Motivation And Ambivalence
This Motivation And Ambivalence exercise can help your clients to explore the advantages and disadvantages of 'changing' and 'not-changing'.
Motivation and Ambivalence
It’s normal to have mixed feelings about change. For example, you might be in two minds about stopping a behavior (like quitting smoking), starting something new (like seeing a therapist), or doing an activity that might be challenging (like using exposure to overcome a fear).
The Motivation And Ambivalence tool helps you explore these mixed feelings. It involves weighing up the pros and cons of changing versus staying the same. This can help make decisions clearer and guide your next steps.
Note: If you already feel fully committed to changing something that is causing you problems, this exercise might be less helpful. Instead, make list of the reasons why you’re committing to positive change and keep it with you.
Overview
Motivation is a necessary precursor to change, yet many clients are ambivalent about the process of change. The Motivation And Ambivalence exercise encourages clients to reflect upon the costs and benefits of changing vs. not changing.
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