Critical Thinking Skill Analysis

When you are friends with someone who you are attempting to have a serious/detailed conversation with about things friends do not normally talk about, it sometimes can affect the outcome of what is trying to be achieved. So, I asked Krystal to talk to me like she normally would, as a friend and not an interviewer. And instead of asking her a series of new questions, I decided to ask her previous questions that I had already asked prior from earlier meetings that the two of us had engaged in, about her career.

*Enlisting cooperation, many times the client will resist or become reluctance, using basic interviewing skills will decrease the client discomfort and increase cooperation throughout each stage.

i asked her brief questions about her name and how she was to get acquainted with her and build rapport. Asking questions helps facilitate a dialogue and encourages the client to talk and tell their story Miller (2006). The client seemed tense and uneasy and spoke with a very high tone of voice when she greeted me and introduced herself. When asked about the main reason for turning to therapy, she started fidgeting and looked unsettled; this could be because of the unfamiliar environment or she was not sure if she trusted me enough to tell me her story. Either way, I remained silent whilst maintaining eye contact to give her the space, time she needed in order to settle down and work out what she wanted to bring to the session.

A caseworker named Tashara Handcock asked me to interview two children from different schools, and take a photo of them for CPS. I completed the assigned cases, and obtain a photo of the children without any problems. Even on my own cases, when I interview my client it feels natural. My interviewing skills have improved very well to the point I feel comfortable talking with my clients. I know what questions to ask, and have the interview flow so it feels normal. On one of my cases I spoke with a teenage client stating I am ending an investigation the agency had assigned to me. I explained to the client the incident in which landed him in placement would be unfounded. The client understood, and did not have any questions as to why the case was

He did not give out a summary of what had been discussed in the interview and a closing statement such as "Are there any questions you have for me?" to give the patient the final chance to ask questions. As Jarvis stated (2016 p.36), "an abrupt or awkward closing can destroy rapport and leave the person with a negative impression

During the interviews, I found myself asking a lot of questions where most of them were closed ended which forced the patient giving simplistic responses with limited information. I also found myself giving false reassurance; “you’ll be fine, don’t worry,” when a patient expressed how they were distressed to be in a psych institution while they are completely sane. I was so nervous the first time that I couldn’t find a better way to be kind, but then I realized that the false reassurance was blocking the conversation with the patients and discouraging further expressions of their feelings. A better response would have been “It must be difficult for you to be here”. The therapeutic skills I plan to use next time is seeking clarity, I have learned

Initially, I was worried about covering everything that was required in terms of client information in the interview. I thought that it would take too long, and that I wouldn’t be able to have a conversation with the client, and instead I would just be asking questions one by one. As the interview proceeded, and I focused on using open and closed questions, I realized that the session would go quite smoothly. Alex was really willing to discuss her medical and psychological background, and made it clear that why she was meeting with a case manager. I found it easy to initiate the session, and was able to ease into discussion about her concerns and objectives.

the assignment. I was not expecting this outcome after completing all the necessary parts of the

Another skill I used was the use of silence (5:43). The use of silence is beneficial because it gives the client time to process their thoughts and can allow them to take a brief break from the work they are doing (De Jong & Berg, 2013). This was definitely a calculated response when I noticed Julia needing to think. I remember actually thinking that I needed to be quiet and let her contemplate her response. It was not easy and felt a little uncomfortable to me, but Julia noticed and expressed her gratefulness for that time in her feedback to me, which tells me I employed this skill successfully. Looking back, I would not have changed this moment and, as one who likes to fill silence with words, I am proud of

This course has expanded tremendously my critical thinking skills. I am able to research information for a specific topic having in mind the critical thinking elements. Thus allowing me to focus more on precision data rather than unorganized perspectives. In addition when reading articles I am able to determine and analyze the author’s assumptions on their topic. Which helps in pointing out my own assumptions and makes me aware not to utilize them or minimize my usage in my essays. Furthermore, I am able to better criticize the articles I am reading, much like dissecting all aspects of the research to determine the true purpose of the article and it’s benefits. Although, it takes much more time to read a single article with time I think I

When I was in the social worker role I made sure to look at my client in the eye when they were speaking to me to validate that I was listening. While listening I made sure to listen actively by summarizing what the client was saying and remembered to say things that could reassure the client that I am trying to understand what they are feeling. Examples of this are phrases such as: “I hear what you are saying that you felt this way” and “I don’t know what you’re feeling but it must be hard on you to feel this way”. Which in turn also helped me create open ended questions to ask the client. By being an active listener and empathizing with the client it makes it easier to ask open ended questions because I have more information to work on than if I was not really listening or being sympathetic instead of empathetic. I can ask questions that can fill in any loop holes that might be able to help to understand my clients’ strengths or what their needs are. I am glad that I learned that I have these strengths as a social worker and how these strengths will be great tools to help my future

My use of questions varied from open to close to allow for more information during a short period of time. I started off the interview process by saying “Tell me about the adoption process?” I knew that Sammi was adopted before this interview took place because she is a child that I work with at Peine Ridge. The interviewee responded to my questions and interviewing style with confidence and ease. Mrs. Brown is the music teacher at Peine Ridge, so I was able to see her around the building before our time together. She also knew I was working with the hearing itinerant, Paula Mathias as well. I met with Mrs. Brown on her plan period, Thursday, April 6th. I would not change any of the questions I asked during the interview because I feel as if the interviewee and I had a great conversation. There was only four questions asked but after much practice with my listening skills, I was able to let Mrs. Brown speak without constant interruptions.

The interview took place in a small room. There were four members from the Interviewing and Counselling class that were present; myself the counsellor, the client and the two others were technical support. The client gave permission for the other two members to be present because they helped to tape and time of the session. The setting was not very ideal, since there were two additional members and the room was available for a limited time. Nevertheless, it worked because it was a familiar setting where we practice our counselling most of the time. The setting encouraged comfort and disclosure because the door of the room was closed and the client and I trusted the other members. At the

Some of my questions were "What if you have a boyfriend, what kind of girlfriend do you think you’d be?" What if your parents did not support your choice of school?" "How did you adapt to the city lifestyle?” We ended the session with the client stating she think it was good thing she had the chance to talk about these things to someone. Throughout the interview I learned a lot about the right way of speaking to a client. I made mistakes but I made sure to take notes so I won’t repeat the same wrongs. Taking everything into account, I could say I did well at interviewing the client. I made sure I did not lose eye contact, I offered her back the ideas she told me, to confirm the idea has been understood

During the body of the interview, I began with broad open questions, as a strategy to allow the client to feel comfortable, and gain a sense of what she enjoyed talking about. This is where nerves started to take effect and time began to prolong, as I felt slightly thrown off and didn’t expect such open responses, disorientating me from my interview questions. I progressed with the interview by continuing with my questions. I also used closed question and prompting verbal cues to explore specifics about the topics at hand.