Discuss how physical conditions of a helping setting can communicate useful or harmful messages about the potential value of services to a client

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The physical climate in which an interview is conducted partly determines the attitudes, feelings, and degree of cooperation and responsiveness of people during interviews. That environment should be constructed to feel supportive and not intimidating to potential clients. Indeed, some of the first conclusions clients draw about the values and competency of a setting are likely to reflect their first encounters with staff over the telephone or in person. If these potential clients are responded to promptly, courteously, and respectfully, this treatment may go a long way toward preparing for a successful interaction with the social worker.
Because interviews sometimes involve intense emotions by participants, freedom from distraction is a critical requirement. Telephone calls, text messages, knocks on the door, and external noises can impair concentration and disrupt important dialogue. Moreover, clients are unlikely to feel important and valued if social workers permit avoidable intrusions.

A desk between social worker and client creates a barrier that is not conducive to open communication. If safety of the social worker is an issue, then a desk barrier can be useful, unless it prevents the social worker from leaving if necessary. In some instances, an interviewer may believe that maximizing the social worker's authority through a desk barrier will promote his or her service objectives.

Practitioners who interview children often find it useful to have available a small number of toys or items that children can manipulate with their hands as well as materials for drawing pictures. Such tools or devices seem to reduce tension for children in communicating with unfamiliar adults and assist them in telling their story (Krahenbuhl & Blades, 2006; Lamb & Brown, 2006; Lukas, 1993).