Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Practice Examination

What does the OARES acronym stand for in the context of Motivational Interviewing (MI)?

1. Open questions, Affirm, Reflective listening, Elicit self-motivational statements, Summarize

2. Objective questions, Affirm, Reflect, Engage, Summarize

3. Open-ended questions, Advise, Reinforce, Encourage, Summarize

4. Observe, Affirm, Reassess, Evaluate, Summarize

The correct answer is: Open questions, Affirm, Reflective listening, Elicit self-motivational statements, Summarize

The OARES acronym is a key component of Motivational Interviewing (MI) that outlines essential skills to enhance client engagement and facilitate the change process. Open questions encourage clients to express their thoughts and feelings in a more expansive way, fostering a dialogue that reveals their motivations, concerns, and personal goals. This strategy helps create a safe space for clients to explore their ambivalence about change. Affirmations recognize the client’s strengths, efforts, and progress, which can help build their self-efficacy and confidence in their ability to change. This reinforces a positive relationship between the counselor and the client. Reflective listening involves the counselor actively listening and reflecting back what the client has expressed. This technique not only demonstrates empathy but also encourages the client to delve deeper into their thoughts and feelings. Eliciting self-motivational statements is crucial as it helps clients articulate their own reasons for wanting to change. This promotes internal motivation rather than reliance on external pressures, making it more likely for clients to commit to their goals. Finally, summarizing serves to consolidate the discussion, ensuring that both the counselor and the client are on the same page. It helps to recap important points and reinforce the motivations and plans for change that the client has expressed during the