How to Explore Change with Clients While Sustaining Your Wellness

Open questions invite more than yes-or-no answers and encourage reflection, elaboration, and deeper conversation. They can help clients talk about change in their own words and explore why doing things differently might matter to them.¹

Here are examples of open questions Angie could have asked Brodie to evoke his own reasons for improving his sleep routine:

• “Why would you want to change your sleeping routine?” This evokes desire.²

•  “How would you go about getting better sleep?” This evokes ability.²

•  “How important is it for you to make this change and why?” This evokes need.²

It can be tempting to keep asking open questions when a client responds. In MI, however, helpers aim to reflect more often than they ask questions. A common guideline is to reflect about twice as much as you ask open questions.

Reflections are statements where a helper says back what they understand the client is thinking, feeling, or meaning.¹ This helps clients feel heard and gives them an opportunity to clarify and deepen their thinking.

Reflecting change talk, or statements that lean toward making a change, can gently guide clients to keep exploring change in their own words.¹

Example of Angie using reflections with Brodie:

Brodie: I really need to sleep better at night, but I also like unwinding after a long day of work by watching TV and scrolling on my phone.

Angie: You enjoy relaxing after work, and at the same time you are noticing a real need to get better sleep. (Reflection)

Brodie: Yes, exactly. I am not sure how long I can tolerate this. It is really starting to affect my concentration at work.

Angie: Poor sleep has been affecting your focus at work. Tell me about a time when you were able to sleep well. What did you do then? (Reflection and open question)

Affirmations are statements that recognize a client’s strengths, efforts, or values. They are more than encouragement. When used well, affirmations can increase a client’s confidence and sense of self-efficacy.¹

Example of Angie using affirmations with Brodie:

Angie: How has not sleeping well impacted your life?

Brodie: I feel tired all the time. It is a miracle that I am still getting mostly A’s and B’s in my classes. I think I would do even better if I were to sleep well.

Angie: Even while exhausted, you have still managed strong grades. That shows a lot of persistence and determination. (Affirmation)

Brodie: I never thought of it that way. I usually do pretty well when I set my mind to something.

Summaries pull together what the client has shared and highlight key points, especially those that support change. They help ensure shared understanding and give clients a chance to add or clarify anything that feels important.¹

Example of Angie summarizing Brodie’s experience:

Angie: You have been having trouble sleeping, which leaves you exhausted during the day and struggling to focus at work. Even so, you have stayed persistent with school and maintained your grades, and you believe you could do even better with more rest. You are starting to see the need for a consistent sleep routine. Did I miss anything important? (Summary)

Brodie: That sounds right. A new sleep routine would help. I just wish I had the discipline to stick to it. I always end up scrolling late at night out of boredom.

When we care deeply about our clients, it can be hard not to slip into fixing mode. The fixing reflex is the natural urge to solve problems by giving advice, sometimes before fully involving the client. In MI, helpers are encouraged to notice that impulse and step back.

You might reflect on a time when someone supported you in making a change without telling you what to do.³ Often, that support shows up as acceptance, empowerment, and compassion.

If you would like to deepen your understanding of motivational interviewing, you are invited to watch the Conversations that Inspire Change recorded webinar, and review the Motivational Interviewing quick reference guide. These materials walk through MI skills in more detail and offer practical examples you can apply right away in your work.