Exploring

1. Chapter 7 Exploring A Look… …Into the Client Box

2. Perspective • Each of us lives within our own unique situation from which we interpret and discover meaning. • Although we can never fully understand the situation of another we can approach a better understanding. • More importantly, the client can increase their own understanding - that is really the whole point.

3. The Client… What you see and what you don’t… What you must go beneath to gain understanding of…

4. The outside vs. the inside • We are all composed of outer and inner shells • It is easier for people to see and judge the outer • It is harder for people to see and judge the inner • We can also mask the inside through altering our outside appearance • Let’s see how good we are at recognizing a discrepancy between human real and fake smiles • http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/smiles/index.shtml

5. Guess What? • Most people are surprisingly bad at spotting fake smiles. • One possible explanation for this is that it may be easier for people to get along if they don't always know what others are really feeling. • Fake smiles can be performed at will • Genuine smiles, on the other hand, are generated by the unconscious brain • Social workers often have to decipher with respect to the client system and situation that which is genuine and real

6. Assumptions • Be careful of possible assumptions you may make about clients and their environments and situations. • Intuition, hunches, and assumptions can be correct but can just as easily be wrong. • Let the client tell their tale. Caution!

7. Can Lead to Explorer Social Workers can be powerful mediums Increased Client and Worker Understanding and Insight and Decreased Resistance and Misunderstanding Interaction of Social worker and client

8. The Video Example • Dan sits before you upset. He is a resident in Orthopedics. A six foot six former university football tackle, he passed up a CFL career to come into Medicine and has never regretted his decision. Up to now he has shown lots of promise but his girlfriend has recently split up with him and moved out of the apartment. He has contacted her repeatedly to try to reconcile but has not been successful. He is distraught and wants to drop out of his program to get his relationship back on track.

9. Video • As you watch play close attention to the client-therapist interaction • Identify the different interview phases • Write down all of the skills the therapist uses • Write down all of the techniques the therapist uses • Write down the main problem/issue

11. Exploring • This section contains the seven essential skills which social workers use throughout their careers in almost any setting. • Exploring involves examining the status of the problems/issues of the client within context • Through this: • You can engage the client in a deeper and more meaningful way. • The client gains greater self-awareness. • You gain a better understanding of the genuine and true nature of client and their inner core.

12. Keep in Mind… There are so many things about a client that can be explored There are so many things about a client that need to be explored with caution There are so many things about a client that are fragile

13. Exploring with the The Conceptual Model of Psychological Well-Being Culturally Valued Competencies Personal, Interpersonal, Behavioral, Academic, Artistic, Physical Personal Vulnerability Personal History Family History Disability Individual Factors Personal Resources Self-Efficacy Coping Skills Relationship Skills Problem Solving Skills Cultural Norms Gender Roles Peer Relationships Adult-Child Relationships Cultural Factors Social-Cultural Resources Peer Group School Staff Family/Relatives Neighbors Religious Community Mental Health Facilities Socialization Agents Parents, Teachers, Peers, Media Socialization Practices Discipline, Education, Modeling, Social-Cultural Stressors Community Violence Family Conflict Bullying/Harassment Poverty Adapted from Nastasi, Varjas, Sarkaar, & Jayasena, 1998

14. Exploring & Empowerment • Through this process you are facilitating the process of self-discovery for the client. • Thinking you know what the client should do, and telling them what to do, is almost always totally ineffective. • You empower the client to discover their own path through exploration of their situation.

15. Person-In-Environment • Conceptualization of the total person is a value and skill within social work practice. • One tool for understanding the person-in-environment (PIE) is the exploration matrix. • Remember, you and the client are both involved in a process of discovery. Use of the matrix increases understanding for both you and the client.

16. The exploration matrix is a holistic method of exploring the many dimensions of a client situation. Within the matrix you explore - the issue the person the situation Within context of the - past present future The Exploration Matrix

17. Exploration Matrix

18. Exploration Matrix • Moving systematically through the matrix provides a logical method of obtaining information in a useful format. • Full exploration of the problem/issue requires finding out about: Onset Frequency Intensity/severity Evolution Situational Context Duration

19. Strengths List some popular and common words used to describe PERSONAL STRENGTHS

22. Additional Strength WordsSeek first to understand who you are so you can be clear to others--

23. Remember…Clients Have Strengths Too • According to Saleeby, almost anything can be considered a strength under certain circumstances. This includes: • What people have learned about themselves and others • Personal qualities, traits, and virtues • What people know about the world around them • Talents people have • Cultural and personal stories and lore • Pride • The community • Spirituality

24. The Search For Strengths • Occurs by: • Asking Questions • Seeking responses • Listening Actively • Should occur only after client problems and/or have been explored and discussed

25. Strengths Based Assessment Questions • Survival questions: • How have you managed to overcome/ survive the challenges that you have faced? “What have you learned about yourself and your world during those struggles?” • Support questions: • Who are the people that you can rely on? Who has made you feel understood, supported, or encouraged? • Exception questions: • “When things were going well in life, what was different?” • Possibility questions: • What are your hopes for your future, or the future of your family? • Esteem questions: • What makes you proud about yourself? What positive things do people say about you?

