SOCW 2030 Interviewing Techniques Exam

After the goals are defined, many practitioners establish a written or verbal agreement that serves to bring together previous understandings between the practitioner and the client. These agreements are sometimes called what?

"Agreements for work" , because they set the stage for the work that the client and the practitioner are planning to accomplish.

To invite clients to think about goals, practitioners use open ended questions that are focused on the future such as what?

"At the end of our work together, what do you want your life to be like?" "When the problems that brought you here are solved, what do you want to be doing, feeling, or thinking?"

Examples Of Practitioner Statements that share feelings about ending

"I am going to miss seeing you and hearing about your progress. I am happy that you have achieved your goals." "I am going to miss our time together. I feel sad when I think about not seeing you, but I am glad that you are satisfied with the progress you have made.

What are examples of clients that are in the Contemplation Stage?

"I am just not ready to make any changes right now." "My boss thinks I should get over my fear of making speeches, but I am just not sure if that is something I can do."

Examples of developing attainable goals

"I hear that you want to weigh what you weighed when you were 30 years old. Let's consider first setting a goal that you can successfully reach in a shorter period of time. What do you think would be a reasonable, and not too hard, goal to reach in two months?"

Examples Of Ending Evaluation

"Let's review our goal attainment continuum again to see if you believe you've reached the expected outcome."

What are examples of statements that demonstrate respect?

"When you resolve this problem, what are some things that will be different in your family?" "With all the trained professionals in this group, I am confident we can find a way to resolve this."

Example of Questions Used to Develop Positive Goals

"if one night at dinner, you weren't fighting, what do you think you might be doing?"

Examples of the Overall Process From Evaluating To Ending

#1 Discuss readiness to complete work together #2 Evaluate progress #3 Evaluate the client's satisfaction with the work complete #4 Identify when their meetings will end #5 Share feelings about the work and the relationship #6 Summarize accomplishments and strengths #7 Discuss plans for the future

Ending With Task Groups and Large Groups

#1 It is important for the practitioner to talk about when the work will be completed... #2 The practitioner needs to work with the organization or group to develop a thorough summary of what has been accomplished... #3 Practitoner must work with the group to make plans for sustaining and building on the accomplishments. #4 As part of any ending with a large group, there should be a system for evaluating the work accomplished and for giving feedback to the practitioner and each other. #5 Celebrate the successes that have been achieved and recognize individual and group efforts. "Since this is our last meeting, let's talk about what you remember about our work together in this group." "I have enjoyed working with each of you and I will miss seeing you. I am confident that you folks with continue to use the parenting methods you learned in this group."

In crisis situations, what should a practitioner do?

#1 Stay calm #2 The safety of everyone involved is your first priority. Creating that safety is your first task. You may need to seek the help of others such as your supervisor, other practitioners, or other professionals. #3 At times of crisis, it is particularly important to use all the skills you have learned so far; listen carefully, ask questions for clarification, and be empathetic and warm

How should a practitioner end a relationship with a client?

#1 The practitioner must indicate that the meeting is about to end. The practitioner identifies how many more meetings are remaining. #2 The practitioner and client summarize things such as what has been most important, what changes have been made, and what was most difficult. #3 The practitioner and the client identify what tasks remain to be completed after the relationship has needed. #4 The practitioner tells the client that he or she can return for future meetings if needed. #5 The practitioner invites feedback about the entirety of their work together. #6 The practitioner asks the client about any final questions.

What are examples of people in the Action Stage?

*A parent whose children have been removed from the home because the parent used harsh, abusive means of discipline, willingly goes to a parenting class, and talks with the practitioner about ways to use what he or she is learning. * A child realizes that he or she will not be able to play on a sport team without earning passing grades and starts attending an after school tutoring class in order to bring up his or grades.

What are examples of people in the precontemplation stage?

1. A person who abuses substances but, despite many arrests for driving under the influence, does not consider himself or herself to have a problem that needs to be addressed. 2. A husband who comes along to counseling because his wife thinks they have problems but who doesn't see any problems himself.

What are examples of people in the preparation stage?

1. A person who has been told to prepare to move into a supervisory role and seeks counseling with the goal of gaining confidence in his or her ability to supervise other people 2. A task group that has decided to work on a particular problem and asks a practitioner to help them set realistic goals and develop an action plan.

What are examples of clients in the Mainteanance Stage?

1. An organization develops more effective ways of problem solving and plans regular meetings so that potential problems can be addressed before they become bigger issues. 2. An individual learns to stop procrastinating on projects and makes plans to check in with someone who will provide honest feedback about whether the problem seems to be reappearing.

