Counseling interviews: differences from information gathering and job interviews

Interviewing: Case Analysis of Counseling Interview Skills and Sessions

Explain and discuss the differences between a counseling interview and other types of interviews such as information gathering, persuasive and job interviews.

The primary focus of a counseling interview is to offer advice and suggestions to someone else whether they are experiencing financial, personal, academic, work or emotional problems (Stewart & Cash, 2000). A counseling interview is different from other interviews as the outcome of the interview session might directly impact a person's well being. Counseling skills are often incorporated into a counseling interview to help facilitate adequate communication. The person engaging in a counseling interview has to consider multiple factors before meeting with the interviewee, including their background in order to determine whether the interviewer has the skills, abilities or advice necessary to actually help out the person seeking assistance (Stewart & Cash, 2000).

Counseling interviews can take multiple approaches including a direct or non-direct approach (Stewart & Cash, 2000). In a directed interview the counselor takes responsibility for directing the interview and eliciting the information they need from the interviewee. This is the most common form of interviewing usually used in other settings including information gathering interviews. While the structure or format of the interview may vary, most counseling interviews follow a distinct pattern. This pattern includes (1) establishing rapport with the interviewee to establish trust and comfort, (2) assessment of the problem the interviewee is facing, (3) in depth questioning of the interviewee so the counseling interviewer can determine the clients needs and (4) a decision making segment where the interviewee and interviewer work together to decide on an appropriate course of action to generate a solution to the problem at hand.

A counseling interview requires a climate conducive to trust, understanding, honesty and openness of communication. In this type of setting more than any other it is important the interviewer establish a solid rapport with the interviewee to help produce a productive and calm environment.

Other types of interviews include job interviews, information gathering interviews and persuasive interviews. A persuasive interview is a directed interview where the primary purpose of the interviewer is to persuade the interviewee to side with them. This form of interview also requires the interviewer establish rapport, but rapport is not as vital to the outcome as it may be to a counseling interview. Nonetheless, the better able the interviewer is able to establish rapport the more likely he or she is to sway the interviewee to their side of an issue.

In a job interview a directed approach is often taken though at times some organizations may prefer using a less directed approach. A less directed approach enables the candidate or interviewee to reveal more about themselves during an interview. A job interview is often structured and based on a series of rigid questions meant to elicit information regarding a candidates suitability for a particularly job function. While open ended questions are helpful in exploring a candidates expertise, more directed and close ended questions might also provide the interviewer more factual data from which to make a judgment on the candidates potential value to the organization.

A fact gathering or information gathering interview tends to be very directed with the intent of colleting information. Here rapport is not nearly as important as open communication and clearly written and well communicated lines of questioning. In this case the most important component of the interview is the interviewers ability to elicit factual and concrete evidence from the person being interviewed.

Process and Scope of Interview

Describe an interview that you conducted (Counseling or supervisor). What was the purpose of the interview?

In a recent interview a client came to me with an emotional problem, hence the interview was a counseling interview. In this case the person wanted advice about how to proceed in their relationship. The interviewee was looking for direction although it became clear once the interview started that she had already made up her mind about the course of action she planned to take, and needed affirmation from the interviewer that her decision was grounded and well thought out.

The interviewee, a woman, had been dating a person for roughly three years. While the woman reported she was very much in love with her boyfriend, she also reported he had a history of alcohol and drug abuse that she feared was affecting their ability to remain intimate. The purpose of the interview was to gain information about this client's situation and determine the best course of action (i.e. whether she should stay with her boyfriend or break up with him).

How was the person interviewed dressed? What did body language indicate?

The client was dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt. Her hair had been done hurriedly and she looked a little out of breath. The interviewee suggested that she was tense and nervous from her body language. During the course of the interview the woman fidgeted incessantly. She was constantly wringing her hands and playing with the rings on her fingers. Multiple times during the interview her eyes darted about nervously. While initially the woman sat with her arms crossed (suggesting she was closed off) as the interview proceeded the woman gradually opened up and took on a more relaxed posture.

Initially the client would not maintain eye contact, which suggested that she was nervous or embarrassed about her situation. Eventually however as the interview progressed the woman gradually maintained more eye contact. Occasionally she would wipe a tear from her eyes suggesting how upset she felt. Her shoulders remained slumped over and her posture not erect during the interview, suggesting the woman felt discouraged or defeated.

The setting (who sat where).

During the interview I sat in a chair facing the client, who was sitting on a couch parallel to me. The interview occurred in a well it but not overly bright room with soft colors and soothing background music. This while not distracting did provide a calm and welcoming environment for the interviewee.

This situation was informal and allowed the interviewee to appear on the same level as me. This facilitated better rapport between the two of us and helped the interviewee realize that I was not there to judge or condemn her but rather support her as a colleague, friend or associate rather than someone who was there to judge her.

The type of contact between you and interviewee. How did you greet person? Was eye contact? Who spoke first?

During the interview we first met and shook hands, and the client initiated contact by introducing herself, suggesting she was eager for advice and information regarding her situation. After the initial introduction I invited the interviewee to select a seat where she felt most comfortable. I sat parallel to her but without barriers (like a desk or some other object) between us to help facilitate open communication. At this point the woman looked at me as if inquiring what steps were appropriate to take next. At this point and from here forward I engaged in a more directed interview, directly soliciting information from the client regarding her particular situation and the circumstances that brought her to the interview session.

After the preliminary introduction I asked the woman to tell me something about herself and her reason for visiting. This open ended question allowed the U.S. To initiate a rapport building conversation without initiating an overly aggressive or threatening environment.

