How can you help clients overcome mixed feelings about change?

1 What is motivational interviewing?

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a technique that helps clients explore and resolve their ambivalence about change. It is based on the premise that change is more likely to happen when it comes from within, rather than from external pressure or coercion. MI uses four core skills: open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries. These skills help clients express their own reasons for change, enhance their confidence and readiness, and overcome their barriers and doubts.

2 What are the stages of change?

MI is also informed by the transtheoretical model of change, which describes six stages that people go through when they make a behavior change: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and termination. Each stage has different characteristics, challenges, and strategies. MI helps clients move from one stage to the next by matching the level and type of intervention to their stage of change. For example, in the precontemplation stage, MI helps clients raise their awareness and curiosity about change, while in the action stage, MI helps clients plan and implement their change.

3 How can you elicit change talk?

One of the key goals of MI is to elicit change talk, which is any statement that indicates a client's desire, ability, reason, or need for change. Change talk is a sign of motivation and a predictor of behavior change. To elicit change talk, you can use several techniques, such as asking evocative questions, exploring the pros and cons of change, using scales or rulers, providing feedback or information, and using the elicit-provide-elicit method. These techniques help clients articulate their own arguments for change and strengthen their commitment.

4 How can you respond to sustain talk?

Sustain talk is the opposite of change talk. It is any statement that indicates a client's preference, intention, or justification for maintaining the status quo. Sustain talk is a sign of ambivalence and a barrier to change. To respond to sustain talk, you can use several techniques, such as reflecting with a twist, reframing, emphasizing autonomy, rolling with resistance, and asking permission. These techniques help clients feel heard and respected, reduce defensiveness and conflict, and invite them to reconsider their views.

5 How can you support self-efficacy?

Self-efficacy is the belief that one can perform a specific behavior or achieve a specific outcome. Self-efficacy is a crucial factor for behavior change, as it influences one's motivation, persistence, and resilience. To support self-efficacy, you can use several techniques, such as affirming strengths and successes, exploring past experiences and coping skills, identifying resources and supports, setting realistic and achievable goals, and providing encouragement and feedback. These techniques help clients boost their confidence and optimism, overcome challenges and setbacks, and celebrate their progress and achievements.

6 How can you facilitate action planning?

Action planning is the process of developing a specific and concrete plan for implementing a behavior change. Action planning helps clients translate their motivation and self-efficacy into action and maintain their change over time. To facilitate action planning, you can use several techniques, such as asking for permission, using SMART goals, exploring options and preferences, eliciting potential obstacles and solutions, reviewing and summarizing the plan, and eliciting commitment and follow-up. These techniques help clients create a personalized and realistic plan that suits their needs and preferences, anticipate and overcome difficulties, and monitor and evaluate their results.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?