Interviewing Human Services Workers: Skills and Ethics

Introduction

Interviewing a client to gain a clear picture of a story or an event can be a difficult and complex undertaking. A multitude of skills and micro-skills are needed to identify the relevant issues, make the interviewee feel comfortable enough to share the needed information, and correctly perceive and record key findings. Interviewing a human services worker carries an additional layer of complexity, because these individuals work with people who are inherently complex in nature and frequently deal with challenging situations. This analysis considers some of the key areas of concern present in human services work, as well as some of the ethical barriers one might face during an interview.

Overview of Human Services Work

Human services is a broadly defined field that focuses on helping others meet human needs in a variety of ways. Practitioners must understand human systems at multiple levels — individual, group, organizational, community, and societal — in order to help people meet specific needs (NOHS, n.d.). Furthermore, a human services worker must often take an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on available resources at these different levels to help individuals improve their quality of life. The problems encountered may be specific to an individual or to an entire community. For example, a person experiencing homelessness may need community resources to secure housing while also dealing with psychological challenges that require personal intervention.

Some of the traits most valued in this field include patience, understanding, and a broad sense of caring for others. These professionals work in many challenging environments, including diverse settings such as group homes and halfway houses, correctional facilities, intellectual disability centers, community mental health centers, family and youth service agencies, and programs addressing alcoholism, drug abuse, family violence, and aging (NOHS, n.d.). Moreover, practitioners may witness high levels of human suffering on a day-to-day basis, which can be difficult to manage on a personal level. They may draw on a wide range of skills and come from varied backgrounds — medically oriented, socially oriented, psychologically-behavioral, and educationally oriented models are all represented in the field (NOHS, n.d.).

Ethical Challenges in Interviewing Abuse Survivors

Human services workers frequently work with people who have suffered different forms of abuse or have lived in abusive situations. When abuse is present, a multitude of ethical considerations must be addressed. For instance, a human services worker may work with women who have been victims of interpersonal violence. It can often be difficult for abuse survivors to speak openly about their violent experiences. One study found that abused women in vulnerable situations may have trouble disclosing sensitive information about prior victimization and may require different avenues for disclosure in order to find a method through which they feel comfortable sharing their stories (Hlavka, Kruttschnitt, & Carbone-Lopez, 2007). Therefore, in some situations, a traditional interview may not be the most appropriate format for communicating sensitive information. Alternatively, it may take considerable time to build sufficient trust before an interviewee feels comfortable enough to share such information.

Conclusion

There are many areas of concern with which a human services worker could struggle. One obvious source of concern is gaining accurate information, which requires building a relationship and carefully listening to the story and strengths that an individual shares (Ivey, Ivey, Zalaquett, & Quirk, 2011). However, in situations where abuse is present, this can be a difficult and time-intensive process. Furthermore, a human services worker must also carefully consider when the appropriate time is to intervene, if an intervention is necessary. The interviewer must listen carefully and ensure they have correct information before drawing conclusions or attempting to intervene in someone's situation. Effective interviewing skills are therefore paramount in human services practice.

References

Hlavka, H., Kruttschnitt, C., & Carbone-Lopez, K. (2007). Revictimizing the victims? Interviewing women about interpersonal violence. Interpersonal Violence, 894–921.

Ivey, A., Ivey, M., Zalaquett, C., & Quirk, K. (2011). Essentials of intentional interviewing: Counseling in a multicultural world. Cengage Learning.

NOHS. (n.d.). What is human services? Retrieved from National Organization for Human Services: http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/what-is-human-services

Olafson, E. (2012). A call for field-relevant research about child forensic interviewing for child protection. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 109–131.