Which sequence BEST represents the core steps of motivational interviewing?

Which sequence BEST represents the core steps of motivational interviewing?

• A. Open-ended questions, Affirmation, Reflective listening, Summary
• B. Plan, Evoke, Engage, Focus
• C. Engage, Focus, Evoke, Plan
• D. Focus, Evoke, Engage, Plan

Answer: (C)

Motivational interviewing unfolds as a collaborative, staged flow: Engage, Focus, Evoke, Plan. Start by Engage, where you build rapport, express empathy, and establish a trusting alliance using open-ended questions and reflective listening. Then move to Focus, jointly clarifying the topic or target behavior and agreeing on the direction of the conversation. Next is Evoke, drawing out the client’s own reasons for change and helping them articulate motivation, ambivalence, and readiness. Finally, Plan involves negotiating a concrete, collaborative next step and supporting the commitment to change. The optional techniques known as OARS—open-ended questions, affirmations, reflective listening, and summaries—are valuable tools used throughout but do not constitute the sequential flow of steps. Other sequences mix the order or treat skills as the path itself, which doesn’t align with how MI guides the conversation from rapport to planning.

Motivational interviewing unfolds as a collaborative, staged flow: Engage, Focus, Evoke, Plan. Start by Engage, where you build rapport, express empathy, and establish a trusting alliance using open-ended questions and reflective listening. Then move to Focus, jointly clarifying the topic or target behavior and agreeing on the direction of the conversation. Next is Evoke, drawing out the client’s own reasons for change and helping them articulate motivation, ambivalence, and readiness. Finally, Plan involves negotiating a concrete, collaborative next step and supporting the commitment to change.

The optional techniques known as OARS—open-ended questions, affirmations, reflective listening, and summaries—are valuable tools used throughout but do not constitute the sequential flow of steps. Other sequences mix the order or treat skills as the path itself, which doesn’t align with how MI guides the conversation from rapport to planning.