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Therapy role-play · MI
William Miller and Stephen Rollnick developed Motivational Interviewing as a collaborative way of talking that strengthens a person’s own motivation to change. The simulated clients are in two minds. You practise drawing out their reasons for change without making the argument for them, which is harder than it sounds.
Why this therapy
People are usually in two minds about change, and when a helper pushes, the person defends the status quo. The harder you argue for change, the more they argue against it. MI turns that round: you draw out the person’s own reasons, and the motivation comes from them. Notice who is making the case for change in the room. If it is you, something has gone wrong.
Each protocol follows its published treatment model, and so does your feedback.
Simulated clients are a training aid. They do not replace supervised work with real clients.
Each one is reviewed in your debrief, with one concrete thing to try next time.
Open questions, affirmations, reflections and summaries. New practitioners lean on the questions; aim for at least as many reflections as questions, and two to one when you can.
Reflect the meaning and the feeling under the words. Repeating back what was said adds nothing.
Listen for the client’s own reasons for change, and ask for more of them.
Meet sustain talk and discord with a reflection, never an argument. Reflect it briefly, then turn towards what the client wants.
Move to a plan only when you hear mobilising language: “I will”, “I’m going to”. “I suppose I should” is not commitment.
When there are several possible changes, agree with the client which one you are talking about today.
Ask before you offer information or advice. Offer a little. Then ask what the client makes of it.
The same client carries across modes. Start where you feel comfortable, then stretch.
Free examples
Worked examples from the Practice Library, built on the same published model.
Each client comes with a history, a presentation and measures. Read the referral as you would on placement, then begin.
The client responds to how you work. Make your mistakes here, where they cost nothing; hints come only if you ask for them.
A clear debrief on the core skills of your model (the CTS-R for CBT). Then take any one skill into a focused drill and work on it until it holds.
Counsellors, psychologists, nurses, doctors, addiction workers: anyone whose work involves helping people change a behaviour they are not sure they want to change.
Anything the client says in favour of change: their desire, ability, reasons or need to change, and later their commitment and the steps they have already taken. MI listens for it and draws out more of it. Affirm it specifically; a general “good job” is not an affirmation.
Practise MI with us
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