Skip to main content

Meeting the Client


Prior to this first day meeting my Health Advocacy Clinic (“HAC”) client, the only experience I had with client interviewing was at my graduate assistantship. However, my interactions in those interviews was limited since my supervisor was the lead investigator role. That said, I was finally able to take the “lead” when interviewing my HAC client, and I was truly looking forward to the experience.


Before meeting my HAC client, I did a couple things to prepare. One, I made a script of main discussion points that I wanted to be sure to bring up during the interview.  Two, I worked to memorize the first 20-30 seconds of my script so that my interview would have a “natural flow.” This would allow me to quickly build rapport with my client.

The day finally came to meet my client and my nerves were getting the best of me in anticipation of his arrival. Ironically, my client had to cancel the meeting and rescheduled for the following week, so I used the additional time to continue preparation. On “Take #2” of meeting my client, I took the “lead” so that I could have as much experience interviewing my client as possible. At one of our HAC classes, the HAC director explained how critical and valuable it is to meet with clients. Thus, she allowed me to take the “lead” during the interview to ensure I learned from the opportunity.  

The interview took around 20-25 minutes to complete and all went well. I stuck to my script and obtained the information I sought to gather. I admit that I started off speaking rather quickly, in part due to my nerves. I also didn't want to keep my client longer than needed. Yet, even if our meeting was brief, I was grateful to have experienced my client’s lively and genuine personality. Additionally, my client appeared comfortable discussing his current issues and challenges. This new information will be very useful to his case, so I truly appreciated him sharing such sensitive and private details.

As the meeting wrapped up, I walked my client out and thanked him for his time. My client responded by thanking me and complimenting me on my “slick hair style.” I interpreted this to be “an approval” of having me as his student-attorney. Subsequently, I knew that I had accomplished my goal of building rapport with him and I look forward to our next meeting. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Outlook

Sometimes there are just things that we cannot understand. I have found myself feeling that way more often than not. This may not be the most understandable position to take when dealing with the effects of poverty on individuals but it is hard for me to wrap my logic around why so many people are struggling with poverty. I know that there are so many reasons why poverty happens, from society to personal. I try to think of ways to solve the problem, that is when I realize that there is not just one problem. How can you solve a problem that has so many aspects? It is disheartening; maybe there is no solution. But I can at least be part of a solution; anyone can be if they choose. Awareness is the first step, but what I have come to realize is that awareness takes time. We are all aware that poverty exists, but what we need is a deeper awareness. A deeper awareness to me is a type of understanding that brings every aspect of the problem together to show you the big picture. After three m...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Tale of Two Auroras

October 20th was a fairly busy day at the NIU Health Advocacy Clinic. The afternoon started with an interdisciplinary presentation about the roles of social workers from Neil McMenamin, Associate Director of Hesed House. Listening to him describe how faith and the Church led him to help others through social work really inspired me. He also described how he grew up on the east side of Aurora where poverty was not as prevalent as it is by where Hesed is located. This comment made me realize how we can sometimes forget that poverty exists where we least expect. Prior to working at the clinic, I had a much different perception of Aurora. I certainly did not view Aurora as an uber-wealthy suburb like Kenilworth or Wilmette but rather a typical, middle-class Midwestern suburb. The first thing that always came to mind when I thought about Aurora was the Chicago Premium Outlets shopping center which even has a Versace outlet. Homelessness was the last thing that came to mind when t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Power of Attorney Day

On Tuesday, March 27, 2018, the NIU Health Advocacy Clinic will host its annual Power of Attorney (POA) Day. This event provides the guests of PADS and TLC as well as the general Hesed House Community an opportunity to complete a Power of Attorney for Healthcare, free of charge. What is a Power of Attorney for Healthcare? A Power of Attorney is a document that allows you to designate a person of your choice, called a health care agent, to make health care decisions for you in the event that you are unable. For example, if an accident left you in a coma, then your healthcare agent would decide on your behalf whether life-saving measures should be used and if so, which ones. The most important part of picking an agent is ensuring you select someone that knows what your medical wishes are and that you trust will implement your wishes in case you are unable. A Power of Attorney is an important document to have for oneself. This document trumps any influence of family members, fri...
Post a Comment
Read more