What is motivational interviewing and how can CHWs apply it?

• A. A confrontational technique to push clients toward behavior change.
• B. A diagnostic tool used to assess mental illness.
• C. A client-centered counseling style to resolve ambivalence and encourage change; use open-ended questions, reflective listening, and affirmations.
• D. A formal therapy requiring licensed clinicians.

Answer: (C)

Motivational interviewing is a client-centered counseling approach that helps people resolve ambivalence about change and build their own motivation to act. It’s collaborative, nonjudgmental, and respects the person’s autonomy, focusing on eliciting the client’s reasons for change rather than telling them what to do.

CHWs apply it by engaging clients with open-ended questions that explore goals, concerns, and barriers; using reflective listening to confirm understanding and surface mixed feelings; and offering affirmations that recognize past strengths and efforts. Clear summaries help link what matters to the client with concrete next steps. Cultivating a stance of rolling with resistance rather than arguing, and evoking change talk—encouraging the client to voice their own reasons for change and how they might start—are key moves that move planning forward. MI isn’t a diagnostic tool, it isn’t confrontational, and it doesn’t require a licensed clinician, which makes it well-suited for CHWs to support behavior change in community settings.