Inspiring people to address their weaknesses and introducing them to the idea of personal improvement represent crucial goals of a motivational counselor. In the case under analysis, the quality of the expert’s motivational speech is quite high, which leads to prompt identification of a problem and its successful resolution, as “Motivational interviewing: Evoking commitment to change” (2009) shows. By incorporating elements of active listening and empathy, the counselor conducts a successful session that causes a shift in the patient’s behavior.
I rated the cultivating change talk that the clinician uses to encourage the patient to alter his behavior as 4 due to its powerful impact. While not being forceful, it establishes the feeling of urgency and enables the patient to change his approach to dieting, particularly, his juice intake. Similarly, the softening sustain talk is performed in the manner that allows the patient to reconsider the current status quo and challenge it by shifting toward a healthier diet, which leads to a rating of 5. Namely, the counselor’s use of the OARS technique as represented by Miller and Rollnick (2012) should be recognized as quite powerful. Indeed, it evidently leaves an impact on the patient, forcing him to acknowledge the misjudgment that he made when approaching his dieting choices.
Furthermore, the clinician demonstrates extensive use of partnership as the means of building mutual trust and assisting the patient in overcoming his health issue. Particularly, the clinician offers the patient an ample amount of empathy, therefore, fostering a bond and building premises for trust and cooperation. However, I rated him at 4 and not 5 since he seems to be slightly reproachful when explaining how much sugar a glass of juice can contain (“Motivational interviewing: Evoking commitment to change,” 2009). Finally, the empathy demonstrated by the clinician allows the latter to understand the client’s perspective and the challenges that he experiences.
A combination of active listening and empathy helps the counselor direct the patient toward a possible solution. Therefore, the scenario under analysis must be considered an example of effective counseling. From a Biblical perspective, Motivational Interviewing Skills can be seen as a means of supporting people in need and providing them with assistance and care in accordance with the idea of Christlikeness. Finally, using these skills, one can embrace an individual’s culture by deploying active listening and identifying culture-specific factors affecting the development of specific behaviors, attitudes, and understanding of health management.
Reference
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2012). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change. Guilford Press.
Motivational interviewing: Evoking commitment to change. (2009). [Video]. YouTube.