General Interview Tips
The Client Interview-
A well-conducted interview allows your client to be heard and their goals to be articulated and understood.
To conduct a goal or desire-based interview use the Client Background Sheet they filled out for you. Ensure they have it for at least a day and get it back to you before the interview, so you have time to read their responses. This allows the interview to be more attuned to their needs.
If your client is in distress, but they are managing and need flower essences to stabilize them, do not have them do a goal-based interview. Suggest some stabilizing essences, such as 5-Flower.
If your client is in a major crisis and there is a chance they will harm themselves, refer them to a psychologist or a suicide helpline. This would be beyond the scope of this practice.
Refer to the download Preparing a Client Interview for writing up your interviews.
While writing the interview do not regurgitate or transcribe the words the client said. Do use their goals and main points but your job is to synthesize and analyze your client’s response. Pay attention to their goal. Use the headings and layout we suggest to keep on track.
Refer to your outline to see when your interview assignments are due.
Writing Up The Interview
Preparing, Analyzing, and Writing Up the Interview-
Background-
We look into a client’s background to find out what they have learned, or not learned in the past that is influencing their thoughts and behaviours in the present. We are specifically looking for thoughts and actions that are preventing them from reaching their current goals. This is why we have them fill out a client background sheet. We will summarize what they say on the sheet when writing up their interview, paying special attention to root issues, themes, polarities, attitudes, and actions that might be impeding their current lives and ability to accomplish the goals they say they now wish to meet.
Here is an example from Preparing a Case Study Interview about writing up background issues.
The Client Background Summary
Provide an overview of your client to give a succinct and accurate idea of who s/he is. Include gender, approximate age, relationship status, children, occupation, physical overview, the reason for seeing you. Include Background information in the summary about the family of origin and current family situation. Include traumas, patterns, gifts, and tendencies from the PAST.
Eg. Julie is a robust, 30-year-old, single woman, who works at an exercise club. She grew up in a reasonably stable, two-parent family. She was closer to her mother than her father, as she loves her father, but felt he was very critical of her and she could never please him. She currently lives by herself in an apartment. She is a part-time student, in software design.
The Root Issue:
What is at the base of the client’s distress? Root issues stem from the client’s background. We often develop our roots in reaction to a parent, or family member. Sometimes we emulate the same root issue they have, at other times we make a point of not being like them, in a particular way and develop another type of root issue. Still, other times our roots are shaped by catering to a parent or family member. For instance, our parent’s root of neglect leads them to expect their children to cater to them, to the point of the child feels deprived of their own social interactions and life.
Abandonment, abuse, deprivation, neglect, and exclusion are the five main root issues that can affect us all.
Always scan your client’s background, life story, demeanor, and attitudes to get a glimpse of their root issue. If the client is not comfortable addressing it, follow their lead, especially during the first interview. But always indicate in your personal notes what you suspect the root issue might be and why.
In your write-up indicate how you have dealt with the root issue in the interview and in your essence selection. At times a client is not ready to look at their root. Also, the root can be too tender to touch or hidden in the first interview. Sometimes we need an urgent issue addressed, such as acute distress and this takes precedence over looking for a root issue.
There are major and minor injuries to our roots. For example- constant criticism is not physical abuse, but it is distressing and can cause trauma. So, criticism might be thought of as a type of verbal abuse. Something we will all experience in our lives. Whereas, someone who had been a prisoner in a concentration camp and was beaten daily would have a much more severe case of abuse ingrained in their psyches.
Also note we can all inflict harm on others, usually without intention. So, there is no judgment about acquiring root issues, like trees we would be pretty generic and boring if we lived our lives in seclusion and never acquired any dings or nicks. Yet, trauma is one of the forces that shape our wounds, drives, and destiny,
Eg. In Julie’s case, she revealed her father was always critical and she could not please him. She distrusts her judgment now, possibly due to her perception that he did not believe in her. Therefore, abuse of the verbal nature is the root issue to address here, if Julie is willing is to approach this issue.
Goals
Why is the client at the interview? What are their goals? Having a goal that truly reflects what the client wants is imperative. But, clients rarely come in with clear, meaningful goals. Few people have been taught to think this way. This is where the flower essence practitioner comes in. It is our job to come up with worthwhile goals that reflect what the client wants and what would be helpful to them at this point in their lives. During the flower essence interview and while choosing the essence blend always keep their goal in mind.