To gain understanding of how well a client is fitting into their environment, what can a practitioner ask about?

1. Ask about available social support 2. Learn what the client likes or dislikes about his or her support group. 3. Learn about their neighborhood and what client likes or dislikes about it 4. Asking about others who may be affected by the problem 5. Learn how members of a family are affecting each other

What are the three suggested guidelines to consider prior to using self disclosure?

1. First, the goal of any disclosure, should be to enhance or preserve the relationship. 2. Practitioners need to ensure that their personal needs do not take precedence over those of the client. The practitioner should not share anything about his or her personal life or problems that might invite the client to feel like he or she should take care of the practitioner. 3. Disclosure must be for the benefit of the client and be designed to keep focus on the client .

What are examples of blaming others for problems and ways to respond?

1. If the client states that her boss is unfair to her, the practitioner might help the client see her part of the problem as her inability to figure out what she can do to be treated more fairly. 2. If clients state that the problem is the city's failure to adequately maintain their neighborhood, the practitioner might help the clients to see their part of the problem as their lack of information about how to effectively lobby for services.

What are the five stages of readiness according to Prochaska?

1. Precontemplation 2. Contemplation 3. Preparation 4. Action 5. Maintenance

Why do professional relationships end?

1. Sometimes, clients know from the beginning of the process that their managed care provider or insurance has approved only a limited number of meetings or that they only have a certain amount of money for the service 2. Sometimes, the practitioner and the client decide that they have achieved their goals and now the client is ready to go on to a different kind of work 3. Sometimes, clients achieve the results they want quickly and drop out of the helping process. 4. The client may choose to not continue the work for any number of other reasons. 5. Some clients do not continue because they feel uncomfortable and believe that the practitioner did not understand them. It is good practice to follow up when clients leave unexpectedly. Ending because goals have been achieved or because clients are ready to move ahead on their own is a rewarding outcome for both clients and practitioners.

What are examples of questions that focus on empowering experiences?

1. Tell me about something you completed that seemed difficult. 2. What are some of the things you learned from dealing with past challenges? 3. What skills helped you solve previous challenges? 4. How have you resolved previous challenges?

What are some areas to consider when assessing a client's level of hope?

1. The client's belief that he or she may be able to make needed changes 2. Successes the client has had in resolving past challenge 3. The client's belief in the practitioners ability to help. 4. The client's belief in his or her ability to be effective, to reach goals, and or to take action.

What are the four levels of discounting?

1. Thinking that there is no problem or denying that a problem exists (the most destructive type) 2. Thinking the problem is not significant but at least realizing it exists. 3. Discounting the solvability of a problem(;blocks motivation to make changes) 4. The individual or group realizes that others have changed this behavior or situation but they do not think they can change.

Examples of questions to explore strengths and positive factors?.

1. What do you do well? 2. What are you good at? 3. What do you like about yourself? 4. What do other people say they like about you? 5. How have you made it through the challenges you faced in the past?

What questions would a practitioner ask in understanding a client's problem?

1. What is the extent of the problem? 2. How is the problem affecting the structure of the house and those who live in It? 3. How long has the problem been in existence? 4. How frequently does it leak and how much water comes in? 5. What has caused the problem?

How can a practitioner ask for feedback? Examples!

1. Would you tell me your thoughts about the progress you are making? 2. Are you satisfied with the progress you are making? 3. Are you satisfied with the way we are working together?

Areas of consideration to better understand the demands and stresses in the clients Iife?

1. number of children and other people in the household 2. job demands 3. caretaking responsibilities for family members 4. deaths, illnesses, and major health challenges 5. current or past traumatic events in their family or community 6. changes such as moving, job changes, marriage or divorce, new relationships, and relationship break ups 7. demands related to attending school, church involvement, and volunteer activities 8. whether their income is adequate to meet their expenses

Immediacy

A particular type of feedback that involved the practitioner commenting on what seems to be happening currently in the relationship between the practitioner and the client. Immediacy is like self-disclosure because it involves the practitioner sharing his or her feelings or thoughts. Specific methods: Discussing client reactions to the practitioner. Statements about client behavior toward the practitioner.

External locus of control: Hope

A person with an external locus of control believes that there is no connection between his or her behavior and the desired outcome.

Internal locus of control: Hope

A person with an internal locus of control believes that his or her behavior will produce desired changes. "I am determined to get a good grade in this class..."

Self Efficacy

A person's belief in his or her ability to successfully handle a situation.

A good alliance between a practitioner and client involves?

A safe, trusting, comfortable, and collaborative relationship. This alliance should also include an agreement between the practitioner and client about goals!

