When we are hearing our clients talk about change, we want to make sure we acknowledge it! This will not only be appreciated by the client, who will likely have felt heard, but it will also encourage more change talk. And when we acknowledge change talk from a client, affirmations can be particularly important because the response is very personal. An affirmation is a response where the clinician recognizes the strength and effort of the client. As well, the response should also be genuine and where it is more about the person than the behavior. For example, if a child comes home with a painting, a typical response is usually 鈥済reat鈥� or 鈥渂eautiful鈥� which speaks to the painting or outcome but not about the process, ability, strength, or skill expressed by the child. Therefore, an appropriate affirmation for the child sounds something like, 鈥渨ow, you really had to be creative to make this picture鈥� or 鈥測ou really had to focus to make this picture.鈥� Again, the response needs to affirm the child鈥檚 effort and strength. The response needs to be genuine and have it be more about the person than the behavior, and where the child can perhaps call upon the strength acknowledged in future situations.
Below are four separate examples to give you an idea of what it sounds like when a client expresses change talk and the clinician provides an affirmation:
Client: I am going to go to the gym at least 4 times a week.
Affirm: You are really committed to going to the gym.
Client: I spent more time with my family this week and I really want this to continue.
Affirm: You really prioritized being with your family this week.
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Client: I know there is a good job out there for me and I am going to keep looking.
Affirm: You really believe in yourself and will continue to persevere.
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Client: I know I could lose weight if I really chose to do so.听听听听听听听听听听
Affirm: You are confident in your abilities to lose weight.
In these interactions, the client is expressing change talk and the clinician is affirming the client鈥檚 intentions and strengths. The clinician is making sure the response is not praise, but instead a response that is genuine and is speaking to the client鈥檚 internal resources needed to achieve what has been shared. In addition, the clinician is reminding the client of these internal strengths where the client can use them in the future.
Again, when we hear change talk, we want to make sure we respond in order to strengthen it and encourage more. In today鈥檚 blog, the discussion was on affirmations and the importance of responding in way that focuses on the resources called upon by the client to make change happen. The examples shared in this blog explored how providing an affirmation that focuses on the strength and effort of the client as well as being genuine and more about the person than that behavior can be particularly beneficial. Next month, we will look at the next MI technique in how we respond to change talk. I hope everyone is doing as well as possible and you have opportunities to use and practice Motivational Interviewing. Take good care!
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For more information about Motivational Interviewing or related services, contact Eunice Akinyi Okumu, by phone (919) 843-2532, or by email, eunice_okumu@med.unc.edu.