Ethnographic Interview Case Summary

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Case summary Sharon is a 48-year-old Caucasian women. She has good overall physical health although, suffers from back and knee pain relating to obesity. She identifies as a lesbian and is married to her wife Lynn ”. The couple rent a two-bedroom apartment which they share with 12 cats. Sharon is a highly educated woman who has earned her Masters of Social Work. Currently, neither Sharon nor Lynn are employed however, both receive a monthly Social Security Disability (SSD) benefit. Sharon has a history of depression and social isolation. As a young adult she was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention deficit disorder (ADD), dissociative identity disorder (DID), 14 identified personalities. Sharon …show more content…

The interview style can be structured, semi-structured or open ended; less structured, open ended approached tends to be more appropriate when conducting an ethnographic interview. When a set of questions are previously formulated, this is considered semi-structured. Pre-formulated questions allow the clinician to pay careful attention to the client’s inaccuracies, their perception and their demeanor during the interview. During an open ended interview, the client tells their story which is done by purposeful guided questions from the clinician (Jordan & Franklin, …show more content…

The clinician will assess that the data identifying themes, searching for meaningful chunks of information and coding the data. The therapist analysis will be used to identify triggers associated with Sharon’s lengthy history of depression, social isolation and self-neglect. Design Limitations There are several potential limitations when utilizing ethnographic interviewing. Time and expense are a limitation, a clinician must take the time to gain the trust and respect of the client. The format of ethnographic interviewing may feel somewhat aggressive, if pre-arranged questions are formulated, setting an unnatural therapeutic tone. Additionally, “the interviewer tries to minimize preconceived notions, diagnoses, and hunches about the client (Jordan & Franklin, 2011, p. 126), hoping to eliminate clinician distortion and

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