You Don't Have an OARS Problem — You Have a Timing Problem

You've learned the OARS. You're asking open questions, you're reflecting, you're using affirmations. And you leave the session thinking — why didn't that conversation move? Why does it still feel like I'm pushing?Here's what Dr. Monica Gilbert realized about her own early MI work: it wasn't an OARS problem. It was a timing problem.OARS are the ingredients. The four MI processes are the recipe. And if you don't understand the recipe, you can have the best ingredients in the world and still somehow make a quiche when you wanted a pizza.In this episode Monica gets practical — all the way down to the specific questions, reflections, and affirmations that belong at each stage of a parent session. She walks through a morning routine case start to finish: what to ask in Engage when your brain is already three steps ahead, how to find Focus when a session is wandering across behaviors and school and grandma and bedtime, what to do when you hear change talk in Evoke and every instinct tells you to move, and the two very different endings a Plan session can have — one that looks good on paper and never gets implemented, and one where the parent solves her own implementation barrier before she leaves the room.If you've been using MI techniques and still feeling like something is off — this is the episode that names what it is.Learn more about Motivational Interviewing and explore on-demand courses at www.drmonicagilbert.comJoin the MI Academy for practical training and resources — and enjoy an exclusive 15% off with code MIFORCHANGE at checkout.📲 Connect with me on Instagram: @drmonicagilbert