NR 548 Week 3 Assignment Reflection on Bias Awareness in Psychiatric Interviewing

Reflection on Bias Awareness in Psychiatric Interviewing

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Chamberlain University

NR 548

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Reflection on Bias Awareness in Psychiatric Interviewing

The theme of psychiatric interviewing provided this week gave me something to ponder on the importance of self-awareness in practice. I also realized that the interviewing skills, as much as they are meant to set the ground on the background of trust, can also be influenced negatively by our personal prejudices. It is a fact that every human being has implicit beliefs, which are culturally, childhood, and past experiences conditioned, and I am not an exception. This fact also made me understand that the process of revealing the biases is not about the absence of them, but about the fact that they just have to be brought into the light so that they can be seen and dealt with.

In order to do so, I guess it can be effective to engage in regular self-reflection, journaling after the patient experience, and seeking easy-to-find feedback from mentors or peers. With such strategies, I will be in a position to step aside, observe my reactions and challenge myself whether I am approaching a client through the prism of judgment because of the judgmental angle rather than empathy. I will also actively upgrade my knowledge by reading additional details about other cultures and mental health conditions, and patient experience, to reduce the possibility of making assumptions about another person during an interview.

I also took into account the impact of the unchecked prejudice that harms the therapeutic relationship, which is the subject of psychiatric care. A client might not give crucial information, become rigid or lose all his confidence altogether in case he or she thinks that he is being judged or even ignored. In order to evade that, I would prefer to turn active listening, open-ended questioning, and unconditional positive regard into the primary characteristics of my interviewing approach. These steps can help me to ensure that every client is treated with respect, regardless of how they might be different in terms of their values and conduct. The other action step which I will be adhering to will be the mindfulness before and during sessions, wherein I will take some moments to relax, cool my mind and be present without prior notions. By so doing, being intentional will enable me to feel more prepared to establish meaningful therapeutic relationships where the clients feel safe enough to share their stories and engage in their treatment.