How do you get to the why of someone’s motivation for change? WHY is a tricky word since asking why can be shaming depending on how you frame it. Rather than asking why do you do that (addiction, behavior challenges, etc.) try asking when things are working what helps or what makes this change important […]
We are trained as professionals to see and pay attention to what’s wrong and help with change. Unfortunately this way of being can actually make clients less likely to change. In the spirit of Motivational Interviewing we are instead paying close attention to what a client is striving for their strengths, efforts and values – […]
Your clients come to you with multiple types of ambivalence and seek help for how to see their way through to change. How do you help them in a way that shows empathy with their situation, emphasizes autonomy and strategically keeps change on the horizon without injecting your own agenda? We know the language of […]
When I’m talking to a professional about how to help their clients with conversations about change I frequently hear “I don’t know what questions to ask?” or “If I just knew how to ask the right questions I’m sure I would get more answers.” What if it’s NOT about the questions? We want our clients […]
Did you know that what comes out of your client’s mouth is highly influenced by what you are saying? If statements from your client start with the word YOU it can mean they have perceived the conversation as potentially judgmental. In Motivational Interviewing we call this discord. Discord reflects the dissonance in your working relationship, […]