Discounting

An important step in determining a client's motivation to change is to assess whether the client is discounting the problem. Discounting is a cognitive distortion that allows individuals to avoid dealing with a problem by denying its existence or minimizing its significance.

placebo effect

Another element of hope. The placebo effect is the positive effect which occurs because of a person's belief in the intervention. In counseling situations, studies have demonstrated that clients who expect therapy to be successful experience more gains.

Advanced reflecting

Another way of expressing empathetic understanding by identifying underlying feelings, needs, wants, values and expectations beyond the expressed message. It is similar to what many call advanced empathy, additive empathy, or going beyond. It can be used to help clients recognize what they want, need or value in a situation. The practitioner considers what he or she knows about the client as well as the practitioners experience, knowledge, observations, and feelings. Advanced reflecting can be used to give voice to something that is implied. With advanced reflecting, the practitioner is inviting the client to think about his or her part in the problem. Examples: "It seems like you feel angry because you want open communication and he doesn't." (moving from focusing on the client's husband to identifying what the client wants)

Setting goals that are _________ require skill full work with the client.

Attainable

motivational interviewing

Client centered counseling that helps clients increase motivation by assisting them in exploring and resolving ambivalence about making changes. This type of interviewing is particularly useful in the early stages of change. Motivational interviewing involves four skills: rolling with resistance, identifying discrepancies, expressing empathy and supporting self-efficacy.

Working with clients in the Contemplation Stage

Clients in the contemplation stage of readiness believe there is a problem. They recognize the advantages of changing but are also aware of the costs involved with these changes. With these clients, it is important for the practitioner to state or restate the problems or challenges to be sure there is clear understanding. The practitioner may need to discuss the client's perception of both the advantages and disadvantages of making a change. The client may see making a change as a future possibility but not something to commit to right now. In working with clients at this stage, practitioners need to support the client's feelings of ambivalence about making a change, help clients gain a clearer understanding of what they want, and help them become aware of patterns and themes related to their problem.

Working With Clients In The Preparation Stage

Clients in the preparation stage are preparing to set goals and thinking about the steps necessary to achieve their goals. Practitioners help clients at this stage by breaking the problem into smaller, more manageable parts, and enhancing the client's sense of self efficacy by supporting their belief that they are capable of success in making the necessary changes.

Partializing

Clients in the preparation stage are ready to identify their role in problems and to begin setting goals. Often this communication will involve partializing, or breaking a complex problem into manageable parts. Because some problems can be overwhelming, dividing a problem into smaller parts can make the problem seem more manageable.

Once steps have been identified, what is the next part of the process?

Evaluating each step.

What other questions can be used to establish goals?

Exception finding questions, these questions explore times when the problem was not present. For instance: "Think of a time when you didn't have this problem. What were you doing, feeling, or thinking at that time?"

Example of A Goal Attainment Scale

For a client goal of obtaining employment, these are various questions that would be used: 1. What kind of job do you think you are qualified for? 2. How many hours per week do you want to work? 3. Is location important?

What are goals?

Goals are what clients hope to achieve by working with the practitioner. They are the client's vision of what life would be like if their problems were solved.

Identifying Discrepancies

Identifying discrepancies is similar to confrontation and is used during the action phase of work as a way to invite clients to see or think about something differently. The discrepancy usually involves a behavior that seems to be moving the client away from the stated goal and or is preventing successful completion of an action step. discrepancies can include differences between: 1. What a client is saying or doing and what the practitioner is noticing 2. What the client is saying and what the practitioner heard the client say at another time. 3. What the client is saying in the meeting and the client's actions outside the meeting. 4. What the client says is important or is the goal and his or her behavior.

"When do you intend to deal with the problem?" What stage goes with each response?

If the answer is someday = The client is in the Contemplation stage of change If the answer is in the next few weeks =Preparation If the answer is right now, or the client had already begun to deal with the problem, the client is in the = Action stage IF the client says, there is no problem, ask what leads you to say that? "because it is not a problem" = precontemplation stage of change If the client responds because I have already dealt with that problem, the client is in the mainteanance stage!

"Do you currently have a problem with _______ ??? If the answer is yes, what stage are they in? If the answer is no?

If the answer is yes, the client is in the Contemplation, Preparation, or Action stage If the answer is no, the client is in the precontemplation or maintenance stage of change.

Expressing empathy

Important with clients at all stages of change. The expression of empathy provides acceptance that facilitates change and is described as an essential skill in motivational interviewing. Example of empathy: "I understand that you think it would improve your health if you gave up smoking but giving up smoking feels almost impossible." the practitioner does not have to agree with the client or have the same values in order to demonstrate empathy.

