My participant has significant difficulties with motivation: How do I work with them?
A 4-step guide for support coordinators and recovery coaches
Motivation deficits are a key feature of many psychosocial disabilities such as depression, acquired brain injury, schizophrenia, ADHD, and so on. This has profound consequences for not just fulfilment of life goals or dreams a person may have, but more importantly, it affects how they are able to attend to daily life goals such as self-care, problem solving, managing one’s appointments, engaging with allied health, etc. Here are some evidence-based strategies to work with your clients when motivation is a barrier.
Step 1: Tap into their cherished goals and aspirations
Enquire about their goals and cherished aspirations - both long term and immediate.
Broach the topic of what their goals and aspirations are.
Enquire about why it is important to them.
Affirm these goals and their importance - both verbally and visually on a whiteboard for them to see every day.
Step 2: Ask them about past gains
How did they do it? Affirm their skills and strengths.
What helped and what didn’t work so well?
When it did work, how did they feel? Get them to describe that state in detail because it gets them in touch with that feeling of resilience, progress and satisfaction.
Step 3: Make the connection between their cherished goals and the tasks they feel demotivated to do
Outline 1to 3 actions they need to undertake to fulfil their cherished aspirations.
Ask them what core and capacity building supports they can use to undertake these actions. Problem solve around barriers. For e.g. forgetfulness.The support worker be responsible for prompting and aiding actions.
Ask them to describe how they will feel when they do these behaviours or actions - it allows them to get in touch wit their future selves.
Step 4: Reinforce and affirm positive effort that point to resilience, rather than focusing on task completion
1. Be sure to check in with your participant and reinforce behavioural gains.
2. Normalise disappointments and affirm effort taken.
3. Carefully listen to “change talk” - these are verbal indications of intention, willingness, and commitment to aspirations and goals.