What are the benefits and challenges of using affirmations in motivational interviewing?
Motivational interviewing is a skillful way of helping people explore and resolve their ambivalence about changing their behavior. It involves using open-ended questions, reflective listening, summarizing, and affirmations to elicit and strengthen the person's own motivation and confidence. Affirmations are positive statements that acknowledge the person's strengths, efforts, values, or intentions. They can be powerful tools for enhancing self-esteem, reducing resistance, and reinforcing change talk. But they also have some challenges and limitations that need to be considered. In this article, you will learn what are the benefits and challenges of using affirmations in motivational interviewing.