Interviewing is a fundamental skill in the human services field, as interviews are the primary source of information. There are two general types of interviews: unstructured and structured interviews. While the purpose of both structured and unstructured interviews is to develop diagnoses based on DSM-V, two types of interviews use different approaches to communication with the client (Jones, 2010). In unstructured interviews, clients answer the questions in an open manner, while the counselor writes down the important information to develop diagnoses (Jones, 2010). This type of interview is called unstructured because there is no standardized way of writing down the responses, and the counselor is entirely responsible for selecting the appropriate questions and interpreting the answers (Jones, 2010). While this type of interview is the most frequent approach to the intake process, it is associated with significant disadvantages. In particular, the accuracy of such interviews depends upon the experience of the counselors and their ability to recognize the symptoms according to DSM-V (Jones, 2010). Therefore, the results of unstructured interviews may be inconsistent.
In structured interviews, the clients are provided with possible answers to questions, which helps to quantify the information received from the clients (Aboraya, 2009). Thus, the flexibility of structured interviews is limited, which may be a barrier for assessing clients with multiple co-morbidities (Aboraya, 2009). Moreover, structured interviews often interfere in building rapport with clients, which is crucial in human services (Aboraya, 2009). Therefore, more than two-thirds of counselors report they do not use the structured interview in their practice (Aboraya, 2009). However, I believe that structured interviews should be considered as intake methods in some cases as an alternative to unstructured interviews.
I believe that counselors should use unstructured as the primary intake instrument in the majority of cases. There are several cases where structured interviews may be most convenient. In particular, structured interviews are crucial as research methods. They help to quantify the data and utilize it in statistical analysis to make inferences about the population based on a random sample. Research requires that the data collection process is free from human biases, which is crucial for controlling the reliability of findings. Apart from research, structured interviews should be used by inexperienced counselors to guide the intake process. Such a practice will help the counselor to reduce the amount of stress and gain knowledge without affecting the results of the assessment. Finally, I believe that structured interviews can be used in overly complicated cases to double-check the results acquired from the unstructured interviews. In short, I believe that both types of interviews have their uses; however, it is best to use unstructured interviews as they help to build positive relationships with clients.
Evaluation of the Statement
The professional statement on interviewing provides a coherent framework for the selection of the intake method. It is short and coherent, which increases its usability for all human service providers. Its primary advantage is that it clearly identifies the purpose of the interviewing process and outlines the advantages and disadvantages of every approach. However, there are certain limitations to the professional statement. First, it is based upon my limited experience, and outdated sources reviewed to assess the issue. Second, while the purpose is clear, it lacks the information about how the results of interviews can be used in performing the duties of human service providers. Finally, the statement lacks specific examples demonstrating how unstructured interviews compare to structured interviews.
References
Aboraya, A. (2009). Use of structured interviews by psychiatrists in real clinical settings: Results of an open-question survey. Psychiatry (Edgmont), 6(6), 24.
Jones, K. (2010). The unstructured clinical interview. Journal of Counseling & Development, 88(2), 220-226.