Interventive Interviewing Revisited: An Updated Framework

Interventive interviewing is a methodology that guides professionals in generating helpful questions for clients. It is grounded in systemic and social constructionist ways of thinking and has been useful in both clinical and organizational settings. The first part of this paper reviews the original work on this approach in systemic therapy and some adjustments that were made when it was applied in organizational consulting and coaching. The second part of the paper offers a revision of the framework based on several years of applying these ideas in therapy and organizational work. The proposed changes draw upon post-modern initiatives in professional interviewing, increase the breadth and applicability of the approach, and expand the interventive possibilities for systemic interviewers. Reflecting on these frameworks and adopting the methodology offers professionals options for systematically enhancing their interviewing skills. The paper concludes with examples of possible questions in each of the 12 cells of an updated framework.