CRSS CRSS - Certified Recovery Support Specialist Motivational Interviewing and Engagement Questions and Answers 5 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which MI process comes LAST in the four-process model?
- Engaging
- Focusing
- Evoking
- Planning (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Planning
The four MI processes are Engaging, Focusing, Evoking, and Planningâwith Planning occurring when the client demonstrates sufficient readiness for change.
Question 2: A recovery support specialist avoids giving advice without permission as a way to respect:
- Confidentiality
- Autonomy (Correct answer)
- Beneficence
- Fidelity
Correct answer: Autonomy
Respecting autonomy in MI means the specialist supports the client's right to make their own decisions and avoids imposing direction without being invited.
Question 3: What does DARN-CAT stand for in the context of change talk?
- Desire, Ability, Reasons, NeedâCommitment, Activation, Taking steps (Correct answer)
- Direction, Affect, Readiness, NecessityâChange, Action, Trajectory
- Decisional, Ambivalence, Resistance, NeedâCommitment, Autonomy, Trust
- Desire, Awareness, Resilience, NeedâCapability, Attitude, Thinking
Correct answer: Desire, Ability, Reasons, NeedâCommitment, Activation, Taking steps
DARN-CAT categorizes change talk: preparatory talk (Desire, Ability, Reasons, Need) and mobilizing talk (Commitment, Activation, Taking steps), with the latter being stronger predictors of behavior change.
Question 4: A peer specialist reflects back only a portion of what a client says, selecting the part that leans toward change. This technique is called:
- Strategic summarizing
- Selective reflection (Correct answer)
- Amplified reflection
- Simple reflection
Correct answer: Selective reflection
Selective reflection intentionally emphasizes the change-oriented elements of a client's ambivalent statement to gently steer conversation toward change talk.
Question 5: Which scenario represents a peer specialist using an 'amplified reflection' correctly?
- Client: 'I drink a little too much.' Specialist: 'So drinking has completely taken over every part of your life.' (Correct answer)
- Client: 'I drink too much.' Specialist: 'It sounds like drinking is something you'd like to change.'
- Client: 'I drink too much.' Specialist: 'Tell me more about that.'
- Client: 'I drink too much.' Specialist: 'Have you thought about AA?'
Correct answer: Client: 'I drink a little too much.' Specialist: 'So drinking has completely taken over every part of your life.'
An amplified reflection overstates the client's concern slightly, which often prompts the client to push back and argue the other sideâa paradoxical technique used carefully in MI.
Question 6: What is the role of 'evoking' in MI when working with someone in recovery?
- Drawing out the client's own motivation and reasons for change (Correct answer)
- Providing psychoeducation about the effects of substance use
- Teaching coping skills and relapse prevention strategies
- Establishing rules and expectations for the helping relationship
Correct answer: Drawing out the client's own motivation and reasons for change
Evoking in MI involves eliciting the client's intrinsic motivation, values, and reasons for change rather than imposing the specialist's rationale.
Question 7: A client expresses low confidence in their ability to stay sober. The MI-consistent response from a peer specialist is to:
- Reassure them by sharing statistics on recovery success rates
- Explore past successes and strengths to build self-efficacy (Correct answer)
- Remind them of the consequences of relapse
- Encourage them to attend more meetings to find role models
Correct answer: Explore past successes and strengths to build self-efficacy
MI builds self-efficacy by helping clients recognize their own past successes and capabilities rather than relying on external reassurance or fear-based motivation.
CRSS CRSS - Certified Recovery Support Specialist Motivational Interviewing and Engagement Questions and Answers 5
Which MI process comes LAST in the four-process model?