Assessment of Children: Behavioral and Clinical Applications (4 th Ed)

Chapters 1-3
Jaymee Leonen, RPsy

Purposes of Clinical Assessment Interview

 initial interview
 post-assessment interview
 follow-up interview

Degrees of structure in assessment interviews is dependent on the type of

information you wish to obtain from your interviewee.

Beginning the interview:

- Basic guidelines
- Minimizing distractions
- Listening – ability to listen creatively and emphatically and to probe skillfully
1. Being attuned to your own thoughts, feelings, and actions
a. Knowing your standards, basis for hypothesis, style for
asking questions, emotional blindspots
2. Analytical Listening
a. “Understand interviewee’s frame of reference
b. Reduce interviewee’s emotional tension
c. Give interviewee time to refine his/her thoughts
d. Relate effectively to interviewee”
3. Recognizing response sets to be aware of where to further probe
and also as a window to detect possible developmental disabilities
in children
4. Need to evaluate the information you gathered
5. Importance of staying attuned all throughout
- Establishing Rapport – ongoing process all throughout the interview; “based
on mutual confidence , respect, and acceptance”
- Asking questions appropriately: importance of timing, keeping flow in the
interview, proper phrasing of questions
- Probing Effectively using techniques like Elaboration, Clarification,
Repetition, Challenging, Silence, Neutral Phrases, Reflective Statements,
Periodic Summaries, and Miscellaneous Probing
- Maintaining structure in probing and encouraging appropriate replies
although out
- Accept the person’s communication but do not endorse it.
- Keeping your own emotions under control

Guide Questions:
1. What makes a clinical assessment interview similar to other types of
interviews? What makes it unique?
2. How does one facilitate rapport in the interview? How does one diminish it?
 3. How do you handle anxious clients? How about agitated or crying ones?
4. What are the types of questions you avoid? Why?

Interviewing Children, Parents, Teachers, and Families

1. What are the important roles that each of these interviewee’s play in
formulating a holistic understanding of the patient’s problem?
2. What are some strategies that can be used when working with families who
are resistant?

Other Considerations Related to the Interview

1. As an interviewer, when would say that you were satisfied with your clinical
assessment interview? How about as an interviewee?