Clinical Interview Self-Critique
Your recorded session should be 20 minutes long. (Feel free to go over by five minutes, but no less than 20.) It is not important that your session be perfect - - imperfect sessions are easier to critique than perfect ones! However, do give it your best and be professional.
Describe and critique your opening with the client:
Did you:
Give a brief structuring statement? What did you include in this statement?
Start with open-ended questions?
Describe and critique your clinical skills:
Did you:
Respond with reflective listening?
Respond more with reflective listening than questioning? Were your questions more open-ended versus closed?
Affirm and support appropriately?
Summarize periodically?
Avoid the "traps?" If so, describe how. If not, describe how.
Listen for change talk? Give an example of a change talk statement and how you responded.
Ask evocative questions?
Get enough information for a "mental" decisional balance?
Ask for elaboration at appropriate times?
Use extremes?
Ask the client to look back?
Ask the client to look forward?
Explore the client's goals / values?
Refrain from giving advice (or responded appropriately if directly asked)?
Describe and critique any resistance you encountered. Describe and critique what you did. Did you practice:
Simple Reflection?
Double-Sided Reflection?
Amplified Reflection?
Shifting Focus?
Agreement with a Twist?
Emphasizing personal choice and control?
Reframing?
Coming Alongside?
Did you assess/enhance confidence appropriately?
Describe any of your mannerisms that might be distracting to the client.
What stage of change is the client in? Support your answer.
Write a treatment plan appropriate for your client with at least two goals and three methods for each goal - - remember to make the treatment plan reflect the client's stage of change.
Remember: this report should be typed, double-spaced, and no longer than 5 pages (treatment plan and rubric not included in page limit).
Turn in : report, rubric with left side filled out, treatment plan, and DVD of your session

Simulated Interview Critique
Confidential
Opening with the client:
I began by giving a brief structuring statement . I included the time allotted (20 minutes), what I saw as the client's role (discuss an area of change), and attended to the details of informed consent and their role as a volunteer.
I then asked the following statement that ended with an open-ended question : "I understand you would like to discuss an area of your life that you'd like to change. Where would you like to start."
I failed to clarify my role and goals . I could have said something like, "During our time together I will be asking you some questions but mostly will be listening. I really want to get a clear picture of where you are at with this issue."
Describe and critique your clinical skills:
I noticed I had difficulty with reflective listening ; I wanted to ask questions instead. An example of when I did reflective listening well was when the client said she wanted to drop out of school and I responded, "you are feeling overwhelmed." This really seemed to get to the root of the issue for her. She really values school (as indicated when
I used an extreme statement , "Perhaps it would be best for you to drop out."), but her sense of overwhelm is creating a stressful situation for her.
I asked quite a few open-ended questions that also involved looking back . Examples are "When did you notice beginning to feel overwhelmed?" and "Has there ever been a semester that you felt on top of your courses?" I started to get in a question-answer trap at the beginning of this part as I was hammering out questions one after another without appropriately reflecting . I noticed at one point it was as if she was just waiting for my next question versus really trying to figure it out for herself. I then began asking more evocative questions such as, "What can you do today to feel a little less overwhelmed?" (then I reflected her multitude of responses) and "What will you have to give up to be more on top of your courses?" ( I again reflected her multitude of responses)
I avoided giving advice (although I really wanted to!). I could tell that even though she was saying she wanted to be caught up, she wasn't willing to let go of some of her leisure activities (e.g. television, "Saturdays off"). I began a line of open-ended questions that helped me to really see her ambivalence (a mental decisional balance sheet ). I asked open-ended questions such as (and reflected her responses to these): "What would it be like if you studied on
Saturday and only "played" on Saturday night?" ( cost of change ), "What if you only watched two hours of television daily to give yourself more time to study?" ( cost of change ), "What are your favorite things about not doing any work on Saturdays?" ( benefit of status quo ), etc.
Describe and critique any resistance you encountered:
I reflected the summary of the decisional balance sheet (including double-sided reflections ) and asked if I had left anything out . She indicated that I really hadn't focused enough on how television and "free Saturdays" were stress management skills for her. I began asking her again about what it would be like to decrease her television viewing
( cost of change ) and she said, "That really isn't an option." She seemed upset that I had brought it up. I decided that perhaps it was perceived as giving advice (and she really wasn't asking for it) so I shifted focus to the stress management that she had emphasized earlier. I let her know that I was in no way trying to change her . . . that whatever she decided to do was her choice ( emphasizing personal choice and control ) . . . then I asked her what, if anything, that we had discussed today seemed like an avenue to consider help her with her overwhelm.
She stated that perhaps she needed to work on stress management and asked if I knew how to help her with that. I stated that I had some ideas, but first wanted to know what she had tried previously ( being "coy" with advice ). She mentioned that she loved to dance and that she finds dancing a great stress release. Then she said, "maybe I could use that as my Saturday night reward for studying" ( envisioning ).
We ended the session with the client stating that she was going to try studying on Saturday and rewarding herself with going out on Saturday night ( experimenting ).
Describe any of your mannerisms that might be distracting to the client.
Although I made good eye contact, I . . .
What stage of change is the client in? Support your answer.
Contemplation / Preparation because . . .

Write a treatment plan with at least two goals and three methods for each goal .
Problem 1: Client states she feels overwhelmed by her courses this semester.
Goal: Client will not feel overwhelmed by her courses.
Method 1: Client will keep a weekly log of her time expenditures for two weeks beginning next session.
Method 2: Client will make a calendar outlining her assignments (including readings) by the next session.
Method 3: Client will discuss her log and calendar in each session.
Problem 2: Client states that she needs to work on stress management.
Goal: Client will actively practice stress management techniques.
Method 1: Client will experiment with new techniques at least once weekly beginning immediately.
Method 2: Client will "interview" someone she believes handles their courses without becoming overly stressed by the end of week two. Client will ask for specific suggestions.
Method 3: Client will conduct an internet search on stress management and discuss the findings by session 3
The following provides a number of protections for the volunteer "client", you as a student, me, the ASAP program, and the profession with regard to the treatment of volunteers and their information.
1. Write "Simulated Interview Critique" on the top of your paper. This identifies the paper as not a clinical record.
2. Write "Confidential" on the top of your paper. This would be standard for a clinical record, but also serves as a reminder to treat the information appropriately.
3. Do not provide any identifying information of the volunteer interviewee. This protects the person's identity and information from every reader except you, the student.
4. Instruct the volunteer that they may withdraw from the interview at any time. This reminds them of their right to withdraw their consent even after they begin.
6. Before beginning, read the following statement:
"This practice session is a fulfillment of an assignment for a SUNY Brockport alcohol and substance abuse counselor training course. I am not a credentialed counselor but this is a practice session for me to critique my skills. During this session, I will be asking you to discuss an area of your life that you would like to make change in. If at any time during this interview, you would prefer to stop, you are under no pressure to continue. Do you have any questions for me prior to beginning? (wait for answer) Is it with your consent that I begin?
(wait for answer) Thank you."