The Intersection of Counseling Microskills and Qualitative Interviewing and Reporting in the Study of Sensitive Topics

Sensitive topics evaluation presents both a maze and a minefield to qualitative evaluators due to their complexity and their potential to create areas of misanalysis. For novice and experienced qualitatve practitioners alike, the evaluator can find the task of broaching complex content and developing trusting relationships to be serious methodological hurdles. In particular, the exercise of exploring and analyzing sensitive topics may increase strain as the evaluator seeks to access the abstract and intangible aspects of often distressing subjective content. To assist qualitative evaluators in overcoming these hurdles, the authors propose a collaborative analysis approach informed by counseling strategies and reflecting skills.