a boat on a lake at the sunsetMotivational interviewing interactions in OARS

a key The basic approach to interactions in motivational interviewing is captured by the acronym OARS:

  • Open-ended questions
  • Affirmations
  • Reflective listening and
  • Summaries.

The acronym is a nice image.

It gives us power to move, yet it is not a powerboat.

We don't zip from one place to another.

Yet with sustained effort OARS can take us a long way.