Activity 4: Transcript Exercise

Use the following as a guide for thinking about the transcripts you have brought with you:

1. Introduce the transcript or film briefly. Gender and age only.Clarify the worker’s relationship to the family member. 
2. Worker reads the interview/shows the film to the group. This can be done by another person if needed.
3. Reflect on the piece of assessment work together. If looking at a transcript, consider each memory system, and try to identify 2 or 3 discourse markers in each memory system. Pay particular attention where themes of danger or sexuality are explicit or implicit (beneath the surface).
4. Do you see any patterns emerging? Be collaborative, using a discovery approach, and if you develop a hypothesis, look to ‘disprove’ it as you continue your discussion.
5. If you begin to see some ‘A-ish’ or ‘C-ish’ strategy, consider:

Is it consistently A or C, or is it A at times and C at others? If it varies, can you see a pattern to the variation?

Whose perspective is taken? Their own? Others? Does this vary?

How clear, or ‘extreme’, is the ‘A-ish’ or ‘C-ish’ discourse?

Do you see any indicators of genuine integration, of meta-cognition, or of re-organising towards B?

Do you agree with any conclusions that the speaker reaches? To what degree are they omitting, distorting, misinterpreting or falsifying their own or other people’s thoughts, feelings or actions? How aware / unaware do you think they are of these transformations?

What thought and feelings do the group have? 

Now move on to think about the interviewing. The interviewer should ask themselves:

1. What reflections do they have about the observations made during the discussion?
2. What reflections do they have on their interviewing approach? Remember to bring an appreciative eye!
3. What was the interview or observation like for them? (e.g. think of a metaphor for the process: Was it a gentle back and forth tandem swing? Was it like pulling teeth? A game of cat and mouse? Etc.)
4. What was happening for them during the piece of assessment work? What thoughts and feelings did they have, including thoughts and feelings about themselves and about the interviewee? (These can include the ‘behind the professional mask’ thoughts and feelings.)
5. What topics did they focus on, and which did they avoid, if any?
6. How would they approach the interview if they had it to do over again?

After the above discussion, the group should help the worker to consider:

How does this understanding of the individual family member feed into the understanding of the family?

Is further work indicated with the family member?

What further resources or preparation will they need to do? 

Please prepare to feed back your findings to the large group.

You can download a copy in the materials tab above.