How do you use reflective listening and affirmations in motivational interviewing with trauma clients?

1 What is reflective listening?

Reflective listening is a way of communicating that shows you are paying attention, understanding, and empathizing with your client. It involves repeating or rephrasing what your client says, without adding your own opinions, judgments, or interpretations. Reflective listening helps your client feel heard, validated, and respected. It also helps you build rapport, clarify meanings, and elicit more information.

2 How to practice reflective listening?

To practice reflective listening, you need to be attentive, curious, and respectful. You need to listen carefully to what your client says, and what they don't say. You need to avoid interrupting, correcting, or advising your client. You need to use open-ended questions, summaries, and reflections to encourage your client to explore their thoughts and feelings. You need to match your tone, pace, and language to your client's. And you need to check your understanding and ask for feedback.

4 How to use affirmations?

To use affirmations, you need to be sincere, relevant, and realistic. You need to observe and identify your client's strengths, efforts, and values. You need to use affirmations sparingly and appropriately, without overdoing or underdoing them. You need to avoid exaggerating, comparing, or patronizing your client. You need to use affirmations as a way of supporting your client's autonomy and agency, not as a way of manipulating or influencing them.

5 Why are reflective listening and affirmations important for trauma clients?

Reflective listening and affirmations are important for trauma clients because they can help them heal from their traumatic experiences and cope with their trauma symptoms. Trauma clients often struggle with shame, guilt, fear, anger, and distrust. They may feel isolated, misunderstood, and hopeless. They may also have difficulty expressing their emotions, needs, and desires. Reflective listening and affirmations can help them feel safe, accepted, and empowered. They can help them process their trauma, reduce their distress, and increase their resilience.

6 How to integrate reflective listening and affirmations in MI with trauma clients?

To integrate reflective listening and affirmations in MI with trauma clients, you need to follow the principles and processes of MI. You need to express empathy, support change, avoid confrontation, and honor your client's autonomy. You need to engage your client, focus on their goals, evoke their reasons for change, and plan their actions. You need to use reflective listening and affirmations throughout the MI process, but especially when you encounter resistance, ambivalence, or discrepancy. You need to tailor your reflective listening and affirmations to your client's stage of change, readiness, and preferences.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?