Last updated on Sep 2, 2024

Your client is hesitant about change. How can you ignite their motivation during a consultation?

When you're in a consultation and your client seems resistant to change, it can be challenging to help them move forward. However, as a professional equipped with the technique of Motivational Interviewing (MI), you have the tools needed to effectively engage with your client's ambivalence and foster their intrinsic motivation. MI is a client-centered counseling style that addresses the common problem of ambivalence about change. It's about guiding more than directing, dancing rather than wrestling. By understanding your client's perspective and working collaboratively, you can help them find their own motivations for making positive changes.

1 Understand Ambivalence

Understanding ambivalence is crucial when dealing with clients hesitant about change. Ambivalence is a state of mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone. Recognize that it's a natural part of the change process. Your role is to listen empathetically and validate your client's feelings without judgment. This creates a safe space for them to explore their ambivalence and consider the pros and cons of changing. By showing understanding, you help them feel heard and respected, which can reduce resistance and open the door to change.

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Pankaj Kumar

Placement Officer | Expert in Resume Reviews & Mock Interviews | Helping with Job Search & Interview Preparation | Building Strong Corporate Relationships | Connecting Fresh Talent with Industry
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You first need to put your feet in the other person shoes , so that you can understand their feeling & reason for the same. You need to answer all their questions with optimistic approach & making them believe that "Change is the only constant".

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2 Reflective Listening

Reflective listening is a key component of Motivational Interviewing and serves as a powerful tool in igniting a client's motivation. It involves actively listening to your client and then reflecting back what you hear, sometimes with a slight rephrase or expansion. This helps the client feel understood and can clarify their own thoughts and feelings. Reflective listening also encourages deeper exploration of the client's ambivalence and can lead to important self-discoveries that pave the way for change.

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3 Elicit Change Talk

Change talk is any client speech that favors movement in the direction of change. Your task is to elicit and reinforce this type of dialogue. Ask open-ended questions that prompt your client to consider the benefits of change, their abilities to change, their reasons for change, and their need to change. This can help them articulate their desire to alter their behavior and reinforce their own arguments for making changes, which is more persuasive than any external argument you could provide.

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Janaina de Abreu Gaspar

Psicóloga Clínica | Atendimento online | Terapia Cognitivo Comportamental | Atenção Plena | Terapia de Aceitação e Compromisso
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Quando um cliente hesita em mudar, uma abordagem eficaz é provocar uma conversa de mudança. Ao explorar suas ambivalências, você pode ajudá-lo a refletir sobre os motivos para mudar, identificando os benefícios e as consequências de permanecer na mesma situação. Inicie com perguntas que incentivem o cliente a pensar nas vantagens de mudar e nas desvantagens de manter o status quo. Essa exploração ajuda a trazer à tona os valores e objetivos do cliente, criando um contexto que favorece a motivação para a mudança. A chave está em guiar o cliente para que ele próprio reconheça a necessidade de mudança e se sinta mais seguro para dar os próximos passos.

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4 Empower the Client

Empowerment is about helping clients realize they have the power to change. Encourage your client to recall past successes or times when they overcame obstacles. This can boost their confidence in their ability to enact change now. Offer affirmation for their strengths and efforts, no matter how small. By fostering an empowering atmosphere, you help your client build self-efficacy, which is the belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task.

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Suzanne Martinez MA, LMFT

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist Expertise in mental health counseling, life coaching, and as an accountability coach, I offer a comprehensive suite of services aimed at fostering personal and professional growth.
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I do not like to force a client to drink the water of change. I will lead him to the river. I am likely to say, "When you've faced challenges before, you've found strength and resourcefulness in yourself. I wonder what it would look like if you tapped into that same energy now. What small step could you take today that aligns with the person you aspire to be?" This allows the client to recall their own process while reminding the client why they choose to enter therapy.

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5 Develop Discrepancy

Developing discrepancy is a technique in Motivational Interviewing where you help clients see the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Highlighting this discrepancy without inducing defensiveness can motivate clients to change because they recognize the incongruence between their current behavior and their broader goals or values. Ask questions that help clients articulate their personal goals and how their current behaviors may not be aligning with those goals. This realization often sparks motivation to make changes.

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6 Plan for Change

Once a client is motivated to change, it's essential to collaboratively develop a plan for change. This involves setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. Help your client identify small steps they can take toward their larger goal, and discuss potential obstacles and strategies for overcoming them. A clear plan provides structure and makes the change process seem less daunting, increasing the likelihood that your client will follow through with their intentions.

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Your client is hesitant about change. How can you ignite their motivation during a consultation?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Understand Ambivalence

2 Reflective Listening

3 Elicit Change Talk

4 Empower the Client

5 Develop Discrepancy

6 Plan for Change

Motivational Interviewing

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Your client is hesitant about change. How can you ignite their motivation during a consultation?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Understand Ambivalence

2 Reflective Listening

3 Elicit Change Talk

4 Empower the Client

5 Develop Discrepancy

6 Plan for Change

Motivational Interviewing

Rate this article

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