Supporting Change Talk With Motivational Interviewing

Need to Know

• Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based approach that helps people explore and strengthen their own motivation for change
• .Change is more likely to happen when clients voice their own reasons, hopes, and commitment to doing something differently.
• Counsellors can support change by learning to recognize and respond effectively to both change talk and sustain talk.

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What Is Motivational Interviewing?

We’ve all been there as helpers – wanting to be helpful and supportive yet also yearning to be able to make change just happen! We sit in a unique position: simultaneously advocating for a person’s own voice and choice while also helping create the conditions that support movement toward a goal, which usually involves some kind of change on the person’s part.

Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based approach that focuses on how to support change that aligns with a person’s own motivations. A central skill in MI is learning to listen for and support change talk.

We sit in a unique position: simultaneously advocating for a person’s own voice and choice while also helping create the conditions that support movement toward a goal

What Is Change Talk?

Change talk refers to statements that reflect a person’s own intrinsic reasons, desires, motivations, or commitments to change.

When people verbalize these, they are much more likely to take actual steps of action toward change. As helpers, we can learn to recognize these signals and support and strengthen them.

What change talk sounds like:

Recognizing different kinds of change talk helps us tailor our own responses to be closer to where the person is at, making it more likely that we can support them in taking their next step.

Preparing to Change

Listen for statements that signal a person’s desire or preparation to consider making a change. For example:

• “I’d like to feel less anxious.”
• “I wish I had more energy.”
• “I would probably feel better if I cut down.”
• “I can’t keep this up!”

These statements often reflect emerging hopes, values, and reasons for change that can strengthened into deeper personal motivation.

We can provide support at this stage by asking open questions that help explore just the next step:

• “What do you imagine that would feel like?”
• “What difference do you think that would make if you did have more energy?”
• “What would you like to be able to do instead?”

Starting to Mobilize

Statements that reflect a choice and commitment are among the strongest predictors of behaviour change. For example:

• “I’m going to call tomorrow.”
• “I’ve decided to make an appointment.”
• “I’ve already started walking after work.”

Validating and reinforcing even small behavioural steps helps build momentum.

We can provide support at this stage by reflecting the steps taken to deepen awareness and explore the benefits of change:

• “You’re really feeling ready to take this step.”
• “How does this step fit with how you hope to handle these situations in the future?”
• “That’s significant! How did you feel after your walk?”
• “What do you hope to see in three months?”

Statements that reflect a choice and commitment are among the strongest predictors of behaviour change…

When Talk Is Leaning Away From Change

As part of listening for change talk, it’s important to recognize the common presence and usefulness of also listening for sustain talk. This will seem like the opposite of change talk as it is when people are verbalizing reasons for staying the same with no change.

Sustain talk can sometimes feel like pushback or resistance. However, when we recognize it as a normal part of the change process, we’re better able to respond in helpful ways. By exploring the pull away from change, this can often help a person become clearer about their motivation and reasons to lean more into positive steps of change.

Examples of sustain talk:

• “It’s just too difficult right now.”
• “I’ve tried before and nothing works.”
• “Gambling is the only time I feel any relief from my stress.”

We can provide support at this stage in how we respond to sustain talk. It is helpful to reflect and validate what the person is saying while using open questions to explore their perspectives more fully.

• “This feels so difficult right now – what do you worry will happen next?”
• “It’s tiring to keep trying and feel like you get nowhere.”
• “How does gambling give you some relief?”

From this position of support, the person will more likely feel stronger to consider all their options.

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Counselling Steps to Invite More Change Talk

There are familiar tools counsellors use regularly that can invite more change talk, and when we use these with intention, we can be ready to follow up with our supportive listening.

Ask Open Questions

Open questions invite more exploration and often elicit hints at change talk.

• “What worries you about the way things are going in this relationship?”
• “If you could be doing something different, what might that be?”

Reflect and Mirror

One of the strengths of active listening is that it provides the speaker with the chance to hear their own thoughts and beliefs out loud. This offers a chance to notice their own motivation and hopes.

• Client: “I miss feeling healthy.”
• Counsellor: “Part of you really wants to get back to feeling like yourself again.”

Reflective listening often encourages clients to elaborate further.

Summarize

When we listen carefully, we can offer a reflection that connects different parts of the conversation to help the client consider possible next steps. For example:

“I’ve heard you mention the importance of your friends, how much you miss the enjoyment of social activities, and your belief that you have moved through your anxiety in the past and felt proud of yourself. Although you have been so overwhelmed lately, these sound like reasons to get back to some strategies that are really important to you. What do you think?”

This allows clients to hear their own motivations woven together.

When we invite and strengthen change talk, we help people connect with their own motivations and capacity for growth.

The Power of Supporting Possibility

As counsellors, learning to listen for these subtle signs of hope and possibility allows us to support change more intentionally and effectively. When we invite and strengthen change talk, we help people connect with their own motivations and capacity for growth. In doing so, we support change from within rather than relying on advice or persuasion, creating a more collaborative process that honours each person’s readiness, autonomy, and unique journey.

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Key Takeaways

• Motivational Interviewing focuses on supporting change that aligns with a person’s own values, goals, and motivations.
• Change talk reflects a client’s desire, reasons, motivation, or commitment to making a change.
• Listening for where a person is in the change process allows helpers to tailor their responses more effectively.
• Statements of commitment and action are among the strongest predictors of behaviour change.
• Sustain talk is a normal part of change and should be met with curiosity, validation, and exploration rather than persuasion.
• Open questions often elicit change talk by helping clients explore possibilities and envision a different future.
• Reflective listening and summarizing help clients hear and strengthen their own motivations for change.
• Supporting change from within is often more effective than relying on advice, persuasion, or directing the client toward a particular outcome.

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Still Curious?

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