Summary
Asking open-ended questions is a critical assessment skill and a crucial part of motivational interviewing. Open-ended questions encourage the service receiver to elaborate on the problem instead of providing simple answers. Such questions help both the client and the service provider understand the key aspects of the problem in depth (DiClemente et al., 2017). In the situation with Mrs. Lopez, I would ask three open-ended questions to understand her condition.
First, I would say, “Your daughter says that your interest in recreational activities has decreased lately. Please, help me understand the reason for that.” When asking this question, I would demonstrate that both her daughter and I are worried about her current condition. Additionally, this question is designed to help Mrs. Lopez to search for a reason for her changes in mood. This question would help to rule out some causes of her behavior, such as abusive behavior of the personnel or health conditions like chronic pain.
Second, I would ask Mrs. Lopez, “What are your relationships with your daughter?” This question is designed to help the service receiver assess her relationship with her daughter. By asking this question, I plan to receive information on whether the relationship with her daughter can be treated as a coping mechanism or as a source of negative feelings that can contribute to depressive symptoms. Finally, I would ask, “What do you think about suicides?” This question is designed to help the service provider to understand the level of tolerance for suicides. This question would help to assess the likelihood of a suicide attempt.
Converting Closed-Ended Questions to Open-Ended Questions
Asking open-ended questions is crucial during the assessment of clients. Practitioners are sometimes inclined to use closed-ended questions to save time. However, such an approach often impairs the assessment process. Thus, it is crucial for advanced human service practitioners to be able to convert closed-ended questions into open-ended ones. The exercise below provides several examples of how common closed-ended questions can be changed to support the spirit of motivational interviewing.
- Question 1: Are you doing OK today?
- How are you feeling today?
- What has been bothering you today?
- Question 2: Are you married?
- How is your personal life?
- I was wondering if you could tell me about your significant other.
- Question 3: How much do you drink on a typical drinking occasion?
- What is your typical drinking pattern?
- Why do you think your drinking pattern may have caused discomfort to your relatives?
- Question 4: Did you have a good day in school today?
- How was your school day?
- What was the most interesting thing you learned at school today?
Sometimes, questions that seem open-ended receive closed-ended responses. For instance, “How are you feeling today?” is common question practitioners ask service receivers. This question often receives a short close-ended answer like “Fine, thanks!” Thus, sometimes the questions need to be rephrased to be more specific. For instance, a practitioner may ask, “What has been bothering you today?” which will encourage the client to reflect on the events of the day. Additionally, the question can be transformed into a request, such as “I was wondering if you could tell what positive moments you experienced today.” Such a request demonstrates that the practitioner is actually interested in the answer and helps to escape cliché questions, which can receive closed-ended answers.
Another example of rephrasing open-ended questions was Question 4 provided above. Children often come back with “Fine!” after being asked how school was today. The problem is that the question has turned into a cliché, and children do not feel that their parents are actually interested in their school life. By asking, “What was the most interesting thing your learned at school today?” a parent or a service provider can encourage the child to reflect on the events of the day and see the positive side of going to school.
Asking open-ended questions is a crucial skill that advanced human service practitioners should master. Open-ended questions invite collaboration with the service provider and deeper thoughts about the issue of interest (DiClemente et al., 2017). Even though open-ended questions may be difficult to quantify for formal assessments, they help the client to understand the underlying cause of the events (DiClemente et al., 2017). Moreover, such questions help both the service provider and the service receiver to identify the possibilities of change (DiClemente et al., 2017). Open-ended questions also help to reveal “silent” issues, the ones that the practitioner would have never thought of specifically (Geer, 1991). Thus, advanced human service providers are to be able to use open-ended questions appropriately.
References
DiClemente, C. C., Corno, C. M., Graydon, M. M., Wiprovnick, A. E., & Knoblach, D. J. (2017). Motivational interviewing, enhancement, and brief interventions over the last decade: A review of reviews of efficacy and effectiveness. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 31(8), 862.
Geer, J. G. (1991). Do open-ended questions measure “salient” issues? Public Opinion Quarterly, 55(3), 360-370.
DiClemente, C. C., Corno, C. M., Graydon, M. M., Wiprovnick, A. E., & Knoblach, D. J. (2017). Motivational interviewing, enhancement, and brief interventions over the last decade: A review of reviews of efficacy and effectiveness. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 31(8), 862.