Actionable Motivational Interviewing: Gendered Perceptions of Probation Officer-Client Relationships

Authors

C.J. Appleton, George Mason University
Lindsay Smith, George Mason University
Danielle S. Rudes, Sam Houston State University

Abstract

Prior research purports that probation officers (POs) view the differences between women and men clients as emotional, with women being more "in-touch" with their emotions and "self-aware" of their issues (Welsh, 2019). Since probation client satisfaction links to relationships with POs (DeLude et al., 2012), it is also important to examine clients' perceptions of POs using a gendered lens that considers the potential variations in women and men clients' views of officers. This study uses 15 semi-structured interviews with women and men clients in one Northwestern probation agency. We examine clients' perceptions of the officer-client relationship, finding that clients desire markers of the therapeutic alliance (care, communication, and collaboration) garnered through motivational interviewing.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Appleton, C.J.; Smith, Lindsay; and Rudes, Danielle S. (2023) "Actionable Motivational Interviewing: Gendered Perceptions of Probation Officer-Client Relationships," Qualitative Criminology (QC): Vol. 12: No. 3, Article 5.
Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/qc/vol12/iss3/5