Directing

In the action phase of work, there are times when it is appropriate for practitioners to be more directive. Being directive involves asking clients to do something new or to go in a different direction. directing is often used in role plays or during rehearsing. Directing may be used when inviting clients to engage in new behavior. "With an individual: Imagine you are falking to your supervisor now. Tell her what you want her to know." Specific methods: 1. Making a suggestion 2. Giving homework 3. Giving direction in a role play

What does monitoring progress involve?

Involves evaluating whether the clients are satisfied with their progress! It makes sense to reuse whatever monitoring system you introduced when you established goals.

Giving Feedback

Involves stating what the practitioner sees and hears. It is important to differentiate giving feedback from giving your opinion of what the client has said. When giving feedback, practitioners share an awareness of what clients are showing nonverbal or expressing in their tone of voice. Examples: "I notice that you are smiling." "I heard your voice crack when you said the word daughter.' "I notice that your hands are clenched". "You look like you are about to cry." Specific Methods: Describing to the client what the practitioner ees and hears.

Social Cognitive Theory

It can be used to assess readiness or ability to make changes. This theory considers the impact of environmental, personal, and behavioral factors on readiness to change. Personal factors include everything from physical makeup and brain structure to cognitive capacity, beliefs, self concept, goals and emotions. Environment includes things such as culture, family, social status, socioeconomic status, and social influences. Personal and behavior factors impact the environment. Personal, behavioral and environmental factors interact and influence each other

What does the agreement for work contain?

It includes a statement of the mutually-agreed upon goals.

What is the Respect Evaluation Scale?

Level 1: The practitioner did not invite discussion and or recognize the client's strengths, resources, and or capacities, and or showed a lack of respect for the client's abilities. Level 3: Once during the meeting, the practitioner invited discussion of an or recognizing the client's strengths, resources, and or capacities. Level 5: Three times during the meeting, the practitioner invited discussion of and or recognized the client's strengths, resources, and or capacities...

What goals are most helpful?

Measurable and Specific goals

MAPS goals, need to be as clear and detailed as possible. What does MAPS stand for?

Measurable, Attainable, Positive, and Specific

Bandura and Schunk found that with clients who had little success in achieving their goals, setting attainable small goals helped them to sustain what?

Motivation

The amount of discomfort created by the problem or challenge also impacts a client's?

Motivation

Rolling with resistance

Often helpful when working with clients in the precontemplation stage; a motivational interviewing strategy based on the assumption that clients have valid insights and ideas about their situation. With this technique, arguements for change are avoided. Instead, the practitioner expresses understanding of the client's viewpoint and asks the client what changes, if any, he or she wants to make.

After evaluating each possible step, the client and practitioner will need to do what?

Organize the list of steps by prioritizing the steps to work on first, second, and so on.

What are some factors to consider when thinking about a client's strengths, positive factors, capacities and resources?

Past ability to solve or manage problems Level of resilience Common sense or ability to use past experience and knowledge to figure out what to do Support from friends, neighbors, church, family, and community Financial support Eligibility for social service support Adequate housing Safe area to live Adequate schooling Ability to obtain or maintain employment

What are common environmental pressures?

Peer group pressures, family encouragement or discouragement, court ordered, societal pressure, etc.

Setting goals that are _______ keeps the focus on what the client wants to do rather than focusing on what he or she doesn't want to do.

Positive

Evidence based practice

Practice methods based on research studies conducted to determine the most effective ways to respond to the various problems clients present.

Identifying Patterns and Themes

Practitioners listen for themes and patterns related to interacting, behaving, thinking, and or feelings. Part of the practitioner role is to help clients see patterns or themes related to their problems so that they can move one step closer to the preparation stage.

Self Disclosure

Practitioners use self disclosure to share personal information, observations, and opinions with the client in order to give the client a different perspective or offer an illustration or example. The information may be about the practitioner's personal experience or his or her experience of the client. As with giving feedback, it is important that self disclosure occurs in relationships that are strong and well developed. The use of self disclosing statements by practitioners need to be used sparingly.

What are some scales for measuring alliance?

Practitioners with the best outcomes regularly seek client feedback on the alliance. -Barry Duncan's Heart and Soul Website scale -Outcome Rating Scale -used to monitor change over time -MAPS goal ratings

When working with clients in the precontemplation stage, what should one do?

Practitioners working with clients in the pre contemplation stage should focus on raising their awareness of the issues and the pain and fear that these issues might be causing. Practitioners may also attempt to engender the hope that things can be different. For clients in this stage, practitioners work to help clients move toward contemplating that a change would improve their lives.

