Biopsychosocial Assessment Critique

Superior Essays
Biopsychosocial Assessment Critique
Capus P. Barnett
Valdosta State University

In my endeavors to learn how to efficiently interview an older adult, I interviewed a woman named “Teresa Craig” that is sixty-five years old. Interviewing Ms. Craig was a slightly different experience from other interviews I have conducted over the years. It was the first time I interview someone that could be considered “elderly”. I gave me a new perspective on how someone older me thinks and processes what could be considered personal questions. Originally, I had believed that age gap between the client and myself was too great to overcome for the interview and I was intimidated. However, once the interview started, I felt more at ease with my
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By using empathy, I was able to identify with Mrs. Craig and understand her situation from her viewpoint. Another skill that was needed during the interview was active listening. The ability to listen carefully, ask relevant questions and retain verbally communicated information is pertinent to the interview and the assessment process. It’s how I can begin to build trust and rapport with the client. Self-awareness is another important skill to possess when interviewing client, especially older ones. I had to be self-aware when conducting the interview so that I would come off as too offensive or invasive of her personal space. Even though I took noticed of what skills were needed to cause the interview to go more smoothly, there were still some challenges that I faced during the …show more content…
I learned that I should become more comfortable with older adults and that they are no different from myself. I was self-conscious about my age and I was concern that I wouldn’t be able to effectively connect with the client. However, during the interview, I quickly learned that the client is just as human as I am. It was comforting when I realize this and my anxiety soon dissipated.
If I could do anything differently, I would have prepped my client to be more prepared for the length of the interview. The interview took longer than expected and my client was wondering when it would end. I should have been more accurate on the amount of time it would take to complete the interview. Furthermore, I should have better prepped the client for the nature of the questions. Some of the questions were very personal in nature and I don’t think that my client was prepared to answer some of them upfront.
Overall, the interview was a very surprising pleasant experience. It gave me the opportunity to connect with a wonderful person and the chance to help her in the future. It was an exceedingly enlightening experience that I would love to participate in

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