Category: MI Process: Evoking

When do we know when a client is ready to move from evoking to planning? After we have discussed and understand why the client is considering changing a behavior, how do we know when they are ready to explore how they are planning to integrate this change into their life?...

It is always the hope that when we meet with our clients, that they will be motivated to create the needed changes in their lives. However, as we all know, this is not always the case. Many clients would prefer to maintain the status quo and keeps things the way...

When there is change talk being expressed by the client, and we, as clinicians, reflect this back to the client, what often comes next is more change talk. And the more we reflect change talk, the more we will receive it. If the client is speaking about change and there...

When we think about all the things that are going on with our clients, it is often easy to understand why they may come into a session and feel threatened or vulnerable. At the same time, it may not always be the client that is feeling vulnerable or stressed. It...

If you feel like a client is ready to move from evoking to planning, the best approach is to ask. We have talked about several ways to get to this point, and then it is time to see where the client would like to go. You will likely have a...

In this blog series, we have been discussing the movement from evoking to planning. We have looked at numerous approaches to facilitate the client exploring possible change. Hopefully, there are some good discussions about where the client is at in the moment, and where they would like to be in...

In previous blog posts, we have explored change talk and discussed several strategies to elicit and listen for the client’s own motivations for change. Some of the most common ways clinicians listen for change talk is when a client talks about or mentions: Desire: “I would like to lose some...

After a client and clinician have been exploring a topic, the clinician decides when the appropriate time is to offer a summary.  In counseling, there is very little guidance in terms of what should go into a summary, and what should be left out. The clinician must make the decision...

Our most recent blogs have been focused on building confidence with our clients using the approaches of open questions, confidence rulers, affirming strengths, and reviewing past successes. In addition, last month we reviewed the techniques of reframing and hypothetical thinking. These are great options for building confidence but what if...

The definition below highlights the guidance and facilitation needed by the clinician to strengthen an individual’s motivation for and movement towards change as well as explore the person’s own reasons for change. Motivational Interviewing is a person-centered counseling style for addressing the common problem of ambivalence about change. It is...

As we continue to explore the numerous ways a client may move from evoking to planning, an approach that can be beneficial is for the clinician to provide a summary of all the change talk the client has expressed. The clinician is sharing back to the client all the motivations...

In a conversation about change with our clients, we are aware that ambivalence is a normal part of the process and we expect to hear some sustain talk. When we hear our clients using sustain talk or wanting to maintain the status quo, or stating that they don’t think they...