Guiding the Intervention with Questions

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Lineal Questions
Circular Questions
Strategic Questions
Reflexive Questions
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Family social workers often use discussions as an assessment medium and intervention tool. Each statement uttered by the professional has an intent and specific purpose, and when the worker asks for information, they do it to facilitate problem definition and possible solutions. Questions in the conversation can be divided into four major groups – lineal, circular, strategic, and reflexive (Collins, Jordan, & Coleman, 2013). This paper, using a fictional situation where a parent called a social worker because of a child’s continuous misbehavior, provides examples of questions from each category. It will also discuss why these questions may be useful when identifying the problem and pondering the solutions.

Lineal Questions

The majority of interviews start with lineal questions because of their investigative nature. The social worker has to understand the problem before thinking of intervening. Therefore, the professional, in the context of the fictional problem, may use questions like, “Why did you call a social worker?” When the parent tells about the child’s misbehavior, the worker may address the child by asking, “What is the cause of such an attitude?” “Do you sleep well?” “How are you doing at school?” “Do you have any negative thoughts about yourself?” “What are they?” Such a range of investigative questions allows the worker to obtain comprehensive knowledge about the issue and its magnitude. It is also a foundation for subsequent brainstorming on possible solutions.

Circular Questions

Circular questions are based on the assumption that the issue, the subject, the family, and the environment are all interrelated. They aim to discover circular patterns that connect people, their perceptions, and occurring events with one another (Andreadi & Smith, 2017). Therefore, the social worker usually addresses each of the family members. For instance, “Why do you think the child behaves this way?” “Does he have any problems at school?” “What does the child do when not in the mood?” “How does your husband react?” “Other children?” “What does the child do when alone?” “What are the child’s favorite movies?” Circular questions allow the worker to understand how other family members perceive the events and discover unobvious causes.

Strategic Questions

These questions are based on the knowledge obtained with lineal questions and represent corrective actions undertaken by the social worker. For example, the professional may ask the child, “Why do you not stop and instead help your parents?” “How do you think your behavior looks like from the side?” “How do you think your parents can help you?” Strategic questions are the most vital part of interventions because these are the items that actually intervene.

Reflexive Questions

Reflexive questions are facilitative and are based on identified circular patterns. These questions encourage family members to commit to problem-solving and more effective communication. Examples are, “If you were to share your readiness to help your child, how do you think the child would react?” “Would your parents and your siblings be happy if you were to work on yourself diligently?” These questions are the final stage of interventive interviewing (Collins et al., 2013). The family may not need a social worker next time the problem occurs because such questions develop coping skills and problem-solving capabilities.

Conclusion

Questions are not always used for data acquisition, but also as a primary tool in family interventions. Each of the four categories of questions has its objectives, and when used appropriately by social workers, can lead to favorable results. Almost any family issue that needs intervention can be solved by utilizing lineal, circular, strategic, and reflexive questions. The fictional example provided in this paper demonstrates their capabilities.

References

Andreadi, H. G., & Smith, L. (2016). Interventive assessment. In L. Smith. (Ed.), Clinical practice at the edge of care (pp. 9-27). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

Collins, D., Jordan, C., & Coleman, H. (2013). An introduction to family social work (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

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