Unstructured Testing Benefits

When and how has testing been a benefit to you?

Testing is something that we use everyday at times without a second thought as to what we are doing. We are constantly considered and evaluating what will happen as a result of what we do, and that is the very essence of testing; which is merely to measure something or someones ability. I have on many instances used testing during my work, both in the military and in my current position as a residential counselor.

During my military career I used assessments to evaluate people abilities on a daily basis. This helped me determine who would be in charge of smaller work groups during daily evolutions. Thinking back to the unstructured interviews I have conducted over the previous few months and at times over years of communicating with individuals,
Why?

While all parts of the puzzle are important to understanding human behavior "the initial interview is considered the cornerstone of assessment" pg 21 insert textbook. For me to go against this statement would be unwise, for me especially as a client centered counselor knowing the client is critical to assisting the client in their journey. The use of all types of interviewing is needed to see the entire picture. Unstructured, semi-structured as well as structured interviews. These all play a role in developing the initial picture you can paint of your client.

The use of unstructured interviews allows flexibility that is required for rapport to begin to develop between counselor and client. The freedom of the counselor to ask what they want and the client has the ability to answer as detailed as they want or be vague if they are not yet comfortable. The shortfall of this type of interview is the fact that every counselor asks different questions which can cause an issue when it comes to the validity and reliability of the information you as a counselor