Ep 2 The Core Skills
Motivational Interviewing core skills
What are the core skills of Motivational Interviewing, and how do they support conversations about change? In Episode 2 of Talking to Change, Glenn Hinds and Sebastian Kaplan explore the Motivational Interviewing core skills, traditionally remembered through the acronym OARS.
The four traditional OARS skills are Open Questions, Affirmations, Reflective Listening and Summaries. Used skilfully, they do more than provide a structure for a conversation. They help practitioners communicate empathy, recognise strengths, deepen understanding and create space for people to hear and develop their own thoughts about change.
The episode considers the purpose of each skill and how they work together. In Motivational Interviewing, OARS are not techniques to persuade someone to change. They are used within the collaborative spirit of MI to support engagement, exploration and the person’s autonomy.
In this episode
- Open Questions and encouraging exploration
- Affirmations and recognising strengths and efforts
- Reflective Listening and deepening understanding
- Summaries and bringing important parts of the conversation together
- How the OARS skills work together within the collaborative spirit of MI
OARS + I in current MI practice
Update: This 2018 episode focuses on the traditional OARS framework. Our current OARS + I guide also includes Information Exchange as an important part of skilful Motivational Interviewing practice.
Listen to Episode 2: The Core Skills
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