Asking Questions

I. When Questions are Important
 A. When you are opening a case on a person and need identifying information
 B.When you are compiling information for assessment and referral purposes and need fact to do that properly
 C. When you are encouraging the client to talk about his situation freely to better understand which aspects of it are important to the client.

II.Closed Questions
 A. A closed question is one that requires a single answer
 B. Used when opening a case or compiling information for an assessment

III. Open Questions
 A.Open questions serve the purpose of giving clients the opportunity to talk about what is important to them.
 B.Open questions put the client at ease

IV. Questions that make the client feel uncomfortable
 A. Avoid the use of "why"
  1. It implies that it should have been handle differently
 B. Don not ask multiple questions
  1. The person can feel interrogated
 C.Do not change the subject
 D.Do not imply there is only one answer to your question
 E. Do not inflict your values on the client
 F. Do not ask questions that make assumptions

V. A formula for asking open questions
 A. Use openers like "Can you" or Could you"
 B. Some tips for asking open ended questions
  1. It takes practice
 C. Be careful to not use a question that is really not open
 D. To open that question try this
  1. "Tell me abut it"
 E. Words that snap questions closed
  1. "How, why, what, when, where

This a video that gives examples of opened ended questions during a therapy session.

I know as a therapist it can be hard to get all the infromation you need to help the client by asking closed needed questions, but can it be harmful to a client if all you ask is closed ended questions?