What are two broad areas that are generally important to learn more about in counseling situations?

Problem(or challenges) and situation(or environment)

Pattern

Refers to a consistent way of thinking, feeling, or behaving. When pointing out patterns, the practitioner might comment on similarities between the client's words and nonverbal communication.

Using language that expresses a belief that clients can change and are able to solve their problems also shows what?

Respect

Practitioners who believe clients have valid insights and ideas about their situation should demonstrate this belief by respecting the client's right to what?

Self-determination

Inviting a Different Perspective

Sharing another perspective invites clients to view experiences, feelings, thoughts, behaviors, or situations in a new way. This skill is also known as reframing. A new perspective invites clients to see things differently, to change their behaviors or thoughts, and increase their success in achieving their action steps and goals. Practitioners may sometimes use questions to invite clients to see things differently. Specific methods: 1. Offering an alternative view 2. Asking questions to help clients consider another perspective. Example: Individual client, "How do you think he felt when you refused to talk to him?" -"Is there another way of explaining his behavior?"

Teaching

Teaching can be used as a way of conveying information the clients may not have. Clients may need instruction or guidance in any number of areas such as appropriate ways to encourage their children, to contact potential employers, to approach community leaders, to communicate their needs effectively, etc. teaching is appropriate when the practitioner realizes that new information might help clients achieve their goals. Specific methods: 1. Providing information or explaining 2. Demonstrating 3. Rehearsing or role playing

What are some other factors that influence motivation to change?

The client's capacity, resources, and strengths also have significant effects on the level of motivation to change. clients who have many personal strengths, good social support and adequate resources tend to be more motivated than those with more limited strengths, social support, and resources. clients who are more resilient are likely to be more motivated because they knowledge from the previous experience that they are able to cope with challenges. the level of stress and demands in a person's life also affects motivation. Clients who have faced extensive stress in the last year and have high demands in their current lives often have more trouble staying motivated to work on problems that go beyond dealing with the stress and demands they face on a daily basis. hope can serve to increase motivation and is critical to all practitioner client relationships.

What is another critical area to explore when identifying a client's problems or challenges?

The client's previous attempts to solve the problem, exploring this area gives clients an opportunity to talk about what they have tried. Hearing about other things the client has tried may give you information about how the client thinks this problem can be solved, other people who have been involved in helping the client, and some of the client's strengths.

Precontemplation stage

The first stage of change. At this stage, the person denies the problem, and or lacks understanding that the behavior is problematic. Since people in this stage do not accept that they have a problem, naturally they do not see the need for change in their actions or feelings. They often do not see their behavior or situation as a problem that should be addressed, or may blame their problems on others. Clients sometimes see practitioners because someone else encouraged them to do so.

Action Stage

The fourth stage in the readiness stages of change. In this stage, clients are ready to take specific steps and may even take steps with little or no support from the practitioner. Many people who are ready to make changes do so without seeking help. Those in the action stage may only need the practitioner's reinforcement, some new information, or help with developing plans. Clients in this stage are very rewarding to work with because they are ready to quickly set goals and take action.

Contemplation stage

The second stage of readiness. This stage involved ambivalence or conflict between the pros and cons related to making a change. At this stage, the individual or group is aware that there is a problem but they are not quite ready to move ahead with making a change. In this stage, people are thinking about the possible challenges and benefits of changing. A client may state that sometime in the next six months or a year he or she may be interested in making a change.

Ethical Considerations

The stages of change model and motivational interviewing both support essential ethical principles related to autonomy and self-determination.

Preparation Stage

The third stage of readiness. During this stage of change, clients are preparing to change by getting information about making changes, by taking small steps related to change by getting information, and by thinking about possible goals. Usually at this stage clients have thought about the steps necessary to achieve their goals. Often they have already made some progress and are planning to make more progress. Goals can now be set. Generally people need to at this stage before a major change will be possible.

Exception-Finding Questions

These questions help clients identify strengths that can be used in problem solving.

Maintenance Stage

This stage requires as much careful planning as the previous stages. The old problematic behavior was maintained because it was rewarding or comfortable. The pull to go back to the old ways is often quite strong. In order to maintain the new behaviors, clients need to develop ways to cope with temptations and to reward day to day successes. Sometimes, clients celebrate achieving their goals without figuring out how to maintain their goals.

Examples of comments that focus on strengths and positive factors

To an individual: "I know that standing up for yourself is new for you. However, it sounds like you were clear and assertive with your boss." To a couple: "I think that figuring out that you need help and getting it shows you each have a lot of commitment to your relationship. To a group: It seems like each of you contributed a great deal of time to make this project such a success.

