MI Toolbox

Practical Motivational Interviewing tools, questions, scripts, and techniques — ready to use in any conversation with a young person. Tick tools as you use them, and star the ones you want to return to.

🗣️ 50 MI questions 📊 Change talk tools 📋 Real scripts ✓ Track what you've tried ★ Favourite what works

Quick MI Reference

Use these reminders before choosing a tool, question or script.

O — Open questions
Invite the person to explore their own reasons, values and next steps rather than answering for them.
Ask, do not interrogate.
A — Affirmations
Name strengths, effort, honesty or persistence in a way that feels specific and earned.
Affirm effort, not just outcomes.
R — Reflections
Offer back the meaning, feeling or ambivalence you hear, then leave space for the person to continue.
Reflect before advising.
S — Summaries
Pull together change talk, concerns, strengths and next steps so the person can hear their own direction.
Summarise to strengthen movement.

Change Talk Compass

Listen for the language that suggests movement, even when ambivalence is still present.

Desire / Need
“I want to…” or “I need to…” shows the person is naming a reason for change.
Explore why it matters.
Ability
“I could…” or “I might be able to…” suggests confidence, possibility or previous success.
Build on what is possible.
Reasons
“It would help if…” points to benefits, values, costs or consequences that matter to them.
Ask for more detail.
Commitment / Action
“I will…” or “I already did…” shows stronger movement towards change or a next step.
Support the plan.

Resistance & Discord Guide

Use these reminders when the conversation starts to feel stuck, defensive or like a tug-of-war.

Do not wrestle
Resistance often increases when the practitioner argues for change harder than the person does.
Step alongside, do not push harder.
Reflect first
Reflect the concern, objection or frustration before asking another question or giving information.
Feeling heard reduces defensiveness.
Support autonomy
Remind the person that the decision belongs to them. Choice reduces the need to defend the status quo.
Autonomy lowers the fight.
Repair discord
If you pushed too hard, name it simply and return to their perspective.
Repair quickly, then refocus.
Tools tried 0 of 40
Tick tools after use. Star anything you want to come back to.

How to use this toolbox

Tick a tool after you have tried it in a real session or conversation. Star anything that worked well or that you want to return to later.

★ Every tool has been tried.

That is a significant commitment to developing your MI practice. Consider which tools became natural quickly — and which ones still feel effortful. That gap is your next development edge.

Filter by topic
No tools match this filter.