Clinical Interviewing

JOHN SOMMERS-FLANAGAN, PhD, and RITA SOMMERS-FLANAGAN, PhD, have worked together professionally for eighteen years. John is a clinical psychologist and Executive Director of Families First, a parent education program. Rita is a clinical psychologist and professor of counseling at the University of Montana. They are the authors of numerous professional articles, instructional chapters, and four books.

Part One: Becoming a Mental Health Professional.Chapter 1: Introduction: Philosophy and Organization.Welcome to the Journey.Teaching Philosophy.Theoretical Orientations.Basic Requirements for Clinical Interviewers.Goals and Objectives of This Book.Summary.Suggested Readings and Resources.Chapter 2: Foundations and Preparations.Toward a Definition of Clinical Interviewing.Self-Awareness.Effective Interviewing: Seven Vocational Perspectives.The Physical Setting.Professional and Ethical Issues.Summary.Suggested Readings and Resources.Part Two: Listening and Relationship Development.Chapter 3: Basic Attending, Listening, and Action Skills.Attending Behavior.Moving Beyond Attending.Nondirective Listening Responses.The Pull to Reassurance.Directive Listening Responses.Summary.Suggested Readings and Resources.Chapter 4: Directives: Questions and Action Skills.Using Questions.Directive Action Responses.Summary.Suggested Readings and Resources.Chapter 5: Relationship Variables and Clinical Interviewing.Carl Rogers's Core Conditions.Psychoanalytic and Interpersonal Relationship Variables.Relationship Variables and Behavioral and Social Psychology.Feminist Relationship Variables.Integrating Relationship Variables.Summary.Suggested Readings and Resources.Part Three: Structuring and Assessment.Chapter 6: An Overview of the Interview Process.Structural Models.The Introduction.The Opening.The Body.The Closing.Termination.The Science of Clinical Interviewing.Summary.Suggested Readings and Resources.Chapter 7: Intake Interviewing and Report Writing.What Is an Intake Interview?Objectives of Intake Interviewing.Factors Affecting Intake Interview Procedures.Interviewing Special Populations.Brief Intake Interviewing: A Managed Care Model.The Intake Report.Summary.Suggested Readings and Resources.Chapter 8: The Mental Status Examination.What Is a Mental Status Examination?The Generic Mental Status Examination.When to Use Mental Status Examinations.Summary.Suggested Readings and Resources.Chapter 9: Suicide Assessment.Personal Reactions to Suicide.Suicide Statistics.Considering Suicide Myths.Suicide Risk Factors.Conducting a Thorough Suicide Assessment.Crisis Intervention with Suicidal Clients.Professional Issues.Summary.Suggested Readings and Resources.Chapter 10: Diagnosis and Treatment Planning.Principles of Psychiatric Diagnosis.Diagnostic Assessment: Methods and Procedures.The Science of Clinical Interviewing, Part II: Diagnostic Reliability and Validity.A Balanced Approach to Conducting Diagnostic Clinical Interviews.Treatment Planning.An Integrated (Biopsychosocial) Approach to Treatment Planning.Summary.Suggested Readings and Resources.Part Four: Interviewing Special Populations.Chapter 11: Interviewing Young Clients.Special Considerations in Working with Children.The Introduction.The Opening.The Body.The Closing.Termination.Summary.Suggested Readings and Resources.Chapter 12: Interviewing Couples and Families.Some Ironies of Interviewing Couples and Families.Interviewing Stages and Tasks.Formal Couple and Family Assessment Procedures.Special Considerations.Summary.Suggested Readings and Resources.Chapter 13: Multicultural and Diversity Issues.Relationship in the Context of Diversity.The Big Four.Other Diverse Client Populations.The Importance of Context.Interviewing Context and Procedures.Culture-Bound Syndromes.Matters of Etiquette.Summary.Suggested Readings and Resources.References.Author Index.Subject Index.About the Authors.