In our previous blog, we focused on a scenario where the client was clear on their plan moving forward. It involved a smoker who was ready to quit. The client had a plan to go to a cabin for a week and take everything they needed except for cigarettes. It can be very exciting when the client is clear on what they think might work for them. This can be a good sign when the client takes so much ownership of their plan.
Perhaps the best way for us as clinicians to support our clients is to make sure that their plan is well thought out and to ask follow-up questions. This can ensure that the client is ready to make this commitment and likely succeed in changing their behavior. There are many questions that could be asked of the client. Below are several questions from Miller and Rollnick supporting and activating the plan:
Evoking activation talk
“How ready are you to do that?”
“Are you willing to give that a try?”
Asking for commitment
“Are you going to do it?”
“Is that what you intend to do?”
Getting more specific
“What reading would you take?”
“How would you get ready?”
Setting a date
“When could you do that?”
“When do you think you’ll go?”
Preparing
“What would be a first step?”
“What would you need to take along?”
The intention of asking these questions is to prepare the client as much as possible. The goal is to help facilitate the client in being able to stop smoking. It is great that the client knows what they think might work best, and we can support the process by asking these follow-up questions. The more specific the client can be about their plan, the more likely it will be followed.
In this scenario, the client has a clear plan on how best to change their behavior. Our role as clinicians is to support our clients in coming up with their own ideas and implementing them. In our next blog, we will focus on troubleshooting and offer some questions to consider asking the client in case the plan doesn’t go exactly as expected. I hope everyone is doing as well as possible and you have opportunities to use and practice motivational interviewing.
For more information about Motivational Interviewing or related services, contact Steve Bradley-Bull, LCMHC, by phone, (919) 812-9203, or by email, steve_bradley-bull@med.unc.edu
UNC CFAR Motivational Interviewing 