In Motivational Interviewing, what are the four core processes?

• A. Engage, Focus, Evoke, Plan
• B. Ask, Listen, Advise, Refer
• C. Explore, Decide, Implement, Review
• D. Motivate, Persist, Conclude, Plan

Answer: (A)

In Motivational Interviewing, the four core processes are Engage, Focus, Evoke, and Plan. Engage means building a genuine, collaborative relationship with the client—expressing empathy, supporting autonomy, and creating a safe space for sharing. Focus is about guiding the conversation toward a specific behavior change goal, with the client helping to set and maintain the agenda rather than the clinician dictating it. Evoke centers on drawing out the client’s own reasons for change, exploring ambivalence, and eliciting change talk rather than imposing arguments for change. Plan transitions the discussion toward actionable steps, developing a concrete, client-agreed plan with identifyable goals and supports.

This sequence captures why MI works: it starts with rapport, then narrows to a target, motivates through the client’s own language about change, and ends with a collaborative plan. The other options describe approaches that rely more on directing, telling, or implementing without the same emphasis on eliciting motivation and jointly planning, so they don’t align with MI’s framework.