Arrange a 15 to 30-minute interview with a child of any age (3-11). The child must be someone that you are not related to — a family friend or neighbor would be fine, just not your own children, nieces, nephews. You are required to ask for consent from the parent/guardian and the child by presenting the Consent Form to them. You can find the Consent Form in the Books and Resources for this week. Emphasize to them that this is not a counseling session, but it is a conversation with the child. Let the child and the parent/guardian know you will be writing up some reflections to present to your professor about your time together. Emphasize that the information you gather and present to your professor will not be anything about the child, rather it will include reflections on your own interactions with the child. During the time you have with the child, try to discover some of the following information (basics such as age, gender, siblings, grade; relationships with family, peers, teachers; current strengths and interests; anything else you would like to explore). Be sure to submit both your prepared questions and the interviewee’s responses. Do not provide the name of the child. You may choose to include initials or a pseudonym. After the interview, write a brief reflection paper regarding your experience with the child. Was the time easy and natural or uncomfortable? How did you establish rapport? What obstacles did you face? How is the child’s perspective on the world different from the point of view of an adult? What did you observe about the child’s family system? What did you learn about yourself? What are some of your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to working with children? How was the time like you imagined and how did it go differently from how you anticipated?