A crisis situation exists anytime the immediate problems are so serious that the individuals involved are in shock and are unable to cope with the situation. Crisis situations include things such as interpersonal violence, major natural disasters, or some forms of personal loss. True or false?

True

A good alliance between the practitioner and the client is an excellent predictor of outcome when working with individuals, families, and groups. True or false?

True

A practitioner's role is to support clients in the choices they make, even when the practitioner feels the client should make other choices. True or false?

True

Advanced reflecting and noticing patterns and themes are used in the contemplation, preparation, and action stages. True or false?

True

After assessing the client's level of readiness and motivation, practitioners help clients identify their primary challenges or the challenges they want to focus on at this time. True or false?

True

After identifying the problems, practitioners help clients identify their goals. True or false?

True

As a practitioner, it is important that you respect the rights of clients to make their own decisions about how they live their lives. True or false?

True

As part of the final evaluation process, practitioners may invite clients to complete an evaluation form that asks about satisfaction with services and/or the practitioner. The practitioner may decide to discuss satisfaction with the client face to face. Asking clients for feedback about their level of satisfaction with the work and what they identify as being most helpful gives practitioners important information for helping future clients. True or false?

True

As practitioners work with clients, they often set more than one MAPS goal. True or false?

True

As you become skilled as a practitioner, you may decide to approach agreement on problems and goals differently. True or false?

True

At the end of the helping process, practitioners allow time to celebrate what has been achieve and to recognize the strengths of the client. Studies have found that positive reactions about the work which was accomplished were common. True or false?

True

At the time of crisis, practitioners need to focus on dealing with the immediate needs of those involved. After assessing the level of the crisis, the practitioner needs to determine the most effective immediate response. True or false?

True

Before identifying steps, further exploration about the problem may be needed to learn more specifics such as where the problem occurs, who is involved, what are the immediate antecedents and consequences of the problem, and what meanings the client may be attributing to the problem. True or false?

True

Clear goals are necessary in planning steps to be taken, reviewing, and evaluating progress, and deciding when to end the relationship between the practitioner and the client. True or false?

True

Client decisions are influenced by culture, gender, age, and other factors that the practitioner may not fully understand. True or false?

True

Clients must decide that there is more to be gained from making the change than from maintaining the current behavior. Teur or false?

True

Clients must set goals that are measurable. True or false?

True

Clients overall life situation or environment affects their ability to work on problems, practitioners need to understand their clients life situation and environment. True or false?

True

Clients who participate in setting goals are more likely to believe the goals are achievable. Also, clients who visualize the goals in concrete, specific, behavioral terms improve the most. True or false?

True

Commenting on strengths and positive factors invites clients to change their perspective from what is wrong in their life to what is positive in their life. True or false?

True

During the ending phase of the work, the practitioner evaluates the entire process and identifies what was most helpful, what did not work as effectively, what was learned, and what are additional areas for growth. True or false?

True

During the exploring phase, the practitioner evaluates whether he or she fully understands the problems, situation and client. True or false?

True

Engaging in career long learning is part of being a helping professional. True or false?

True

Environmental factors also influence motivation. True or false?

True

Establishing goals is a crucial phase of the work done by the practitioner and client. True or false?

True

Ethically, practitioners should affirm the rights of clients to decide how to act as long as their behavior does not infringe upon the legal rights of others or actively endanger self or others. True or false?

True

Figuring out your client's readiness to change is essential. True or false?

True

Focusing on strengths is a way of demonstrating respect. True or false?

True

Generally, practitioners move from setting MAPS goals to asking clients to identify the action steps they think will be necessary to achieve a particular goal. True or false?

True

Giving homework is another way of directing that involves asking clients to complete an activity between meetings. These directions usually involve completing a series of agreed upon steps. True or false?

True

Goals that are measurable and specific make it possible for clients and practitioners to evaluate whether the goals have been achieved. True or false?

True

Having a goal attainment scale for your clients is a very helpful tool for practitioners. True or false?

True

Highlighting what clients have already achieved shows that the practitioner understands and supports the efforts they have made. True or false?

True

If a practitioner determines that clients are discounting at any level, the first step is to help them to get to the point of accepting that the problem exists is serious and is solvable by the client. This process might take considerable time. True or false?

True

If the purpose of the self disclosure is to gain sympathy or support from the client, the practitioner has crossed the line from professional to personal. True or false?

True

In a crisis situation, the practitioner may have to take action quickly without fully exploring the problems. True or false?

True

In every situation except a crisis, practitioners and clients need to fully explore person, problem, and situation and assess stage of change and motivation before defining the focus of their work together. True or false?