If you cannot get a clear, meaningful goal from them, all other pieces of the flower essence process will be less effective. So, pay attention to this phase.
Create Powerful Goals:
What do your clients want flower essences to help them with?
(Confidence, motivation, moving forward, making better decisions, de-stressing).
How will the client know when this happens? Record responses.
Make goals clear, simple, measurable, and state them in positive words. I.E. “I wish to make better decisions”.
Ensure there is only one main goal. Too many will create a convoluted formula and unreasonable expectations in the client. Which goal is a priority?
Ensure the goal gets them what they really want. Ask- so if this happens, “you make better decisions,” what will change?
If that circumstance changes, what new feelings and results will occur? If the changes, (outcome), are not really what your client wants, then you need to go back to help them find a goal that will meet the feeling, circumstances they are striving for. This process can take a while, but is really important, for your client to feel satisfied with the outcome.
How will you measure her awareness or changes around the issue? (Brainstorm with the client about what they can identify as a change). Sometimes we transform but aren’t aware of it. How do we measure and record this process?
Have they tried to reach this goal in the past? Has something stopped them? If so, can they foresee how to help themselves move forward, even if this occurs again?
Keep Your Client Engaged in Setting a Goal.
It will be their responsibility to accomplish this goal. Flower Essences will help, but their own motivation and action will be what moves the dial forward.
When writing up your interview-
State how the client was involved in creating the goals?
Did the client’s goals change during the interview?
What role did the practitioner play?
Eg. Julie has come for the consultation with the goal-
A) She would like to leave her job and move into a new career in software design. She feels trepidation with this leap. Her goal remained steady during the interview, but she did elaborate that she would like help in having the focus and confidence to make this career change. (The last part of the goal requires some action. You would address this when making your action steps with Julie, after the interview).
More about the goal is covered in the chapter, The Goal-Oriented Interview.
Polarities-
Areas where the client is pulled in two different directions, (say one thing, do another), and this is creating pain, conflict, or a sense of being “unsettled.”
Go beyond what the client says, to their nonverbal reactions. Group the themes and polarities so that similar ones are near each other.
This step is important, with our polarities we undo ourselves. Untangling this and addressing the underlying issues is a very powerful step in moving forward with our goals.
These paradoxes or polarities often occur when what we have been taught, even subconsciously, as small children collide with our current worldview. Sometimes we shape our lives much like our parents did, although we do not intend to do this, especially in areas where we did not like how their lives ended up. Yet, old ancestral conditioning goes very deep.
At other times polarities occur when our old promises no longer match what we want for our lives. We can find ourselves stuck in circumstances that no longer resonate. Yet, how can we be both honourable and move forward? At times it is not possible and we must move forward even though we create some upset and repercussions for others.
Finding polarities in ourselves and others is fascinating and illuminating. It is at this crossroads we can make changes that make us more congruent. If our polarities are not addressed and dealt with we can find ourselves looping, two steps forward and one step back. We can untie ourselves from this loop if we clearly see why we are stuck and choose to select actions to move forward, or accept where we are and gain clarity.
Here is an example of a Polarity from your Preparing a Case Study Interview
Eg. I.e. Julie wishes for financial stability, but fears if she quits her job at the exercise club, to pursue her software business that her income will be unstable. A split is going on – i.e. the client says that she believes in self-responsibility, but in practice is blaming her employer for being stuck.
Julie resents working at the exercise club yet feels a lack of confidence to do her own business. Polarity exists in Julie’s ability to be responsible. Her pattern is to blame and feel helpless, rather than, to take some action and responsibility.
Themes-
Recurring motifs in the client’s life. When we find a way our client repeats patterns that might cause harm or stagnation we find a way to get a bigger look at their lives. Themes are a power point. When we find one and the client chooses to change it, they can transform many pieces of their lives at the same time.
Eg. Julie has always wanted to work at something artsier. She has the greatest satisfaction when working with aesthetics. She has studied flower arranging, jewelry design and has an interest in interior decorating. She also wants to make her home more beautiful and is dissatisfied with the way her place feels and looks. Theme # 1 Julie is dissatisfied with her home and work life not reflecting her love and talent for making beauty. She wishes to change this pattern so that she will bring beauty into her current career as a software developer to focus on creating software and programs that are both functional and beautiful. She will also redecorate her home to reflect her love of beauty.
