CRSS CRSS - Certified Recovery Support Specialist Motivational Interviewing and Engagement Questions and Answers 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In MI, what does the 'righting reflex' refer to?
- The natural urge to correct or fix a client's problems for them (Correct answer)
- A technique to help clients physically realign during sessions
- The process of restoring a client's rights after incarceration
- A method of straightening distorted thinking patterns
Correct answer: The natural urge to correct or fix a client's problems for them
The righting reflex is the helper's instinct to immediately provide solutions or advice, which MI practitioners learn to suppress in favor of evoking client motivation.
Question 2: Which MI technique involves acknowledging a client's positive qualities or efforts to build rapport?
- Confrontation
- Affirmation (Correct answer)
- Summarizing
- Reflecting
Correct answer: Affirmation
Affirmations in MI recognize the client's strengths, efforts, and positive attributes to reinforce self-efficacy and build the therapeutic alliance.
Question 3: A client says, 'I know I should cut back on drinking, but I'm not ready yet.' This statement best illustrates:
- Sustain talk combined with change talk (Correct answer)
- Purely sustain talk with no ambivalence
- Resistance requiring immediate confrontation
- A signal the client is in the action stage
Correct answer: Sustain talk combined with change talk
The phrase 'I know I should' reflects change talk while 'I'm not ready yet' reflects sustain talk, demonstrating classic ambivalence that MI addresses.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of using agenda mapping in an MI session?
- To create a written treatment plan for the client's file
- To collaboratively explore which topics to focus on with client input (Correct answer)
- To outline the specialist's predetermined goals for the session
- To schedule future appointment times with the client
Correct answer: To collaboratively explore which topics to focus on with client input
Agenda mapping is a collaborative MI strategy where both the practitioner and client identify and prioritize topics, honoring client autonomy.
Question 5: Which of the following is the best example of a double-sided reflection?
- 'It sounds like you want to stop using and you're also scared of withdrawal.' (Correct answer)
- 'You really need to quit for your family's sake.'
- 'Have you considered how your use affects your children?'
- 'Let's make a pros and cons list together.'
Correct answer: 'It sounds like you want to stop using and you're also scared of withdrawal.'
A double-sided reflection acknowledges both sides of ambivalence by mirroring the client's own conflicting statements without judgment.
Question 6: When a peer specialist notices a client has shifted from ambivalence to expressing commitment to change, this shift is called:
- Motivational congruence
- The change point (Correct answer)
- Discord resolution
- A turning point in MI known as 'change talk momentum'
Correct answer: The change point
When a client's language shifts from exploring change to committing to it, MI identifies this as a significant moment signaling readiness to move toward planning.
Question 7: In MI, 'discord' between a practitioner and client is best addressed by:
- Doubling down on the importance of change
- Stepping back, reflecting the client's perspective, and adjusting approach (Correct answer)
- Referring the client to a different specialist immediately
- Providing a firm boundary and repeating the recommendation
Correct answer: Stepping back, reflecting the client's perspective, and adjusting approach
MI frames discord as a signal to shift strategy—typically by offering empathic reflection and reaffirming client autonomy—rather than pushing harder.
CRSS CRSS - Certified Recovery Support Specialist Motivational Interviewing and Engagement Questions and Answers 4
In MI, what does the 'righting reflex' refer to?