Child Welfare License (CWEL) Practice Exam 2025 – Complete Study Resource

The stage of interviewing that focuses on defining the main issue at hand is problem definition. This stage is crucial because it involves clarifying the client's concerns, identifying the challenges they face, and explicitly stating the issue that needs to be addressed. By accurately defining the problem, practitioners can ensure that the interview remains focused and relevant, ultimately leading to a more effective and targeted approach to developing solutions or interventions.

In contrast, the social stage centers around building rapport and establishing a comfortable environment for the interview, which is important but not the main focus of defining issues. The closure stage pertains to concluding the interview and summarizing insights, while the focus stage is about directing attention to specific subjects, but it is still after the problem has been identified. Therefore, problem definition is the most suitable choice for this specific aspect of the interviewing process.