Abstract
When counseling, questions have a significant role; they enable the interviewer and interviewee to engage in various aspects. Linear and systemic questions have a significant impact on the performance of the interview. Counselors make use of these types of questions to gain insights into the problem experienced by the interviewee. To understand the role of systemic and linear questions, an interview was conducted with fellow students.
Foundations in Couple and Family Therapy
Interviewing my peer to gather information regarding marriage and family therapists was a crucial project. I viewed the activity to be relevant because many issues usually arise when performing clinical therapy. I expected the project to be significant in enhancing my understanding of marriage and family therapist. Conducting the project was crucial as it aided comprehension of the various strategies when gathering information from people who have experienced marriage and family difficulties.
The Interview
The interview process was significant in changing my perception regarding marriage partners and family problems. The type of question posed to the family determines the outcome and their engagement in the activity. Furthermore, the experience of interviewing my peer enhanced the perception of the role of a psychiatrist in maintaining the client’s confidence. It is important to create an environment built by the trust to enable the client to speak. Patience is necessary when handling clients who have trouble talking about the problem.
Interview Themes
When preparing to be a counselor in marriage and family, the interview provides the required experience and skills. The interview process generates themes that are crucial when handling people from diverse backgrounds. The linear and systemic question themes create an environment of understanding between the therapist and the client, enhancing their relationship.
- Linear Question Themes. The reason for using linear questions in the interview is for gathering investigative information. Linear questions have a crucial role in the interview as they tend to provide individual information about the interviewee. The questions are usually closed with deliberate answers that are challenging to review insights. Despite the interviewee providing certain detailed responses, it is evident that the linear questions lacked crucial information. The therapist has to be cautious because linear questions may lead to various issues during the interview process, such as negative judgment because of the behavior and thoughts (Patterson et al., 2018). Questions such as “How do you think your family feels about you pursuing a career in Marriage and family therapy?” led to theme emergence. The interviewee highlighted the importance of helping people with family problems. Furthermore, the interviewee mentioned the significance of the study in abetting his family. The interviewee also mentioned the support the family provided, especially when pursuing a master’s degree. The family aided in fulfilling the professional and personal goals of the interviewee.
- Systemic Question Themes. The theme from the systematic question is the provision of more information when compared to the linear question. Through systemic questions, the interviewee’s values and morals are well portrayed as the interviewee is led by the professional and the personal path (Tomm, 1988). The interviewee reflected on the various issue that led to conflict between the wife and his brother. The interviewee comprehended the situation and identified the situation that required to be mended. The interviewee also reflected on the significance of the relationship between the family members and his wife. This was enhanced through the provision of detailed information regarding the family relationship. The systemic question played a crucial role in providing accurate and reliable information. During the discussion process, the interviewee portrayed moral patterns focused mainly on family obligations such as provision and caring. These obligations seemed to be the foundation of pursuing a career in counseling.
- Compare and contrast the themes. The content of the linear and systemic questions differed significantly in certain cases. Linear questions focused on the interviewee as an individual, while the systemic question focused on the morals and values of the individual. The linear question aimed at providing basic information regarding the interviewee to create a starting point where the problem is identified. The family values and education between the two systems were important aspects, and they focused on giving insights into the problem.
- Theorist influences. Couples therapy by Gottman is an effective therapy in ensuring a stable relationship. Gottman shows various factors that lead to divorce between couples and the couple’s requirements to ensure a successful family relationship (Cigno et al., 2017). The theorist influences the field of family therapy through the provision of key principles that enhance success in marriages. These include creating love maps, expressing admiration, accepting influence, solving problems, conflict management, and creating shared meaning.
Interviewer Role
- Stance. Taking a stance when implementing linear questions was mainly based on the perspective of the observer. There were moments of silence, especially when a reflection on a certain question required the interviewee to reexamine the question. The systemic questioning method led to an informal discussion where it opened several avenues of discussion topics on the interviewee’s life. The questions allowed participation of both sides with enabled sharing of views and life stories.
- Relationship with the interviewee. With linear questions, the direct response from the interviewee was provided for questions such as age, siblings, and parental relationship. Linear questions acted as a caution, which made the client not undergo further exploration on the questions. After a short period of relaxation, a shift to the systemic question was necessary, and the interviewee was able to provide the information easily. The shift enabled the interviewee to focus more on the area under discussion, which paved the way for deep connection.
- Multicultural/diversity issues. It is important to be conversant with the diverse cultural background of the clients. Understanding cultural diversity creates a conducive environment for the clients (Lewis et al., 2021). Focusing on cultural differences, gender, age, and beliefs create a respect and appreciation environment where the clients feel safe and honored (Diamond et al., 2021). This enables the clients to talk about various issues they face without fear of being underrated by certain cultures or perspectives. The interview put into consideration these factors, which enabled the interviewee to provide crucial information.
- Curiosity. Mentioning the marital status made me curious, especially about how the family influences personal and professional goals. I took a stance at this point to enable the interviewee to give more information on the topic. I was informed based on the mental health disorders and the relationship between the conditions described by the interviewee. In the process, I forgot the interviewee’s focus when I began sympathizing with the interviewee.
- Bias/Triggers: Biasness was generated when answering the education question. The family of the interviewee believes that education is the key to success in marriage life. The interviewee’s view was similar to my personal view, which could have resulted in the change of focus of the interview. The answer had the potential to alter the target of the interview.
- Assessment of Interviewer. The interview assessment provided a glimpse of how the future interview with the client should be done. When posing the queries, it is important to consider the body movements and the tone used. When asking systemic questions such as “What do your children want for your family?” it is important to reframe the question in that it provides more insight into the expectations of the interviewee children.
What I Learned
The project has made me understand the importance of systemic questions. It is important to consider deviation from the question to enable the interviewee to provide crucial information. I learned that there are situations where one tends to deviate during the interview process, and having goals is important in guiding the interview process. I learned that it is important to understand the situation as not every question is applicable.
References
Cigno, A., Komura, M., & Luporini, A. (2017). Self-enforcing family rules, marriage and the (non)neutrality of public intervention. Journal Of Population Economics, 30(3), 805-834.
Diamond, G., Diamond, G., & Levy, S. (2021). Attachment-based family therapy: Theory, clinical model, outcomes, and process research. Journal Of Affective Disorders, 294, 286-295.
Lewis, K., Spruch-Feiner, A., & Ridenour, J. (2021). Clinical interviewing. Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology.
Patterson, J., Williams, L., Edwards, T., Chamow, L., & Grauf-Grounds, C. (2018). Essential skills in family therapy (3rd ed.). The Guilford Press.
Tomm, K. (1988). Interventive Interviewing: Part III. Intending to Ask Lineal, Circular, Strategic, or Reflexive Questions? Family Process, 27(1), 1-15.