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Change talk

9 techniques · 1 approach
MI
Affirming Change Talk (EARS)
Affirming Change Talk (EARS)
EARS is the strategy for working with change talk once heard: Elaborating, Affirming, Reflecting, Summarizing. When the client utters a chan…
MI
Double-Sided Reflection
Double-Sided Reflection
A form of complex reflection: the therapist reflects both sides of the client's ambivalence in one utterance, using the connector "and" (not…
MI
Evoking Change Talk (DARN-CAT)
Evoking Change Talk (DARN-CAT)
Change talk is any statement by the client in favor of change. It is the heart of MI: the therapist does not convince, but creates condition…
MI
Importance and Confidence Rulers
Importance and Confidence Rulers
Two scales from 0 to 10 that help assess motivation and evoke change talk. The importance ruler: how important is change for the client righ…
MI
Looking Back
Looking Back
A technique for evoking change talk by exploring the past, when the client felt better or things were different. It lets them recall who the…
MI
Looking Forward
Looking Forward
A technique for evoking change talk by imagining a better future. The client projects themselves into a future where the change has happened…
MI
Open-Ended Questions (OARS)
Open-Ended Questions (OARS)
A basic MI skill. Open-ended questions invite the client to tell their story in their own words, without steering them in a particular direc…
MI
Querying Extremes
Querying Extremes
A technique for evoking change talk through the exploration of extreme scenarios: the worst (if nothing changes) and the best (if the change…
MI
Reflective Listening (OARS)
Reflective Listening (OARS)
The fundamental MI skill — the expression of empathy through reflection. The therapist forms a hypothesis about what the client meant, and v…
Materials are informational and educational and summarize publicly available scientific sources. They are not medical or psychological advice, are not intended for self-diagnosis or self-treatment, and do not replace consultation with a qualified professional.