A second theme may be, that she is seeking more independence- both at work and in her relationships. To realize this in her life she chooses to spend 2 evenings a week alone, where she makes all of her own choices. And to approach her boss at work to see if she can work at home, at least some of the time.
Seeing themes is powerful, as it shows where we have patterns of behaviour in our lives. These patterns may show up in just one area of our lives, i.e. choosing the “wrong guy”, or may show up in many places, “making bad decisions” in multiple areas. If we can find a theme it shows us where we can become more aware of attitudes and behaviours that affect multiple parts of our lives. We can then seek to learn more about how to untangle that area of our lives through awareness, education and change of behaviour.
Essence Selection-
Conducting your interview gives you a perspective of the client and their goal. You will now be ready to think about which essences best match your client’s situation. You will have a plethora of choices for flower essences. You can use your repertory to decide which of the English or Californian essence to choose. As you progress in the course, especially Advanced Flower essences, you will then have Prairie Deva, local essences and Mushroom essences to choose from as well.
When writing your interview up you will need to select an essence or essences and then justify why you chose these particular essences out of over 140 essences.
What about the particular essence you are choosing is “just right? Clearly tell me why this essence matches the client’s goal. If your essence addresses the root issue instead of the goal, explain. Ensure the essences you choose address the major goal or theme of the interview or encompass the personality type of the individual, i.e. make a good case for why it is the most important essence.
When you list each essence, state how you expect it to help the client?
If it is a blend, articulate the main essence and one by one, how the other chosen flower essences support or add to the main goal. What positive state might it lead to?
Eg. In Julie’s case- Manzanita may help lead to increased ability to love and trust her own body. Her inability to do this may be leading to her fear of making a career change.
Check to be sure that you have not brought new information into this section. All background, themes, polarities, root causes should be in earlier sections. Make sure each essence supports at least one of the goals you are focusing on. Describe the combination you have chosen; explain how you expect it to work. I.e. A synergistic effect may occur when Manzanita’s ability to trust body, Larch’s ability to increase self-confidence, Blackberries motivational forces and Baby Blue Eyes, the strength of reaching into the past to help resolve male trust issues. The combination will increase self-love, confidence, and trust, addressing patterns that have stopped her in the past, yet spur her on to move forward to create the next step of her journey.
Give the Blend a Name–
Naming a blend personalizes it for the client. It also gives the blend more resonance and personality. It becomes more alive, an entity unto itself.
Use your imagination. A name with a larger mythic overlay, or sense of purpose is appreciated. i.e. Around procrastination- Athena takes command!
Around a healthier weight- Debra appreciates her beauty! This part of the flower essence process is fun but also bonds the blend to the client. It is like when a witch or wizard gets their wand. It must be named to have full power.
Create an Afformation that Directly Reinforces the Client’s Goal-
Much like selecting a name for the blend, finding an afformation that strengthens and reinforces the client’s goal is also important. This can be done for or with the client, depending on their desire and personality. If the client is part of the process, the afformation is often more accepted and used. There is a section in the course around creating afformations. You will learn more about how to work with afformations later. Here is an example for now. The goal is to reduce procrastination- Here is the afformation, formulated as a question.
How is it that I get so much accomplished that is important to me, so quickly and with such ease?
An afformation around achieving a healthier weight might be, “How is it I feel and look so good and am happy with my weight and body”?
Create 2 Action Steps with the Client that Directly Impact their Goal-
Be sure the client agrees to the steps you come up with together and sees them as being worthwhile. Have the action steps move the dial on the goal in a noticeable way. Work with the client to find goals that are meaningful, that impact the goal, that is doable and even pleasurable. Discuss how, when, where, with whom the goals will be done. Make it exciting. This is the way you make a promise to yourself and keep it, from initial intention to action. This is very important for creating momentum.
Privacy & Discretion–
Never use the client’s real, full name in the write-up. Create a kind, pseudonym that reflects the issue. Keep your work somewhere confidential and protected.
Include a copy of the Client Consent form and background sheet in the package before you hand it in, or email it to me. selfheal@telusplanet.net Include the Follow up interview sheet if applicable. Identify yourself, the Assignment number, date and your email address.
Listening Skills- A Few Tips
Downloads:
Body Language Cues
FE Background Sheet – Fillable
Preparing a Case Study Interview