Why did Debra become so anxious during the interview? Was she overreacting? Explain.

Question

Debra Masters, a social worker in private practice, conducted an initial interview with Stephanie Railsback, a young woman also working in the helping professions, who was conflicted about her sexual orientation. Debra was a lesbian herself, open, but discreetly so. As the interview proceeded Debra was increasingly distracted by the question of whether she should disclose her sexual orientation to this client and, if so, when. Her anxiety intensified to such a degree that she had to leave the interview to compose herself and decide what to do to resolve this dilemma.

Answer 1

Debra became increasingly anxious during the interview because she became aware that she was attending less and less to her client and more to her own thoughts about the situation. She started with a normal self-monitoring of the interview process, asking herself the typical “what’s going on here” questions. In this internal dialogue she realized that she faced a dilemma about the self?disclosure of her sexual orientation; that is, that there would be negative consequences and risk in any course of action she chose. She realized that the reflection and analysis required to make a reasoned decision was beyond what she could accomplish while still attending and responding to her client. She sensed a pressure and tension to make a critical practice decision, fearing that she would not only make the wrong decision for the wrong reason but also lose control of the interview (and her composure) in front of another professional.
The question of whether she was overreacting begs the question of overconfidence in new or “about to be” social workers. Students have been taught that they should always present their professional self to the client and should remain in control of the interview. This case presents the real potential that social workers may reach a certain point in interviews that they do not know exactly what to do. This taps into many students’ greatest fears about practice and would serve as an excellent segue into a discussion about students’ own anxieties about their competence as new social workers, in some cases with limited supervision. It also may provide an opportunity for the instructor to address the potential for decision error due to overconfidence and the importance of reflective practice to counteract this.