DNP 671 Module 2 Interviewing Adults Discussion Example

Course	DNP 671 Advanced Mental Health Assessment Across the Lifespan
Module	Module 2
Paper type	Discussion board post and reply
Length	About 345 words
Format	Discussion post with APA 7 citations
School	Arizona State University
Program	Doctor of Nursing Practice
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for DNP 671 Module 2

Week 3 Discussion: What Will Be Hard About Interviewing Adults

Silence, Minimizing and the Turn to Hard Questions: What I Expect to Find Difficult in Interviewing Adults

Initial Post

After twelve years in medical-surgical nursing, I am comfortable asking about pain and bowel habits. Asking a stranger about suicidal thoughts or trauma is different.

Silence. In medical settings, silence usually means I should move on. Shea (2017) describes how purposeful silence can let patients reach what matters most to them. I expect to fill silences too quickly and lose information.

Minimizing. Some adults answer "I'm fine" to everything, often from stigma or fear. Closed questions make it easy to minimize; I will need open questions and gentle follow-up.

The turn to hard questions. Shea (2017) describes how skilled interviewers move from comfortable to sensitive topics with transitions that feel natural rather than abrupt. I worry about jumping from small talk to "Have you thought about killing yourself?" without the bridge that makes the question feel safe.

Will motivational interviewing help? I think yes, for some of these. Miller and Rollnick present motivational interviewing as a partnership in which the clinician accepts the person and evokes the motives for change that the person already holds (Miller & Rollnick, 2013). Its core skills, open questions, affirmations, reflections and summaries, directly help with minimizing and silence, because reflections show the patient I heard them and invite them to say more. A meta-analysis found that motivational interviewing produced small but significant benefits across a range of problems compared with no treatment and was comparable to other active treatments (Lundahl et al., 2010).

It will not solve everything. In a diagnostic interview, I still need specific information, and some risk questions must be asked directly. But its spirit, curiosity rather than correction, is something I can bring to every interview.

Question for the group: what transitions have you heard skilled clinicians use before asking about suicide?

What this page is doingThe post names concrete difficulties from the writer's own background, ties each to the reading, and evaluates motivational interviewing honestly, including where it falls short in a diagnostic interview.

Reply to a Classmate (Time Pressure)

You worry that a 20-minute visit leaves no room for reflections. Even one accurate reflection can save time, because patients who feel understood tend to give clearer answers.

References

Lundahl, B. W., Kunz, C., Brownell, C., Tollefson, D., & Burke, B. L. (2010). A meta-analysis of motivational interviewing: Twenty-five years of empirical studies. Research on Social Work Practice, 20(2), 137-160. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731509347850

Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.

Shea, S. C. (2017). Psychiatric interviewing: The art of understanding (3rd ed.). Elsevier.

What the DNP 671 Module 2 instructions ask for

This Week 3 board belongs to the unit on principles and strategies for interviewing adults, which introduces motivational interviewing through chapters in Shea and optional articles. It poses two questions: what do you feel will be difficult in interviewing adult patients, and do you think motivational interviewing will be helpful? Posting dates and the rubric are in Canvas. Answer the first question honestly from your own background, naming specific difficulties rather than general nervousness. For the second, explain what motivational interviewing is, which of its skills apply to your difficulties and where it may not fit a diagnostic interview. A balanced answer, with evidence, is stronger than simple enthusiasm. A short paragraph per difficulty is usually enough.

How the DNP 671 Module 2 example is put together

The post opens by contrasting the writer's medical-surgical comfort with the discomfort of psychiatric questions. Three short sections name specific difficulties, silence, minimizing and moving to sensitive topics, each tied to the interviewing text. The motivational interviewing section defines its spirit and core skills, links them to the difficulties and cites a meta-analysis of its effects. A paragraph names its limits in diagnostic work, and the post closes with a question about transitions to suicide questions. The reply offers one practical point about time. Three sources support the post. Each difficulty is personal and specific, which keeps the post honest rather than generic. The closing question invites classmates to share real phrasing.

Reading the DNP 671 Module 2 grading rubric

Graders will likely look for honest, specific difficulties, accurate understanding of interviewing principles and motivational interviewing, evidence-based support, critical judgment about where techniques fit, and a helpful reply. Credit goes to difficulties grounded in the student's experience rather than generic worries. Defining motivational interviewing correctly, including its spirit, shows understanding beyond technique. Evaluating its limits for diagnostic interviewing shows critical thinking. Citing research rather than opinion strengthens the answer. Replies that offer a practical strategy help classmates. Faculty in an assessment course reward posts that tie technique to the information an interview must gather. Specific examples of phrasing strengthen any claim about skills.

DNP 671 Module 2 help with common mistakes

A common weakness is listing difficulties without linking them to strategies from the readings. Pair each difficulty with a technique. Another is describing motivational interviewing as a set of tricks; mention its spirit of partnership and acceptance. Avoid claiming it works for everything. If you want help shaping this post from your own clinical background, tell the desk what kind of nursing you have done. Practice one reflection in your next clinical conversation and mention what happened. Keep the post focused on two or three difficulties. Write one example of a reflection you might use with a guarded adult. Keep the post focused on interviewing rather than on treatment.

Write yours, or have the desk draft it

This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.

More DNP 671 and Doctor of Nursing Practice sample papers

DNP 671 Module 2 questions, answered

Where can I find a free DNP 671 Module 2 sample paper?

Scroll up for a complete DNP 671 Week 3 post on what makes adult interviews hard and where motivational interviewing helps.

What is motivational interviewing?

A collaborative way of talking that draws out a person's own reasons for change, using open questions, affirmations, reflections and summaries.

Does motivational interviewing work?

A meta-analysis found small but significant benefits across many problems, similar to other active treatments.

Why is silence useful in a psychiatric interview?

Purposeful silence can give patients room to reach difficult topics in their own words.

How do you transition to asking about suicide?

Move gradually from related topics, such as mood and hopelessness, so the question feels natural and safe.

DNP 671 Module 2 Discussion: Interviewing Adults and Motivational Interviewing Example