Preview

Unstructured Testing Benefits

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
684 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Unstructured Testing Benefits
When and how has testing been a benefit to you?

Testing is something that we use everyday at times without a second thought as to what we are doing. We are constantly considered and evaluating what will happen as a result of what we do, and that is the very essence of testing; which is merely to measure something or someones ability. I have on many instances used testing during my work, both in the military and in my current position as a residential counselor.

During my military career I used assessments to evaluate people abilities on a daily basis. This helped me determine who would be in charge of smaller work groups during daily evolutions. Thinking back to the unstructured interviews I have conducted over the previous few months and at times over years of communicating with individuals,
…show more content…
Why?

While all parts of the puzzle are important to understanding human behavior "the initial interview is considered the cornerstone of assessment" pg 21 insert textbook. For me to go against this statement would be unwise, for me especially as a client centered counselor knowing the client is critical to assisting the client in their journey. The use of all types of interviewing is needed to see the entire picture. Unstructured, semi-structured as well as structured interviews. These all play a role in developing the initial picture you can paint of your client.

The use of unstructured interviews allows flexibility that is required for rapport to begin to develop between counselor and client. The freedom of the counselor to ask what they want and the client has the ability to answer as detailed as they want or be vague if they are not yet comfortable. The shortfall of this type of interview is the fact that every counselor asks different questions which can cause an issue when it comes to the validity and reliability of the information you as a counselor

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    In week two, I had my sister and a friend take the assessments that I completed on myself last week. I enjoyed comparing the results that we all came up with. Each one of us was strong in certain areas and weaker in others. This is why it is important at a job to perform such assessments to help a manager see which employees can work together to complement each other and therefore being more productive.…

    • 381 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    The beginning of the counselling process starts when the client first meets the counsellor, the saying “first impressions count” is absolutely true for both the client and counsellor, the client will be very nervous and unsure what is about to take place.…

    • 2671 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Using three different appropriate interview techniques identify each technique as you work towards appropriate interventions with the client. To do this you will need to develop a brief dialogue. Remember to consider any ethical and cultural issues. Note these at the end of your dialogue.…

    • 722 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    ASSESSMENT CENTERS have become increasingly popular over the recent years to obtain the best possible indication of an individual's actual or potential competence to perform at a target job. Assessment Centers have been consistently successful in making valid and reliable predictions of candidate success. Assessment centers involve a combination of selection methods which are given to a group of candidates over the course of a day, or several…

    • 3011 Words
    • 25 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    “The foundation of crisis intervention is the development of rapport—a state of understanding and comfort—between client and counselor” (Kanel, 2006 p.70). This stage is so important that no real work can be accomplished before it is established. A person needs to feel understood and validated before they are comfortable enough to open up to you. Some of the skills necessary for this stage are basic attending skills, questions, paraphrasing, reflection of feelings, and summarizations. “The primary purpose of using the basic attending skills is to gain a clear understanding of the internal experience of the crisis as the client sees it” (Kanel, 2006 p. 70). First and foremost, this begins with listening. This is not to be confused with hearing. You really need to listen. You want to show the client that you are completely there for them by maintaining eye contact, using a soft, soothing voice, and have attentive body language (sitting close and having a relaxed posture). The questions you choose to ask are also important. Close ended questions generally require short answers like “yes” and “no”. These are generally only used to answer factual information. Using open ended questions allows for the client to open up and reveal their true feelings. “When the question is posed effectively, it helps move the interview along and allows gathering essential information about the nature of the crisis” (Kanel, 2006 p. 73). Paraphrasing is also an essential skill. This is done by either restating to the client what it is that you thought you heard, or by using the clarifying technique which is just asking a question that would clarify the information just given by the client. “The intent is to encourage elaboration of the statements to let the client know that you, the counselor, have understood or heard the message; to help the client…

    • 2156 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bsbwor501 Goal 1

    • 1181 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Assessment. As they work to learn and share information, employees should feel more trust and empowerment in their jobs, resulting in less resistance to change and new directions. New opportunities for advancement and collaboration may appear, along with more appreciation and collaboration across departments.…

