Therapeutic relationships & Motivational Interviewing

Skills OARS

• open questions

• Affirm positive attitude, comments

• Reflective listening (listen carefully)

• Summarize - repeat what the person has said to show understanding

Motivational Interviewing

A guiding style of assisting a patient in behavioral change vs a directive style

Core MI techniques

• reflective listening

• Rolling w resistance

• Agenda setting

• Self motivation

• Elicit change talk

Characteristics of a therapist patient relationship

• purposeful and goal directed

• Defined boundaries

• Structured to meet patients needs

• Safe, confidential, reliable, and consistent

What is the most important skills a clinician can develop

Ability to establish therapeutic relationships w patient

Therapeutic client relationships (7)

• trust

• Genuine interest

• Congruence

• Acceptance

• Positive regard

• Self awareness

• Therapeutic use of self

Trust

Build when patient is confident in the therapist and when the presence of the therapist conveys integrity, consistence, and reliability

Congruence

Words and actions match

Genuine interest

Conveying an authentic desire to connect with the patient

Empathy

Ability of the therapist to perceive the meaning and feelings of the patient and to communicate that understanding to the patient

Acceptance of the person

Avoiding judgement of the person no matter the behavior

Unconditional positive regard

Appreciates the patient as a unique worthwhile human being and treats them w an unconditional no judgemental attitude

Self awareness

Process of understanding one’s own values, beliefs, thoughts, feelings, attitudes, motivations, strengths, and limitations and how one’s though and behaviors affect others

Therapeutic use of self

Therapist uses aspects of his/her personality, experience, values, feelings, intelligence, etc to establish authentic professional relationships w clients that are beneficial to clients (sharing yourself w/o sharing yourself)

Behaviors that diminish therapeutic relationships

• inappropriate boundaries

• Feelings of sympathy and encouraging dependency (want empathy and independence)

• Non acceptance of the patient as a person because of their behaviors

Developing self awareness is a continuous, ongoing process