1. Social Work Skills First Meetings Reflection of Feelings Paraphrasing
Questioning
Clarification
Partializing
Summarizing
Silence
Prompts
Sharing Information
Confrontation
Attending Behaviors

2. Preparing for Client Meetings
Agency Decor
Interviewing spaces should be welcoming
Interviewing spaces should reflect the cultures of the clients served
Organizing the physical environment
First Impressions are Lasting

3. Interview Settings

4. Preparing Preparing Skills -Preparatory Reviewing
-Preparatory Exploring
-Preparatory Consulting
-Preparatory Arranging
-Preparatory Empathy
-Preparatory Self-Exploration
-Centering

5. Physical Proximity
In what ways does physical proximity impact the client/SW communication ?

6. Prompts Encourages the client to say more Verbal and nonverbal tactics
Not asking directly for more specific content
Gesturing/Minimal utterances often picking up on the client’s last remarks
Signals the SW’s close following of the story and interest in details
NONVERBAL PROMPTS
Leaning forward
Maintaining eye contact
Nodding of the head
Hand Gestures
VERBAL PROMPTS
“And then……?”
“Anything more….?”
“Mm hmm.”
“Uh huh”

7. Skills in the Work Phase
Contracting begins with:
Clarifying Purpose
Clarifying Role
Reaching for Client Feedback

8. First Meetings Identify yourself Invite client to introduce themselves
Discuss time frame
Explain the Limits of Confidentiality
Discuss purpose/roles
Opening Lines

9. Contracting/Developing a Working Agreement
Notice that the conversation appears relatively informal
Does the SW clarify the issues for work?

10. Reflection of Feelings
An exploration of client’s affective (feeling) responses
Capturing the emotion expressed and reflecting it back
Restating and exploring client emotion
Reflecting both verbal and non verbal messages

11. Conveying Empathy Putting Oneself in the Client’s Shoes
Understanding what the client is experiencing
Experiencing what the client is feeling
Conveying Empathy
Postures
Gestures
Sounds/Words
Behaviors

12. Exploration
Engaging client in a mutual exploration of the person-situation situation
Encouraging the client to share information, thoughts, and feelings about themselves
Results in greater self-exploration on the part of the client
Exploring the past, present, & past status of the issue
Skills for Exploration
Asking questions
Seeking clarification
Reflecting content
Reflecting Feelings & Meanings
Partializing
Going beyond what is said

13. Exploration in Action
Observe the manner in which the SW gets Lily to offer more detail about her situation.
Notice how the SW uses the skill of clarification
“What makes them perfect?”
“Particular Imperfections?”

14. Paraphrasing/Reflecting Content
Rephrasing/restating client’s message
Communicating an understanding of the client’s message
Allows client to hear the essence of his/her statement
Avoid repeated use of the same lead-in phrases
Example: “You’re saying that…..”

15. Questioning
Closed-Ended questions usually answered in a few short words
Open-Ended questions invite exploration from client’s perspective
Avoid “WHY” questions and Double Questions

16. Clarification Used when SW is unclear about what client is saying
Encourages client to be clear about what they are truly feeling and expressing
Clarifying a value or incomplete client experiences, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors

17. Partializing A problem management skill
Breaking down complex problems into smaller more manageable proportions in order to address one part at a time
Conveys to the client that problems are manageable
Accomplishing small step builds client confidence
Focuses on the work, not on pathology that exists in the client

18. Summarizing
Identifying ideas, themes, and patterns that have been addressed or learned and reflecting these back to the client
A form of reflection in which the SW sums up what has been discussed and reflects these back to the client in a condensed form

19. NonVerbal Communication
Up to 65% of communication is nonverbal
Reading between the lines
Putting into words what the client is Communicating but
NOT saying
Assessing the client emotion that is being communicated INDIRECTLY
Observe:
Physical appearance
Body posturing
Gestures & movements
Facial expressions

20. NonVerbal Communication Sends Important Indirect Messages
Communication without using words
Body language, behavior (failing to take next steps, missing appointments)
How do you determine the meaning behind the indirect communication?

21. NonVerbal Communication
Observe Lily’s hand gestures
Notice the change when she talks about a favorable experience
What is Charles communicating with his crossed arms?
Your thoughts about the SW’s analysis?

22. Use of Silences
The art of knowing when to be quiet/ when to break the silence
The timing of being silent as an intentional response
Identifying the meaning behind the silence

23. Attending Behaviors: Physical & Psychological
What do you notice about the SW’s physical posturing?
What is the client communicating with his physical behaviors?

24. Sharing Information Relevant to client’s immediate needs
Not intended to “lead” clients
Client should be free to accept/reject the information
Related to the working contract
When sharing worker’s opinions, identify these as your own opinions, feelings, beliefs, values, rather than fact

25. Information Sharing and Rehearsing Action Steps
Providing advice/
recommendations
Empowering clients to act on their own behalf
Rehearsing the steps

26. Disclosing Personal Information to Clients
Should the SW disclose personal information?
Should the SW share personal feelings and thoughts with clients?
Is revealing oneself “unprofessional”?

27. Self Disclosure
When used properly, can strengthen worker/client relationship
Boundaries for sharing worker’s feelings
Spontaneous and unchecked expression of worker’s feeling should be avoided
Some worker feelings should never be expressed

28. Encouraging Specific Behaviors
Influencing the client to do things differently
Balancing client self-determination against paternalism

29. Confrontation/Reflecting Discrepancies or Inconsistencies
Effective within a trusting relationship
Addresses the illusion of work
Typical for client to be unaware of discrepancies until brought to their attention

30. Challenging client’s patterns of inconsistent thinking and behaving
What was the benefit of confronting Lily about her intentions vs. actual behavior?
Observe how the SW manages Charles’ defensiveness and challenges

31. Indirect References/Moving from the General to the Specific
Issues raised indirectly may need to be directly discussed
Reaching for specifics behind general client statements
Making the connection that the client alludes to-- but is unable to express directly

32. Affirming Client Strengths

33. Resistance Communicated verbally & nonverbally
Reading & exploring the resistance
Resistance to being helped
Resistance to changing old habits/holding on to what is comfortable & known
Can be a sign that the work is going well
Resistance to ending the relationship

34. Termination and Endings
Can be both Client initiated and/or Worker initiated
Reasons for Terminating:
Work completed
Worker leaving agency
Client moving
Death of client/worker
Lack of progress
Financial reasons