    • 1181 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Testing is an important part of the mental health profession. As a counselor, it is important for me to understand how to administer and explain testing results, as well as, display empathy and understanding to clients experiencing this process. Which is why participating in the process myself can be a valuable tool.…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Exploration stage- The exploration stage explores the couples problems and how they feel. It explores previous treatments they may have had. Judi was upset because she felt that her husband did not listen to her and her anger would escalate. Judith wanted to have a family and Richard felt that the time was not right. This is the portion where in one learns about attending behavior and how it sharpens ones general learning skills and how eye contact is appropriate at this level. Along with effective questioning, reflective content this will help with turning on of the emotions. It also helps to be able to hear as reflect clearly. Reflective feelings and integration ones exploration during interviewing that allows one to see how well they have mastered the skills thus far. Also effective listening requires the ability to hear and reflect clearly and be able to hear both the verbal and nonverbal content of the client’s statements.…

    • 911 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    BSHS 385 Wk

    • 267 Words
    • 1 Page

    The primary goal of the Five Stages of Change, is to ensure the client is successful in life. Learning the client’s needs and how to assist them with those needs are very vital for the Human Service Professional. “As the interviewer assists the client to explore his discomfort in participating, a sense of trust develops between the interviewer and the client.” (Essential Interviewing) Enhancing the client’s level of confidence will be very beneficial to the client’s success when working through these changes. Monitoring the client’s success should also be taken into consideration. Knowing, what struggles the client face or may face, will assist the professional in knowing what area they need to focus on, in order to keep the client on track to reach their goals.…

    • 267 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ctlls Assignment 003

    • 1305 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Assessments are used so that we can check that learning has taken place and to what extent. I use assessments at all stages of the learning process in line with organizational requirements.…

    • 1305 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Interviewing clients can seem like a daunting task if the provider is unsure of the own skills. Adhering to the three stage of interviewing can ease the burden felt by both the provider and client. Stage 1 is exploration, this stage is meant to help clients identify their experiences and issues (Evans, Hearn, & Uhlemann, 2011, Chapter 1: Attending Behavior. p. 8). Reflective listening, questions, and behavior allow clients to feel heard and validated. Body language and verbal communication allow for open ended questions and reflective answers. This stage sets the tone for positive engagement between client and provider.…

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The initial consultation before therapy is probably the most important part of the whole procedure, as this will form the base of the therapy. Its is very important for the therapist to begin gathering information on a client from the moment they first walk through the door, the correct steps that need to be taken in order to make the therapy a success can begin to be formed from that second.…

    • 1814 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Discussion Board

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Even though there was a lot of good advice to be taken out of watching the videos, two topics really stood out from the rest; diagnosing and assessing, and self-care. As counselors we are privileged to diagnose and assess our clients and it is vitally important to diagnose correctly because that diagnosis may follow the client for the rest of his/her life. Diagnoses must be done with great sensitivity and care. We must also be competent in diagnosing a client and never assume because we are dealing with someone's quality of life. Dr. Thomas (counseling assessment, diagnoses, and treatment planning presentation) made a valid point in regards to performing a diagnostic interview. That by doing so will help the counselor determine exactly what it is they are going to be dealing with beforehand. He also emphasized the importance of self-care. As Christian counselors we must stay in a Christ-centered place through self-care. If we do not stay nourished, we will wear ourselves out. Counselors need to pay attention to themselves to acknowledge any stress or burnout. An article published by Counseling Today put it simply, "most counselors are familiar with self-care — even preaching the concept religiously to clients — many find it a challenge to put the concept into practice in their own lives" (Counseling Today). By providing ourselves the self-care we need, will allow us to maintain professional effectiveness.…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout my work with candidates I use number of different assessment methods as well as assessment categories. Assessment is a number of different methods which are used to evaluate performance and can be used measured against set criteria.…

    • 1221 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The purpose of this essay is to explain the assessment interview process. This essay will feature an imaginary interview involving the client and helping process. The significance of the interview process initiates effective case management and entails direction of the client's goals (Kyser, 2014).…

    • 819 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays