BEGIN: BRIEF INTRO AND SMALL CHAT
Introduce the Topic: Sexual History and Sexual functioning during intake interview. Gathering information
Interviewer:
So what was your experience when conducting a first interview with a new client so not just in terms of sexual history, how did you find that intake with a new client.
Participant 1:
For me being the first time I felt a bit anxious, I felt a bit all over the place even though I had structure.
Interviewer:
Did you have the sheet in front of you?
Participant 1:
Yes I did but just as a guide. I didn’t write down as I was going I just found that distracting, I didn’t know how they would find it but at the end of it I did get through everything and it went a lot quicker than I thought. I thought it was going to be this long dreary process in actual fact it wasn’t, I guess it just depends on the client as well as to what’s going on.
Interviewer:
So when your client comes in for the first time do you go through an orientation to therapy, about what you’re doing? So what is the type of thing you would say to a client?
Participant 1:
Yes. For me I just say I’m a training psychologist and with therapy, I can’t get my words right here, ………
depending what their presenting problem is they are going to say to me, I say to them ok this is what I’m thinking. I always have a plan in which direction I want to go in and then I either explain what therapy will be done, most the time I repeat it, at the beginning and at the end again so they make sense of it.
Interviewer:
And do you let the client know that you will be covering things that might be a bit awkward?
Participant 1:
Yes I do say that some things might be a bit sensitive and they might be a bit uncomfortable at times but they must be honest and open, and not talk about things that are too uncomfortable at that moment.
Interviewer:
Ok, so you do try and prepare them that you are doing a full history.
Participant 1:
Yes, yes I do.
Interviewer:
Do you think you have been adequately prepared for that interview and the fact that you are dealing with a sensitive topic?
Participant 1:
Honestly no, I wish there was more practice, we did do practice rounds but…..
Interviewer:
Role-plays?
Participant 1:
Yes, I wanted more, I did take my own initiative to do things but I would have liked more feedback from other lecturers.
151 Interviewer:
So when you did role-play did you cover these sensitive topics such as sexual functioning, sexual history?
Participant 1:
We did speak about it but everyone was wanting to avoid it, so we just said let’s make it easy, we won’t make it awkward or anything like that.
Interviewer:
So that part of the interview was overlooked? So did all of you have a similar feeling?
Participant 1:
Yes, from what I can guess, yes we re-watched it in class, we didn't focus on that either, so I wasn’t really sure, we did mention it in class.
Interviewer:
So it seems like it’s almost a taboo subject, pushed to the side?
Participant 1:
Yes, yes.
Interviewer:
So your familiarity with the process and understanding the process, so you’re getting familiar with what is expected with an intake interview? Your own personal challenges around sexual health, do you think that inhibits you or helps you, or your own feelings towards sexuality.
Participant 1:
For me I’m a very closed person, it’s not something I will talk about to anybody so for me it is a bit of a challenge, so I don’t want to talk about it. So how can I expect someone else to talk about it? But I know it is something that has to be done so it’s a work in progress.
Interviewer:
So that’s quite difficult because it’s a challenge for you and you know you have to do it?
Participant 1:
Yes it is but depending what’s going on I’ll sometimes link it with something else and incorporate it so it’s not so uncomfortable for me. Not that I’m the first one to bring it up but it doesn’t always work out that way. It is always in my mind.
Interviewer:
So then when it comes to things like drug use do you feel more comfortable talking about that kind of sensitive topic?
Participant 1:
Yes I do, I feel happy with that kind thing, I think just because of my own personal history with family members that have gone through this sort of thing, so for me I wish that people would be open and talk about it, so for me this is fine as well as suicide so I’m comfortable with that.
Interviewer:
So it’s just around the sexuality? So does it help to know the reason for asking about sexual health?
Participant 1:
Yes
Interviewer:
Do you feel it has been explained adequately in your training as to why you are even asking that?
Participant 1:
Honestly, not really, I have to do my own asking, but if I had to go on what’s said in class, no not really.
Interviewer:
So you’ve just got this piece of paper with a sort of sexual history and sexual functioning, so you ask well why exactly? Is that the feeling about it?
152 Participant 1:
Yes, Yes.
Interviewer:
So if you could avoid it you would?
Participant 1:
Yes I would.
Interviewer:
So at what point do you think it would be relevant to a case or to a client?
Participant 1:
Well it does depend on the presenting problem because you never know sometimes if someone is very anxious because of some sexual abuse history but it does depend on what one is presented with, but it’s always in the back of my mind and it does link in when you don’t even think about it.
Interviewer:
So it’s difficult to know when you need to question when it’s relevant.
Participant 1:
Yes.
Interviewer:
But if you had your choice you would rather not deal with it.
Participant 1:
Yes.
Interviewer:
So in your intake interview and you have had to question around sexual functioning and sexual history, are there moments of discomfort that you have picked up, either for you or for your client.
Participant 1:
Yes actually one of the recent ones, he is a similar age to me, I felt uncomfortable and I think he did as well because he had this nervous laugh and didn’t make eye contact with me, he looked away, so obviously he was uncomfortable and for me on my side as well, I don’t know if it was me or because of his reaction I felt uncomfortable. It seems better when it’s someone older than me, I am uncomfortable but they seemed fine about it, also younger I am fine.
Interviewer:
How much younger? Teenager?
Participant 1:
Yes early teens.
Interviewer:
So it’s more your age?
Participant 1:
Yes.
Interviewer:
So why do you think that is?
Participant 1:
I’m not quite sure why.
Interviewer:
And if it was a similar age and female would it have been easier?
Participant 1:
Probably I think basically because it was male so it was just that much more uncomfortable, I know he is straight and has a girlfriend so it was like crossing boundaries.
153 Interviewer:
So you don’t perhaps want him to feel that you are stepping over the line asking him things that are uncomfortable for him and you. But the interesting thing he that he is sitting with you talking about intimate things not necessarily about sexuality but that’s what comes into the room with us anyway, isn’t it? That whole gender stuff.
So what would you ascribe to having precipitated some of the abovementioned reactions from your client, the awkwardness, was it the gender thing and age?.
Participant 1:
Yes definitely the gender and age.
Interviewer:
And was he the same race as you?
Participant 1:
No different race.
Interviewer:
And do you think that had any bearing on it at all?
Participant 1:
From my side no.
Interviewer:
So it’s more male and a similar age? So the race group didn’t have any significance on it at all?
Participant 1:
No not at all.
Interviewer:
So talking about that then if you think about it in relation to culture, gender and language and religion what would be the things that would stand out for you that would make it more awkward and difficult.
Participant 1:
I would say the gender again and being of a similar age, the older ones ok and younger I’m fine.
Culturally and religion no, I don’t have a problem with that.
Interviewer:
So how do you think that these aspects for instance, that previous man, it now came up, it’s on your sheet and you now have to get through it… how do you think that influenced that client’s disclosure to you, how you were?
Participant 1:
I think it made it awkward and tense for that moment but after that he was open to answering things I think it was just to get over that bump and carry on and then it was fine.
Interviewer:
So what is it about asking around sexuality that makes it difficult? As you said you don’t want to talk about your own sexual stuff, you don’t want other people to feel pressurised into talking about that? Is it an invasion of privacy?
Participant 1:
For me it is a private thing, in my background just growing up it was a very closed about all this sort of thing, so I feel that way as well so how can I expect someone else to disclose all this information to me.
Interviewer:
Yet we expect as clinicians our clients to be disclosing a range of things which are really difficult.
Participant 1:
Yes it is true.
Interviewer:
154 So why do we separate that, i.e. somebody can sit and tell you, “I was abused as a child” or “I use drugs and nobody knows” and that’s intimate because they haven’t shared it with somebody, and we are happy to talk about that stuff but as soon as it comes to sexual health, sexuality, sexual functioning, sexual history we shy away from it, why do we do that?
Participant 1:
One can’t blame the media, it’s more in your face than ever, I think it’s a personal thing.
Interviewer:
So with you and your family how was sex discussed? In the home was it discussed?
Participant 1:
In the home it was discussed once and that was it. Even when it was discussed at school I hated it, that was just my personal feeling.
Interviewer:
So this is what we learn about, what are we bringing into the room all the time, it has to come from somewhere, interesting. Were you aware of discussing a sensitive topic like sexuality affecting the working alliance at all or not? Perhaps it didn’t, were you aware of it, as you mentioned there was a moment of awkwardness.
Participant 1:
Yes there was but I didn’t want to dwell on it as to what he was thinking so I just moved on.
Interviewer:
So what skills did you use to create a good rapport basically, the preparation and orientation? How did you manage your anxiety then?
Participant 1:
I do a lot of prep work, I run through the questions beforehand and I make sure of exactly what I want to say and comfortable of what I want to say, yes it’s a lot of prep work for me.
Interviewer:
What happens when someone sits down in front of you saying that he has erectile dysfunction?
Participant 1:
I try to just keep calm do a history and then ask the questions as to when did it start, when did you start noticing it.
Interviewer:
Is that uncomfortable for you?
Participant 1:
No, because if it is a presenting problem I don’t have an issue with it, they have brought it forward so I’m going with it, compared to the sexual thing, if I brought it up then I’m uncomfortable.
Interviewer:
So for you there is a difference. So in the event you are actually putting it on the table then you feel that perhaps it’s an invasion of their privacy whereas if they are coming with that kind of problem, is it different for you?
Participant 1:
Yes in my mind I think, ok they have brought it I just need to click in and go with it.
