Describe two times when there was a moment of silence in the conversation between the social worker and the client.

A.
Imagine you are talking to a friend in a coffee shop. The conversation is punctuated with long stretches of silence, during which you are each watching those around you. Are you comfortable with that silence, or are you anxious to fill it? Social workers seek to avoid thinking of silence as awkward. Instead, they need to cultivate silence as a tool for gathering information about their client. How a client reacts to silence can be very telling; is the client squirming uncomfortably, disengaging, or reflecting on the conversation?

In this Discussion, you explore silence as an interviewing skill that assists you in learning more about your client.
To prepare, watch the Southside Community Services video.

Use APA 7th Edition citations and references to respond to the following:
• Describe two times when there was a moment of silence in the conversation between the social worker and the client.
• Explain whether these moments of silence were awkward or helpful to the interviewing process. Include an explanation of how the client appeared to feel in these moments.
• Explain whether or not these moments of silence helped the client share information.

B.
“The world seems to be against me. I need to divorce my wife. I just don’t think I can live anymore.” Clients can make shocking statements like these during a session. To honor these statements, social workers need to know how to react verbally but also what tone to use in their reactions. Tone simply refers to the quality of a person’s voice or the way in which the receiver hears it. For instance, the tone could be friendly, angry, sarcastic, or firm, and commanding. As an example, a social worker’s question “Do you have a plan?” could convey a tone of objective inquiry or a tone of judgment.

In this Discussion, you explore how the tone could change the energy during a session.
•
• Respond to each of the following questions/statements from your client:
o Is there any hope for me?
o Why should I trust YOU?
o You can give me this information but it won’t work.
• Briefly explain the emotions you feel from each of the above statements and explain why you chose the tone in your response to each.

Below is the textbook.
Cummins, L., K., & Sevel, J., A. (2017). Social work skills for beginning direct practice: Text, workbook, and interactive web based case studies (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
• Chapter 5, “Basic Skills for Direct Practice” (pp. 114-115)
• Chapter 8, “Intake and Engagement” (pp. 163-193)