Advanced Interviewing: Difficult Interviews, Interviewing Children, Parents, & Teachers, Issues of Diversity

1. Advanced Interviewing: Difficult Interviews, Interviewing Children, Parents, & Teachers, Issues of Diversity September 27, 2004

2. Examples of Difficult Behavior During Clinical Interview • Clients who try and take control (i.e., talk too much!) • Clients who cry • Clients who do not talk • Clients who become verbally or physically aggressive • Clients who talk about disconcerting topics • Non-emotive clients

3. Motor DevelopmentAge Norms (In Months) SKILL 50% 90% • Rolls over 2.8 4.7 • Sits alone 5.5 7.8 • Walks alone 12.1 14.3 • Stairs with help 17.0 22.0

4. Language Development:Average Age in Months SKILL AVERAGE • Babbling 6-10 months • Comprehension 10-12 months • First Word 13 months • First 50 Words 13-18 months • Vocabulary Spurt 18 months • Two-Word Sentences 21 months

5. Explaining Psychology to Children • Most children will view the clinic as a doctor’s office. • I am not the kind of doctor who gives shots! I am the kind of doctor who: • talks to kids about problems they are having at home or school. • helps kids figure out why they are having trouble getting their work done (paying attention) in school. • talks to kids about things that are worrying them (making them sad) and we try to figure out how to make them feel better.

6. Use of Play During a Child Interview • Develop rapport by knowing age appropriate interests. (Pokemon is out, Yu Gi Oh is in!) • Use play as a mechanism for “interviewing”: • Allow the child to play while he/she talks • Use toys that provide an opportunity for the child to share his/her thoughts (example on p. 43). • Allow the child to draw to show you his/her feelings. • Ask the child to draw a picture of him/herself. • Ask the child to draw a picture of his/her family doing something together.

7. Avoiding Leading Questions • Leading Question: Do you get mad when your mother yells at you? • Open Ended Question: How do you feel when your mother yells at you? • Alternative Question: When your mother yells at you, do you feel mad, sad, or happy? • Be careful to use a calm manner and tone of voice that does not reveal your feelings or personal biases!

8. Interviewing Children about Emotions • Draw a body shape and have child show where they feel different emotions. • Use line drawings of faces (happy, sad, mad) and ask children to point to the face that shows how they would feel in a specific situation. • Take the initial focus off of the child: • Some kids feel like sad when they have to go to time out and other kids feel mad. How do you feel? • Let’s pretend that there is a 5 year old girl who gets in trouble. What do you think she did to get in trouble?

9. Behavioral Observations During Interview • Child’s ability to interact/relate to you. • Child’s language level (vocabulary, articulation, sentence structure). • Child’s nonverbal communication (eye contact, gestures). • Child’s emotions (facial expressions, behaviors, tone of voice). • Child’s play (any themes, age appropriate topics?). • Child’s cognitive abilities/though processes (child’s knowledge, ability to coherently convey experiences).

10. Interviewing Parents – Developmental History • Pregnancy/childbirth history • Developmental milestones • Language • Motor • Social • Follow the same interview outline that I gave you in the basic interviewing lecture! • Sample interview

11. Hints for Interviewing Parents • Take the parent’s perspective (they may feel guilty, angry at the child or themselves, scared, or be in denial). Don’t blame the parent! • Normalize therapy! They may think that bringing their child to the clinic is a reflection of their poor parenting skills or a suggestion that their child is “crazy.” • Parents want to know how to help their children. Tell them how your assessment will do this. • Once you make a diagnosis, you will know what therapy techniques will help. • Diagnosis will qualify child for school services.

12. Hints for Interviewing Parents (cont.) • Help parents remember the child’s developmental history by using landmarks (first birthday party, trip to the beach at 2, etc.).

13. Taking a Cultural Perspective • Use language that is appropriate to the parent or child’s cultural background (i.e., are you using slang that is not appropriate for the client’s culture?). • Match the speed of your interaction to the client’s cultural background (i.e., are you talking too fast?) • Match your expectations to the family. Are there other family members that need to be interviewed? Who is the family leader in this particular family (grandmother, aunt, father, etc.). • How does your appearance fit with the family culture? (Example of wearing a religious necklace).

14. Taking a Cultural Perspective (cont.) • Recognize that developmental expectations differ across cultures. • Cultural beliefs about where children should sleep. • Cultural beliefs about adolescent autonomy – “normal enmeshment.” • Cultural beliefs/success of different parenting styles. • Use culturally sensitive toys in a play interview.

15. Interviewing Teachers • Work as a collaborator with the teacher (i.e., do not take an authoritarian role!). • Ask the teacher’s opinion about the function or role of the child’s behavior. • What happens before the behavior. • What happens after the behavior. • Ask the teacher to fill out rating scales and/or behavioral charts describing the child’s behavior. • NEVER give advice until you have all of the data!