Interviewer:
So the difficulty is actually you bringing it up, but there isn’t an issue with drug abuse, alcohol abuse when you bring it up?
Participant 1:
Yes that’s right.
Interviewer:
155 So what strategies did you employ to help deal with the obstacles that you experience, so basically that awkward moment, what did you do exactly to move beyond this moment?
Participant 1:
I just move onto something I’m more comfortable with.
Interviewer:
So you just use the structure that is in front of you, just moving through onto the next thing, and is that quite comforting to have that structure?
Participant 1:
Yes, I have that as a guide, so yes I do find that helpful.
Interviewer:
Do you think that asking about sexual history or sexual functioning in the intake interview there is the awkwardness; do you think that if you had seen a client for 3 or 4 sessions it would be easier or do you think you would still feel a bit of anxiety around it?
Participant 1:
I would still feel the anxiety but I think it would be a bit easier because you’re establishing a relationship with that person so it’s not like the first time you’re dealing with a stranger and they have to tell you all these things. So I think as time goes on it is easier but for myself I will still feel anxious but this is because of my personal feelings about it but as time goes on it will be easier.
Interviewer:
So if there was a good working alliance and the rapport was good you would feel more comfortable to be able to speak about that regardless of your own personal feeling about it and if that person in 3 or 4 sessions needed to speak about their intimate sexuality what they do what they don’t do and how often, and this person is the same age, do you think you will still feel anxious?
Participant 1:
I probably will but again if it’s their need I will be able to deal with it, the anxiety will be there but it will be fine to deal with.
Interviewer:
So let’s say the scenario is you’ve done the intake interview, sometimes it will take 2 sessions so let’s say after your 2nd session you haven’t covered anything about sexual health and sexual functioning, sexual history, now it’s your 3rd session do you feel that you would think now I need to get to this part of the person or do you think you would leave it and see if it comes up as part of the issue.
Participant 1:
I don’t think I will be able to leave it because I know I will have to cover this so I will have to bring it up.
Interviewer:
So how is your theoretical training and your own person paradigm how does that effect how you are in therapy around sexual matters? So your theoretical training is the area of theory of understanding of 'why I’m asking about this' [sexual health].
Participant 1:
No I would have to do my own research and reading.
Interviewer:
There hasn’t been too much understanding of 'why I’m actually asking' and why it’s an important part of a person's functioning. Is that right? And then your own personal paradigm like you said, when at school you didn’t really feel comfortable about discussing it, so this influences your process in therapy?
Participant 1:
Yes.
Interviewer:
156 So again it’s very interesting as there is this person that literally is going to expel all this information about themselves and there is this worry of yours on the one side: again why do we do this? This is exactly what the research is looking at, why do we do this? Why do we separate it? We want people to tell us all these other really intimate things about themselves, why do we keep that so separate? Keep this thought in your head, what are we doing then, why is that an issue? Is it society? Is it our religious understanding?
So what were your expectations when covering a sensitive topic, were you very anxious about it, quote
“it’s always in the back of my head” unquote, is this always the feeling of saying: “I have to get to this”?
Participant 1:
Yes in this moment in time, yes.
Interviewer:
So when you have an intake do you feel a bit of anxiety around knowing that? So there’s this side of the interview and that side of the interview and then there’s the middle stuff that I have to do?
Participant 1:
Yes
Interviewer:
So you feel anxiety, do you avoid it? Do you probe it? Do you overlook it?
Participant 1:
No I don’t probe it. I will ask basic things and then feel that’s enough and then
move on. I spend as little time on it as I can, but again it’s from my side, I don’t dwell on it for a long period of time in the interview.
Interviewer:
Ok, let’s say I come into see you and I tell you I’m having a terrible time with my husband and our relationship has just become really bad. Do you think that will flag a little bit more - my sexual functioning, or would also like to rather probe around the other topics and leave that?
Participant 1:
It would flag for me with relationships but it won’t be something that I would start with straight away. I would look at other things and then come back to it.
Interviewer:
So it wouldn’t be a big part of asking me about my sexual history?
Participant 1:
No
Interviewer:
So obviously we have had a discussion now so you’re thinking maybe a little bit differently? What would you do differently? I’m not saying this as an intervention, I’m just saying that with us chatting because you can’t see it without it… if you look back at your intake interviews is there anything you would do differently when broaching this topic? Or are there other skills or tools you could use?
Participant 1:
It’s more on me, I have to become more comfortable with it and with more time and practise it’s ok to ask people about this. I think over time it will be fine, it’s all on my side to deal with my anxiety.
Interviewer:
And also perhaps orientation, so basically being able to say to your client, “I’m looking at you as a whole person, this being you as a sexual being, you as an emotional being, you as a physical being so I’m going to be asking questions around all those things to get a complete picture of you so perhaps that can also just assist? As in right in the beginning 'you’re a whole person', where at the moment I don’t think we