26. Additional Resources for Assessing Client Strengths • Child Strengths Checklist • http://health.utah.gov/able/PDF_forms/handouts/StrengthChecklist.pdf

27. Interviewing Skills List as many interviewing skills as you can…

28. Introduction/Purpose Non-verbal cues Asking about feelings Following up on feelings Body language/eye contact Open-ended questions Closed-ended questions Effective confrontation Reflecting Paraphrasing Advice giving with caution Facts vs. feelings Termination (Some) Interviewing Skills

29. More Interviewing Skills

30. Interview Skills for Exploring The Seven Basic Exploring Skills These are skills for facilitating the exploration of the client situation.

31. REMEMBER…WHAT and HOW You Do and SayMATTERS

32. Exploration Skills This section covers seven particular skills for exploring the client situation. • Asking questions • Seeking Clarification • Reflecting Content • Reflecting Feelings • Reflecting Feelings & Meaning • Partializing • Going Beyond

33. Asking Questions Who? What? WhenWhere?

34. Appropriate Questions? • In the classroom you are usually free to ask whatever question you like as long as it has even the most vague connection to the subject matter. “There are no stupid questions.” • This luxury does not exist when working with clients. • The classroom and to some extent your field placdements exists for your edification the consulting room for that of the client.

35. Asking Questions • In general, asking questions is a skill which helps the worker to elicit ideas, facts, feelings and to identify strengths. • Questions help to facilitate the process of understanding the person-in-environment (PIE) and in building a working relationship.

36. Types of Questions

37. Open Questions Elicit information What did you think of the movie? How would you describe your relationship with your parents? Closed Questions Gather specific information Did you like the movie? Do you have a good relationship with your parents? Questions

38. Combining Open and Closed Questions How would you describe your marriage? What do you enjoy about the relationship? What are these arguments like? Have you and your husband ever separated? How long have you been married?

39. CHANGING CLOSED TO OPEN • Are you having troubles with your partner? • What is your relationship with your partner like?

40. CHANGING CLOSED TO OPEN • Are you feeling stressed now? • How are you feeling right now?

41. WHEN CLOSED QUESTIONS ARE GOOD • You need to intervene in a crisis situation - e.g. Do you have a plan to kill yourself? • When you require specific information – e.g. Are you going to hurt your girlfriend because she broke up with you?

42. Why haven’t you resolved this issue? Why do you feel that way? Why do you put up with your abusive husband? Why do you tolerate your daughter’s behavior? The Problem with Why type questions is that: They put people on the spot Pressure the client to provide an explanation when they don’t know WHY?

43. Why are you failing that course? Could you tell me about the difficulties you are having with your course? What are some of the things that trouble you about your coursework? WHYVS.OPENQUESTIONS Open Why?

44. TRIED AND TRUE QUESTIONS • What brings you here to see me? • What prompts you to come now to talk? • How did you think I might help? • Where would you like to begin? • Can you tell me more about your situation? • Can you elaborate some on what you just said? • Can you say more about it? • Could you put that in other words so I can understand • better? • Does what I am saying make any sense?

45. Seeking Clarification • Asking questions to have the client explain or expand on what they have said. • Helps worker understand an ambiguous message • Confirms the accuracy of worker’s perception • Examples of simple but effective clarification questions: • What does that mean? • What do you mean by ___________? • Could you be more specific? • Are you saying that…. • Could you describe for me… • Say what you mean by…

46. What thoughts are you having about being in class today? What are the feelings that go along with these thoughts? Activity: Answer the following questions? Seeking information about Content Seeking information about Feeling

47. With this skill you rephrase, or paraphrase, what the client has said. This skill helps you to communicate your attentiveness while the client speaks. It also helps you to check your own understanding of often complicated situations. You’re saying……………… C: I’m a full-time student and worker. Every day I attend classes in the morning and work in the afternoon. W: You’re saying that… COMPLETE THE REFLECTION Reflecting Content

48. A brief response indicating your understanding of the emotional content of the client experience. Reflecting feelings has 3 steps Recall and restate message covertly Identify the emotional part of the message by looking for one or more feelings words used by client Translate the client’s feeling word into your own words at about the same intensity and verbally reflect Reflecting Feelings

49. Reflecting feelings is the affective equivalent of paraphrasing content • Client: Everything is humdrum. There is nothing going on, nothing exciting. All my friends are away. I wish I had some money to do something different • COME UP WITH both a content and feeling response • W (content paraphrase): with your friends gone and no money, there is nothing for you to do right now. • W (feeling reflection): sounds like you’re feeling bored with the way things are for you right now.

50. Feeling Word Vocabulary • It is useful to increase your vocabulary when it comes to FEELING WORDS • How many words do you know for: • Open • Happy • Alive • Good