What is the main purpose of motivational interviewing in nurse coaching?

• A. Provide direct advice and directives
• B. Diagnose mental illness
• C. Increase client readiness to change by exploring ambivalence
• D. Monitor compliance via punishment

Answer: (C)

Motivational interviewing aims to increase a client’s readiness to change by exploring ambivalence. It is a collaborative, client-centered approach that invites the person to voice both the reasons for change and the reasons to stay the same, helping them articulate personal motivations and goals. By using open-ended questions, reflective listening, affirmations, and summaries, the nurse coach supports autonomy and evocation of motivation rather than directing or telling the client what to do. This helps the client resolve ambivalence in a way that aligns with their values, making change more likely to occur.

Direct advice and directives bypass this exploration and can trigger resistance, so they’re not consistent with MI. Diagnosing mental illness is not the purpose of motivational interviewing, which focuses on behavior change and motivation rather than clinical assessment. Punitive monitoring of compliance clashes with MI’s supportive, nonjudgmental stance and emphasis on collaboration.