When ambivalent, you should summarize what you have heard.

When ambivalent, you should summarize what you have heard.

• A. Open-ended questions
• B. Summarizing what you have heard
• C. Affirmations of strengths
• D. Providing direct advice

Answer: (B)

When someone is ambivalent about change, the goal is to help them hear and organize their own mixed feelings. Summarizing what you have heard does this by restating the main concerns and motivations in your own words, giving them a clear mirror of their ambivalence. It shows you were listening, lets them confirm or correct what you captured, and invites them to articulate what would move them forward. For example, you might say, “So you’re torn—you value the routine because it’s familiar, but you’re worried about health and want to be around for your family.” This helps clarify conflicting thoughts and identify what would tip the balance toward change. Open-ended questions can uncover more details, and affirmations can support confidence, but summarizing the client’s words addresses ambivalence directly by validating and reframing what they’ve expressed, without pushing advice on them.

When someone is ambivalent about change, the goal is to help them hear and organize their own mixed feelings. Summarizing what you have heard does this by restating the main concerns and motivations in your own words, giving them a clear mirror of their ambivalence. It shows you were listening, lets them confirm or correct what you captured, and invites them to articulate what would move them forward. For example, you might say, “So you’re torn—you value the routine because it’s familiar, but you’re worried about health and want to be around for your family.” This helps clarify conflicting thoughts and identify what would tip the balance toward change. Open-ended questions can uncover more details, and affirmations can support confidence, but summarizing the client’s words addresses ambivalence directly by validating and reframing what they’ve expressed, without pushing advice on them.