While I maintained eye contact throughout the interview the woman did not initially maintain eye contact until later in the interview after significant rapport and comfort had been established. During the first part of the interview the woman answered most questions while peering down at the floor or while playing with the rings of her finger. Once more assured of herself however the woman began looking up more and maintaining an equal level of contact upon questioning. Despite this there were still numerous instances throughout the interview where the woman would again look down and appear distraught, usually when discussing her relationship or her feelings about her current situation.

At any time in the interview when the woman was asked what course of action she felt best she would again look down and fidget, suggesting that while she had formed an opinion about the best course of action she was not firm in her conviction or assured that she was taking the best course of action. This attitude however and the posture surrounding it changed during the course of the interview, as the interviewee could see that I readily supported her decisions and affirmed she had a good reason for seeking advice on this issue.

Summarize interview, what happened, what was concluded?

The interview started with the woman telling me a little bit about herself, her background, her job and her familial support structure. The woman had just started taking classes at the community college, and had been dating her high school sweet heart for three years. The two had been friends for long before they started dating. Over the course of the interview I asked the woman questions about her boyfriend but mostly about herself, her happiness and her life of late. The woman described that she had a very busy course load, had to work extra hours to support herself and then found herself working very hard to support a relationship with someone who was inattentive and needy due to substance abuse problems.

Throughout the interview I nodded and affirmed the woman's concerns and feelings, offering support and sympathy through eye contact. The interview concluded when I summarized the situation and affirmed that I had interpreted the situation correctly, and together with the interviewee decided that she needed to spend more time focusing on her own needs and break up with her partner. The client seemed satisfied with this conclusion, which she had come to already but just needed support and reaffirmation that she was making a good decision.

At one point during the interview in fact the client stated that she thought it was best that she terminated her relationship with her boyfriend, but had stated that she was uncertain whether this decision was well grounded. Thankfully during the course of the interview the woman was able to conclude with the interviewers support that she was on the right path, one that would lead to self-discovery and greater personal satisfaction and happiness.

What skills did you use and why?

Many interview skills were used during this interview. In particularly I worked to first establish rapport with the client by presenting a non-threatening and non-judgmental environment. I also listened carefully to the clients concerns all the while maintaining eye contact and nodding my understanding of the client's situation and particularly concerns.

During the interview I paraphrased the clients concerns and the facts gathered from the client to ensure that I was hearing what she had to say correctly. Paraphrasing is an ideal tool in any type of interview setting to ensure that the interviewer is accurately interpreting the messages given by the interviewee. Eye contact also helped build rapport and trust. In this case since trust was vital to the outcome of the interview process, establishing rapport was the first priority on the list. Establishing a safe and communicative environment enabled the client to fully unload her concerns and come to a supportive decision based on her wants, needs and desires.

One other primary skill used was active listening. This required that I dismiss any preconceived notions I had regarding the outcome of the interview ahead of time. This also required that throughout the interview I took care to listen to what the client had to say without making judgments regarding her statements until the interviewee had completely finished sharing her thoughts and experiences.

One of the biggest mistakes interviewers often make is judging the content of an interview without actually listening to what the interviewee has to offer. Such rash judgments are natural but can interfere with the interviewers ability to maintain an objective viewpoint. Many people have a tendency to start forming their responses before someone talking has actually finished speaking. This can actually impede the interview process and prevent the interviewer from hearing everything the interviewee has to share about the situation being evaluated. Thus active listening was vital to the success of this interview. To help facilitate active listening I chose to record the session so I could take notes at a later time. This also helped facilitate a more active listening environment.

When is it appropriate to breech confidentiality? What are laws regarding this?

In certain instances it may be necessary to breech confidentiality. The laws governing this are very strict with the intent of protecting patients and clients in a confidential environment.

The American Psychological Association has established multiple ethical guidelines and laws to ensure the confidentiality of any individuals undergoing counseling interviews. State laws also govern what information must be kept confidential during an interview by counseling staff. Guidelines are established that ensure that the information an interviewee shares with a counselor is kept confidential and will not be shared without written consent of the interviewee, and that no record of counseling sessions will be kept without agreement by the interviewer.

Under certain circumstances it may be necessary to breech confidentiality, as when the patient consents to disbursement of information for further treatment or when legally authorized bodies need access to patient or client information on behalf of the client acting in the best interests of the client (except where prohibited by law) (APA, 1992).

In cases where the client or interviewee presents as a danger to themselves or to others including the interviewee it may be necessary to institute legal action that will breech confidentiality and assist the client (APA, 1992). In all cases even under legal directives where patient confidentiality must be breached the client has a right to disclosure and to know what legal authorities are accessing their information and what the intend to do with this information. In some cases with the informed consent of a client a counselor might share information with other professional associates to gain further insight and recommendation into the best course of action for assisting a client in a given situation.

In this particular case breech of confidentiality may have been warranted if during the course of the interview the woman had revealed that her life or the life of her family members were in danger as a result of her relationship with her boyfriend. It appeared however during the interview that the danger the boyfriend was incurring was emotional rather than physical or life threatening. If this had not been the case informed consent to have the boyfriend incarcerated or charged with abuse may have been appropriately suggested.

In most cases however federal and state laws are very strict governing breech of confidentiality, and in most cases informed consent will be necessary to release any confidential data unless a counselor is under subpoena by a court or other legal entity (APA, 2002).

With regard to medical information in particular there are a number of laws including HIPPA regulations that govern the disbursement of confidential information (APA, 2002). In most cases patients have 100% control over who their information may be shared with.

In cases where counseling is accompanied by medical care treatment patient information may need to be shared with insurers to ensure the patients financial needs are cared for appropriately. Then only the minimal amount of information necessary to ensure a claim is handled will be offered. Most patients will need to sign a consent form releasing information even to their insurer however under new regulations.