The human service worker is trying to learn what happened that resulted in Mrs. Peters being without housing. Mrs. Peters says she has been “on the street a while now.” The worker asks, “Have you been on the street for 2 years, 3 years?” What open question would you have asked to learn more about what happened to Mrs. Peters to make her homeless? 

Above are some vignettes in which the worker asks closed questions. Write an open question you think might work better in each situation, and be prepared to tell why you think the closed question is not useful.