CHAPTER 13 - Individual Microskill Practice
Major Course Transcript
REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSCRIPT
1. Present the paper typed in a similar format to that of the text. You may find that this
paper may be useful to you in obtaining a summer job, demonstrating your
competence, and so on. Consider this paper a permanent part of your developing
professional life and your portfolio.
2. Chapter 13 presents the specifics of the paper in detail. Use the career counseling
interview there as an example. Note the following check-off points to make sure you
have done everything:
___ Describe the client briefly. Do not use the client's real name.
___ Outline your interview plan before the session.
___ Be sure you obtain the client's permission before taping and include a summary
of this agreement in your transcript recording. The client should be free to
withdraw at any time and even at the end of the interview may say, "Do not use
this session." Find another client. It is critical to protect the rights of the client.
We want to see that you have asked specifically for permission to record.
___ Number all interactions during the interview and be sure to indicate who is
speaking at the beginning of each interaction.
___ Score each interaction for focus and your use of attending and influencing skills.
Double scoring may be required for some of your leads. Score client only for
focus. Follow the form of the transcript in the book.
___ If you confront, note how the client responds using the Confrontation Impact
Scale.
___ Comment on your interactions when you feel that it is appropriate. Discuss
what you feel was good or poor in your interviewing and describe why you feel
that way. If you feel that you used a skill inappropriately, describe what you
feel would have been a better approach. Note what worked and what you feel
good about too! Include comments on your personal constructs (from
observation); noting how you personally influenced the direction of the
interview from the constructs is an important part of your paper!
___ Indicate when you feel that you have reached the end of a stage/dimension. Do
not feel that you must cover all stages; in some cases, you may cycle back to an
earlier or forward to a later stage. Just be aware of the stages you cover.
___ Write a commentary on the interview that summarizes what happened.
___ Summarize your use of skills through a skill count.
___ Assess your competence levels. What skills have you mastered and what do you
need to do next? This is also a summary of your strengths and "areas for further
development." What did you like and not like about your work? Your ability to
understand and process "where you are" and discuss yourself is more important
than the actual quality of the interview. We are interested in your potential for
growth.
___ End the presentation with a treatment plan for a future hypothetical series of
interviews.
3. You don't have to present a full interview in typed form, although this likely will be
most beneficial to you. Twenty minutes from within a longer session is enough. But if
you do this, be sure to indicate what happened in the rest of the session so that the
context of what you present is clear.
4. Have you done everything on the checklist?
5. Good luck! This is a taxing, demanding assignment. However, the feedback we
obtain from students year after year is that this assignment was one of the most
valuable, if not the most valuable, part of the course. It is really helpful to look at
yourself carefully and in detail. It provides a base for growth and development in the
future and shows how much you can do. Some students have presented their
transcripts to prospective employers as evidence of their skill and training.
6. Suggested topics for the session: career counseling, assertion training, an interview
on your own style or theory, interpersonal conflict, interviewing someone about
his/her attitudes, feelings, and meaning around a controversial topic (abortion,
divorce, death, and so on). No need to get heavy; the issue is skill demonstration and
analysis.
7. Decisional Counseling. It is helpful to summarize the key points of decisional
counseling and discuss the several supplemental strategies mentioned in the text. The
PowerPoint™ slides will be beneficial for this purpose.