Final answer:
In motivational interviewing, OARS stands for Open questions, Affirmations, Reflective listening, and Summarizing. OARS is a conversational approach used to help clients explore and resolve ambivalence to change their behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
In motivational interviewing, OARS stands for Open questions, Affirmations, Reflective listening, and Summarizing. This acronym is often used to structure a conversational approach that supports clients in exploring and resolving ambivalence to foster behavior change. Motivational interviewing is a client-centered, directive method for enhancing intrinsic motivation to change by exploring and resolving ambivalence.
Open questions encourage clients to talk about their experiences and feelings. Affirmations recognize clients' strengths and efforts. Reflective listening involves the interviewer echoing back what the client says in order to show understanding, and Summarizing helps to clarify the client’s thoughts and shows that the interviewer is listening carefully.