done All I Can Do to be Helpful? 64
How Will I Know When to End the Interview? 65
What Are My Ethical and Legal Obligations as an Interviewer? 66
What Am I Legally Responsible to Tell Authorities about What an
Interviewee Tells Me? 66
What if I Think the Person Is Suicidal? 67
What Are the Boundaries Between the Interviewee and Me? 67
What Happens After the Initial Interview? 68