You’re a coach trying to motivate your client. How can you use affirmations in Motivational Interviewing? (2024)

Affirmations are positive statements that acknowledge your client's strengths, values, efforts, or achievements. They are not empty compliments or false praise. They are genuine and specific expressions of appreciation and respect. For example, you can say "You have a lot of courage to face this situation" or "You have made some significant changes in your life".

Affirmations are important because they help your client to build self-esteem, reduce self-criticism, and enhance self-efficacy. Affirmations can also reinforce your client's commitment to change and increase their trust in you as a coach. By affirming your client, you show that you care about them, understand them, and believe in them.

To use affirmations effectively, you should use them sparingly and sincerely. Choose your words carefully and make sure they are relevant and meaningful to your client. Additionally, the affirmations should be realistic and attainable, while remaining consistent and supportive. Avoid using generic or vague affirmations or anything that contradicts or undermines your client. This will help you to set realistic goals and celebrate progress in a way that is autonomous and judgment-free.

Affirmations are not only something that you can give to your client, but also something that you can elicit from them. By eliciting affirmations, you can help your client recognize and verbalize their own strengths, values, and achievements. This can boost their confidence and motivation even more. To do so, use open-ended questions that invite the client to reflect on their positive aspects. For example, ask "What are you proud of?" or "What do you value most in yourself?". Additionally, use reflective listening to mirror back the client's positive statements. For instance, say "You sound very determined" or "You have a lot of resilience". Lastly, use summarizing to highlight the client's positive themes. You could say "You have shared some amazing examples of how you have overcome obstacles" or "You have expressed some clear reasons for wanting to change".

Affirmations may not always be easy to use or receive, and you may face some challenges, such as a client rejecting or dismissing your affirmations, having low self-esteem or negative self-talk, or having different cultural or personal preferences for affirmations. To handle these challenges, you should respect your client's feelings and reactions, empathize with their struggles and challenges, and adapt your affirmations to their needs and preferences. Don't argue or insist on your affirmations, minimize or ignore their difficulties, or impose or assume your affirmations. Instead, acknowledge their perspective and explore their reasons; validate their emotions and experiences; and ask for feedback and permission to tailor your affirmations.

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

Motivational Interviewing

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