True

In fact, setting goals is a task that almost all practitioners agree is essential. True or false?

True

In long term relationships, the client and practitioner need to allow time to talk about their feelings about ending the relationship. True or false?

True

In many ways, ending a professional relationship is similar to ending a meeting. True or false?

True

In order to maintain motivation, it is important to not only notice possible problems in the relationship between the client and practitioner, but also to regularly ask for feedback from clients. True or false?

True

In working with clients who are in the Contemplation stage, practitioners can help clients identify barriers or challenges to making changes and discover strengths that will be helpful if they decide to make changes. True or false?

True

Involving both clients and practitioners in identifying steps to achieve goals is appropriated with individual clients of all ages, as well with as with families, groups, and larger systems such as organizations and communities. True or false?

True

It is essential that goals be mutually established between practitioners and clients. Practitioners need to think about whether they are trying to direct clients toward certain goals or choosing goals for the clients. If the practitioner senses that he or she is working harder than the client, it is often because the practitioner has established a goal without adequate participation from the client. True or false?

True

It is important for practitioners to carefully think about and assess each client's level of readiness rather than to assume that every client who comes for help is at the preparation or action stage. True or false?

True

It is important that the practitioner share thoughts and feelings about the positive changes the client has made and recognize the client's efforts. The practitioner may also help the client identify areas for additional work and affirm his or her ability to solve these problems by using the skills developed in their work together. True or false?

True

It is important to emphasize any positive steps, particularly those that the client might not be valuing. True or false?

True

Learning about how the problem affects the client is essential. True or false?

True

Maintaining hope in the face of difficult problems is an important aspect of being an effective practitioner. True or false?

True

Many practitioners begin with a small goal that can be achieved in a reasonable period of time. True or false?

True

Noticing themes or patterns as they occur in the relationship between the practitioner and the client can have a great deal of impact on helping clients move toward change. True or false?

True

Often it will be the clients' strengths and positive factors that will help them resolve their problems. True or false?

True

Once a specific plan has been developed, it is important to monitor progress and focus on improvement. True or false?

True

Part of the monitoring process should be focusing on progress or improvement that has been made. True or false?

True

Practitioners also experience emotions as relationships end. Spending time together listening to feelings, thoughts, and experiences; talking about problems, setting goals, and evaluating progress often creates a strong bond that practitioners are also reluctant to end. When appropriate, a practitioner might also share feelings about ending the relationship. Sharing these feelings provides a sense of closure or completeness and opens the door to ending the relationship and saying goodbye. True or false?

True

Practitioners may also attempt to engender hope that things can be different when working with clients in the precontemplation stage. True or false?

True

Practitioners need to carefully explore all aspects of the problems that are troubling their clients. True or false?

True

Practitioners need to understand how well clients are adapting and fitting into their environment. True or false?

True

Practitioners who partner with clients to understand challenges and to discover and identify strengths, resources, and positive factors create opportunities for clients to enhance their sense of empowerment. True or false?

True

Practitioners working with clients in the precontemplation stage need to think about what they could say that might raise their client's awareness of the urgency of the issues and the pain or fear that these issues might cause. True or false?

True

Resistance often occurs when clients are required to see a practitioner and are resentful about having to see someone when they don't think they have a problem. True or false?

True

Respect can be expressed through expressing understanding and validating the client's story; by showing interest in the client's thoughts, feelings, wants, needs and goals; by creating and maintaining a collaborative environment; by asking about strengths, resources, potential, and capacities; and by identifying strengths. True or false?

True

Scaling questions are an excellent tool to use for evaluating progress. True or false?

True

Self Disclosure can enhance genuineness in the relationship. True or false?

True

Since professional relationships are purposeful, once the purpose or goal has been achieved, the relationship should end. True or false?

True

Skillful practitioners explore client's level of readiness and motivation before deciding how to proceed in working with clients. True or false?

True

Sometimes people in the pre contemplation stage begin the process of working with a practitioner by seeing the problems as belonging to or caused by someone else. When clients blame others for their problems, it is difficult to identify problems that they want to address. True or false?

True

Taking time to evaluate and celebrate each success is crucial to client's growth. True or false?

True

Teaching, Directing, Inviting a Different Perspective, Giving Feedback, and Using Self Disclosure are skills that are particularly helpful in the action phase. True or false?

True

The best practitioners pursue ongoing professional development through several methods. They develop self knowledge by participating in personal counseling, reflecting on their own value and ethics in their work with diverse clients, and or participating in lifelong learning to constantly keep abreast of new ideas, programs, and resources. True or false?

