12 - Ambivalence Flashcards
What are the 4 categories of preparatory change talk?
Preparatory change talk : desire, ability, reasons, and need.
DARN
Ideally a client would express all 4 of them.
What is DESIRE talk?
What a client WANTS
What is ABILITY talk?
CONFIDENCE
the person’s self-perceived ability to achieve it. What they believe they COULD do
What is REASON talk?
The WHY
the statement of a specific reason for change.
What is NEED talk?
URGENCY / IMPORTANCE
language that stresses the general importance or urgency of change.
What is ACTIVATION talk?
Statements of Willingness/Readiness
“I’m willing to try…”
“I’m ready to start…”
“I’d be open to…”
What is COMMITMENT talk?
Commitment language is what people use to make promises to each other.
“I will”
“I promise”
Etc
What are the 3 forms of commitment language?
They are ready to ACT
Activation - “I’m ready to…” “I’m willing to…”
Commitment - “I will…” “I promise to…”
Taking Steps - “I have already…” “I tried…”
What is the difference between preparatory change talk and commitment language? Why the distinction?
To say that one must, can, wants to, or has good reasons to change is not to say that one will.
Making a commitment is different and more indicative of change.
Consider: ‘Will you tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?’
“I’m open to doing that” versus “Yes, I will”
What is the clearest way to distinguish commitment talk?
It’s anything that would be an acceptable answer to “What will you do?”
I will
I promise to
I guarantee
I’m committed to
How might you respond to a client saying “I’m ready to…” or “I’m willing to…”?
When one receives an answer like this in everyday conversation, the natural next step is to ask for more specifics:
When will you do it?
What exactly are you prepared to do?
