Practice task 12

Read the case study, then answer the questions that follow.

Case study

Marianne is conducting an intake interview with a new individual, Ester, who is Czech. Marianne asks specific questions, such as Ester’s name, her date of birth, her address and previous medical history. However, Ester remains silent, and looks at the floor when Marianne speaks to her. Marianne grows irritable. She has another two intake interviews to conduct this morning, and then needs to complete other tasks in the service. Marianne raises her voice slightly, saying she really needs Ester to answer the questions. Ester’s son is waiting outside, and when he hears the raised voice, he comes into the room. He is quite distressed, and starts speaking loudly to Marianne in Czech. Ester begins to shake and cry. Marianne realises there may be a significant language barrier, and that her own response triggered the situation. She realises she needs to take a different approach to communicate with Ester.

There are three questions.