ISSA CPT Module 8: behavior change and motivational interviewing

Module 8 quiz: 3 free questions

Answer these first, then read what the module covers. No sign-up.

What this module is about

Module 8 is about the hardest part of training: getting people to keep doing it. A perfect program does nothing if the client stops showing up. This module explains why motivation rises and falls, how ready a person is to change, and how a coach talks with a client so that the reasons for changing come from the client rather than the coach.

It has two halves. The first is theory: a few models that describe motivation and a step-by-step map of readiness, with the strategies that suit each step. The second is a conversation style used in health care and coaching, built on questions and reflections rather than lectures and advice.

Scenario questions here are mostly quotes. A client says something, and you are asked what stage they are in, what kind of statement it was, or which skill the coach used. Read the exact words: whether they lean toward change or away from it usually decides the answer.

The five lessons

1. Behavior change. Why people start, stop and stick with exercise, and the theories coaches use to explain motivation and confidence.
2. Stages of change. The stages a person moves through on the way to a new habit, from not interested yet to doing it for good.
3. Processes of change. The thinking and doing strategies that help a client move from one stage to the next.
4. MI core skills. The core skills of motivational interviewing: asking open questions, affirming, reflecting and summarizing.
5. Change talk. Listening for the words that lean toward change, drawing them out, and turning them into commitment.

65 terms in this module

Motivation theories, the stages and processes of change, and interviewing skills. The full list of Module 8 term names is in the glossary.

Look-alikes to keep apart

Neighboring stages and similar kinds of talk are the classic traps:

• Precontemplation Stage or Contemplation Stage

  In precontemplation the client is not considering change and may not see a problem; in contemplation they are thinking about it but still undecided.

• Change Talk or Sustain Talk

  Change talk is the client arguing for change (I want to feel stronger); sustain talk is the client arguing for staying the same (things are fine as they are).

• Simple Reflection or Complex Reflection

  A simple reflection repeats or rephrases what the client said; a complex reflection adds a guess at the meaning or feeling underneath.

• Behavioral Processes of Change or Cognitive Processes of Change

  Behavioral processes are things a client does, like removing temptations or rewarding progress; cognitive processes are shifts in thinking and feeling, like weighing pros and cons.

On the exam

In our reading, Module 8 supports the NCCPT outline's Program Design area, through adherence. See how the exam works.