appendix d: motivational interviewing - National Drug and Alcohol ...

Appendices
Action: Intention to change
• “You seem a bit stuck at the moment. What would have to change to fix this?”
• “What would have to happen for it to become much more important for you to
change?”
• “If you were 100% successful and things worked out exactly as you would like, what
would be different?”
• “The fact that you are here indicates that at least a part of you thinks it is time to do
something. What are the reasons you see for making a change?”
• “What would be the advantages of making a change?”
• “What things make you think that you don’t need to worry about changing your
alcohol/other drug use?”
• “And what about the other side … What makes you think that it’s time to do things a
bit differently?”
• “If you were to decide to change what might your options be?”
Maintenance: Optimism
• “What would make you more confident about making these changes?”
• “Are there any ways you know about that have worked for other people? Is there
anything you found helpful in any previous attempts to change?”
• “What are some of the practical things you would need to do to achieve this goal?
Do any of them sound achievable?”
• “What encourages you that you can change if you want to?”
• “What makes you think that if you did decide to make a change, you could do it?”
In clients displaying symptoms of co-occurring mental health conditions, these questions should
be simplified. Compound questioning (two questions in one sentence) should be avoided 330 .
Affirming
Affirming involves direct compliments and statements of appreciation and understanding. This
helps build rapport, self-efficacy and reinforces open exploration. In clients displaying symptoms
of co-occurring mental health conditions, this can be inspiring and build rapport enormously 330 .
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