Kwabena Frimpong-Manso (Ph.D) Micro Practice Skills Kwabena Frimpong-Manso (Ph.D)

WHAT ARE MICRO SKILLS They are used for working with individuals. in social work the practitioner’s major tool is one's self and one's ability to interact effectively with clients and other professionals Training must focus on the interactive skills necessary to be effective.

Effective communication Relationships with clients are built on good communication and jointly planned work Social workers therefore need good communication skills: attentive listening, empathetic responses and interviewing skills

Effective communication Social workers communicate with clients to: gain information, convey critical information make important decisions

Interviewing Skills Social workers spend more time interviewing than any other activity Interview is a purposeful exchange between a social worker and service user or potential service user in which ideas, attitudes and feelings are exchanged Can take place face-to-face, telephone or via a video link There is a difference between a planned and initial interview

Interviewing skills-Types Structured Interviews Unstructured Interviews Mixed Interview

Interviewing-Purpose Information Gathering: obtaining and imparting information Decision making: study and assessment of the client’s situation/ problem What the problem is What factors contribute to it What can be changed or modified Therapeutic: Interview as a direct tool for giving help To effect change in the client situation/social situation Such interviews use measures to effect change in feelings, attitudes and behaviour

Interviewing skills Interviewing at the beginning stage of the helping process Preparatory Reviewing Preparatory Arranging Preliminary Planning (prime purpose of gathering info.) Introducing and seeking introduction Clarifying purpose Establish Relationship

Interviewing skills The developmental stage: Organising Descriptive Information Analyzing Synthesis Reflecting a Problem Developing an Intervention Approach Summarizing Advising

Interviewing skills The Final / Concluding Phase Reviewing the Process Evaluating Sharing ending Feelings and Saying Goodbye Recording and Note-taking

Basic Rules of Interviewing Basic understanding of human nature, behaviour and motivation The setting of interview is of vital significance: ensure privacy, relaxing and comfortable and free from distraction The relationship between the interviewer and interviewee is of utmost importance Listen to silence for it can be more evocative than words.

Talking Speech, voice, language (body language) effectively to ensure a smooth interview They convey whether you are interested in the client or not. The quality of your pronunciation, sound and pitch of your voice communicate a great deal to the clients Choice of words Readily understandable to clients Descriptive and observational rather inferential

Listening Listening is Not the Same as Hearing- hearing is sounds whilst listening includes focus Listening means: paying attention not only to the story but how it is told, the use of language and voice and how the other person uses his or her body Required Skills Stop Talking Prepare Yourself to Listen Put the Speaker at Ease Remove Distractions Be Patient

Questioning Asking the right questions is a foundation of any social work interview Types of questions to solicit client information: Further responses: Use words, phrases and non verbal gestures to encourage client to continue (e.g. mm, please go on, tell me more) Closed ended questions (e.g. Did you call the benefits officer) Open ended questions Leading questions-Putting words in clients mouth Paraphrasing: Paraphrasing responses (e.g. Client: my husband pushed, shovered and shouted at me because i asked him about his affair. Social worker: so you husband was abusive)

RECORDING What is a Process Recording? A process recording is a written record of an interaction with a client. Elements Pertinent information-name and date of interview State objectives of the interview

Elements Continued -Description of what happened -A record of verbal and non verbal events -Observations and Analytical thoughts in the interview- (E.g., "I wondered what would happen if I said such-and-such. I chose not to but I wondered whether I should have raised it”)

Elements continued Future plans- Identification of unfinished business, identification of short and longer-term goals. Identification of questions for field instruction- helping them become autonomous workers

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