Interviewing Skills - Eppp Skills

Which interviewing move is most appropriate when you need examples to anchor a general statement?

Request for specificity (concrete examples). Specificity requests ground vague statements in concrete details, enhancing diagnostic accuracy.
What is the most appropriate response when a client disagrees with your tentative formulation?

Validate, invite correction, and revise collaboratively. This response maintains alliance by respecting client input and refining collaboratively.
Identify the best response to: "I feel like everything is my fault."

"It sounds like you are feeling a lot of guilt and self-blame.". This reflection acknowledges the client's emotion, promoting further exploration and rapport.
What is the most appropriate immediate step when a client indicates possible imminent self-harm intent?

Conduct a focused suicide risk assessment and determine safety needs. Immediate risk assessment ensures safety and informs necessary interventions.
What is the interviewing technique of naming and reflecting the client's affective state?

Feeling reflection (emotion reflection). Reflecting emotions validates affective experiences, encouraging deeper emotional processing.
Which question type is best for confirming specific symptoms after open-ended exploration?

Closed-ended question. Closed-ended questions provide precise confirmation of details after broader exploration has occurred.
Which interviewing skill directly checks accuracy of your understanding of the client?

Reflection followed by confirmation (clarifying check-in). This technique ensures mutual understanding by verifying the clinician's interpretation against the client's intent.
Which interviewing strategy best reduces defensiveness when discussing sensitive topics?

Normalize and ask permission before inquiring. Normalization and permission reduce stigma and enhance client comfort.
What is the primary goal of trauma-informed interviewing?

Maximize safety, choice, and control while minimizing retraumatization. Trauma-informed practices prioritize client empowerment and safety to support healing.
Which option best demonstrates cultural humility during an interview?

Ask how the client understands their experience within their cultural context. Cultural humility involves curiosity and learning from the client to avoid assumptions.
Which interviewing skill best addresses a rupture when the client says, "You do not get it"?

Metacommunication and repair: acknowledge impact and ask what was missed. Metacommunication addresses ruptures directly, facilitating repair and understanding.
What is the best definition of active listening in a psychological interview?

Attending, reflecting, clarifying, and summarizing to understand meaning. Active listening integrates these elements to promote client disclosure and accurate comprehension in psychological contexts.
What is the best definition of a clinical summary during an interview?

A concise synthesis of key themes, facts, and emotions to confirm accuracy. Summaries integrate session content to verify shared understanding and guide next steps.
Which interviewing approach best fits when a client's norms differ from the clinician's assumptions?

Elicit the client's explanatory model before interpreting meaning. Eliciting the client's model respects their worldview, preventing misinterpretation.
Which type of question is most appropriate at the start of an intake to elicit the client's agenda?

Open-ended question. Open-ended questions encourage clients to share their narrative freely, guiding the interview based on their priorities.
What is the key difference between empathy and sympathy in clinical interviewing?

Empathy is understanding; sympathy is sharing or feeling for the client. This distinction maintains professional boundaries, allowing clinicians to connect without emotional enmeshment.
What is the best definition of flexibility in clinical interviewing?

Adapting structure, pacing, and questions to the client's needs and context. Flexibility allows tailoring to individual contexts, improving interview effectiveness.
What is the most appropriate action when a client uses an unfamiliar cultural term for distress?

Ask for the client's definition and examples of what it means to them. Seeking client input promotes cultural sensitivity and accurate understanding.
What is the best definition of collaboration in a clinical interview?

Shared agenda-setting and joint decision-making about goals and next steps. Collaboration empowers clients, improving engagement and tailoring the interview to mutual goals.
What is the most appropriate first step when a client becomes tearful and pauses mid-sentence?

Allow silence and reflect emotion. This approach respects the client's emotional process while demonstrating empathy and patience.
Which interview adjustment is most appropriate when trauma history is suspected but not yet disclosed?

Proceed gradually, ask permission, and avoid unnecessary detail early. Gradual pacing builds trust and prevents overwhelming clients with potential trauma.
What is the primary purpose of expressing accurate empathy during a clinical interview?

To communicate understanding of the client's experience and strengthen rapport. Accurate empathy validates the client's perspective, fostering trust and therapeutic alliance essential for effective interviewing.
What is the best definition of cultural competence as applied to clinical interviewing?

Using culturally informed knowledge and skills to reduce bias in assessment. Cultural competence applies knowledge to mitigate biases, ensuring equitable assessment.
What is the interviewing technique of briefly restating content using the client's key words?

Paraphrase (content reflection). Paraphrasing demonstrates attentiveness and helps confirm the clinician's grasp of the client's content.
Which interviewing move is most appropriate when a client gives vague or ambiguous information?

Clarification. Clarification resolves ambiguities, ensuring the interview yields precise and reliable information.

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