True

The ending of a practitioner client relationship is a significant event and some clients feel a sense of loss, sadness, fear and even anger about the relationship ending. Practitioners should encourage clients to express their feelings. True or false?

True

The level of a client's motivation is determined by taking into account all the factors that influence person, family, group, or organization to feel compelled to resolve an issue or problem and those factors that influence them to maintain the status quo. True or false?

True

The practitioner also needs to learn about how the problem is affecting the person's functioning and other aspects of the client's life. True or false?

True

The practitioner works with the client to eatablish the most unfavorable outcome, less than expected success, greater than expected success, and the most favorable outcome. True or false?

True

The process of change is more circular than sequential. People may move to the next stage for a while and then move back to a previous stage, possibly because of fear of making last changes or maybe because other demands are taking precedence. True or false?

True

The right of autonomous self determination should not be denied or interfered with by well intentioned practitioners either through coercion or through undue influence. True or false?

True

To be attainable, a goal needs to be something, the client believes is possible to reach based on the available resources such as time, money, and people power . True or false?

True

To develop a deeper understanding of clients, practitioners need to focus on their strengths, resources, and positive factors as well as their challenges. True or false?

True

Understanding the rapidly growing body of research on brain development is essential for anyone in the counseling field. True or false?

True

When clients face many problems, the practitioner may help them establish goals for each problem or may focus on establishing and working on one goal at a time. True or false?

True

When goals are attainable, clients have an increased sense of hope about the possibility of change. True or false?

True

When goals are measurable, attainable, positive, and specific, it is easier for clients to begin to create a vision of what life will be like when the goals are achieved. True or false?

True

When planning for achieving steps, it is important that clients see the value of each step, have a solid plan for completing each step, and understand and agree to complete each step. True or false?

True

When supporting self-efficacy, practitioners encourage clients to acknowledge and believe in their ability to carry out and succeed with specific tasks. The general goal is to enhance clients' confidence and capability to cope with obstacles and to succeed in making changes. True or false?

True

Whether the client is an individual, family, a group, or neighborhood, looking for positive factors and strengths is essential. True or false?

True

While working with clients in the precontemplation stage, practitioners invite clients to think about whether a change could improve their lives. True or false?

True

Practitioners use open-ended questions to invite clients to think in positive terms about what they want to start doing. True or false?

True! Example: "What do you waht to do instead of drinking?"

Goal attainment scaling is an excellent way to monitor and evaluate progress. True or false?

True,

How can a client ask about the seriousness of the problem? What can they do?

Use a scaling question that invites the client to rate the severity of the problem on a 1 to 10 scale.

Identifying discrepancies

Useful in the precontemplation stage; can be used in all stages, involves pointing out an incongruity between the client's present behavior and something he or she values or wants. An example: "I know you think the agency had no right to put your child in foster care. What do you think will have to change for you to get your child back home?" practitioner speaking with a family

Goal attainment scaling is another helpful way to monitor progress. What is it?

Using goal attainment scaling, the client and the practitioner create a 5 point scale or continuum that ranges from the most unfavorable outcome possible to the most favorable outcome that the client believes is possible. Each level of the scale should be measurable so that the practitioner and client can determine where the client is on the scale. A scale is created for each goal. These scales are also used at the end of the work to measure overall progress.

Problem Identification

When the client is ready to identify the problem and to work together solving it, the practitioner states the problem in terms of something the client has so far been unable to achieve. This tends to be awkward for new practitioners.

Example Of Using Homework Assignment

With an individual: "Between now and our next appointment, will you make a list of all of the jobs that you think might interest you?"

Does the relationship that the client has with the practitioner affect motivation?

Yes! If clients experience practitioners as being genuine, providing regular feedback, having positive regard for the client, and being focused on their issues, motivation tends to increase.

After gaining more understanding of the client's situations, challenges, and strengths, the practitioner assesses client's readiness to make changes and his or her motivation to change. Is this true?

Yes, it is true.

Theme

a theme refers to an idea or point of view shared by several people.

To better under the client's challenges, one important area to explore is the what of the problem?

history of the problem, then in some cases, understanding why the client decided to see a practitioner at this time is important. There often is a precipitating event that leads to the person making an appointment.

General goal statements include words that are?

vague, nonspecific, with unclear meanings. For example, "I will increase my self-esteem. "Improved communication."

Examples Of Focusing On Improvement

with an individual: "After talking to your boss, how did you feel about yourself?'" with a family: "Will each of you tell one person in the family about one thing he or she did last week that you liked?" with a group: "Let's go around the circle and share one positive thing we noticed when we first met each other."