Interviewing patients and clients is a key element of health care practice, involving the gathering of information and the establishment of a relationship between the participants. Without effective interviewing, it is difficult to see how interventions can be successful, since both accurate information and mutual trust between professional and patient are required. This book takes students and trained nurses through a course of interviews with a variety of clients in different settings. It is highly focused, concentrating on the kinds of skills nurses will need to acquire and develop in interviewing clients to ensure the highest quality care is offered. Drawing on a range of research studies from the fields of nursing, psychology, medicine and sociology, Newell seeks to show how a structured approach, drawing on behavioural and cognitive traditions, can lead to skilled, sensitive interviewing, which also emphasizes the individuality and humanity of the patient. The author takes the reader through interviews at each stage of the nursing process, thereby constructing an "interviewing process".