Category: MI Process: Evoking

When a practitioner works with a client, the practitioner can significantly influence how much change talk (movement towards changing behavior) and sustain talk (movement towards maintaining current behavior) they will hear. And the difference is not when the practitioner is just being nice to the client, but rather, from strategic...

We continue our series on the 4 processes of Motivational Interviewing… Engaging, Focusing, Evoking, and Planning. This month, we will focus on the third process, Evoking. We have talked about creating a therapeutic relationship (Engaging) and establishing a clear focus for the session (Focusing) and now we move to Evoking,...

For anyone wanting to make a behavior change in their life, it is likely that they will need to resolve ambivalence around the advantages and disadvantages of making a change. This is a normal process that almost everyone goes through in order to make a change and for the change...

When we ask the client what matters most to them, it can be a good way to continue building rapport. This conversation can explore what the client really cares about and how these goals and values may guide their lives. And we also know that goals and values are aspirations,...

One of the best outcomes in our work is when a client talks themselves into the change they want to see in their lives. It is often the case that when someone hears themselves speak about change, and when they are in the presence of another, that they are more...

When we ask the client what matters most to them, it can be a good way to continue building rapport. This conversation can explore what the client really cares about and how these goals and values may guide their lives. And we also know that goals and values are aspirations,...

We know that adopting new behaviors, or changing old ones, can result from motivation (importance) and self-efficacy (confidence) as well as an individual’s personal characteristics and social and environmental factors. Exploring these factors with a client allows us to learn about facilitators and barriers and can help us guide the...

The first approach we will explore together is Querying Extremes. This technique is designed to elicit change talk by asking the client to talk about the extremes of their (or others’) concerns or potential consequences about their particular condition or behavior. As well, it also asks the client to describe...

I believe it is important to start by discussing how Motivational Interviewing initially thought about disharmony between a client and a clinician as they explored change. When the first edition of Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change by Miller and Rollnick was released, the term “resistance” was chosen to represent the...

In a conversation about change with our clients, we are attempting to guide them towards making meaningful change in their lives that is sustainable. And as we all know, there will be some ambivalence along the way that needs to be worked through for this change to occur. How are...

Whether we are working with someone as they explore the reasons they do not want to escape (and go back to using substances) during the COVID-19 crisis or someone who is thinking about changing careers, some basic MI skills are important to consider. One of the most important skills we...

When we are hearing our clients talk about change, we want to make sure we acknowledge it! This will not only be appreciated by the client, who will likely have felt heard, but it will also encourage more change talk. And when we acknowledge change talk from a client, affirmations...