Motivational Interviewing Open-Ended Questions Cheat-Sheet (50+ Questions)
1. Warm-Up / Check-In (Build rapport, check mood)
1. How have you been feeling since our last session?
2. What’s been the most challenging part of your week?
3. Can you tell me about a moment recently that felt good or satisfying?
4. What’s been on your mind a lot lately?
5. How are things going in your relationships or at home?
6. What emotions have you noticed showing up most recently?
7. How has your energy been lately?
8. What part of your week would you like to tell me more about?
9. Can you describe a small win or success you had recently?
10. What’s been taking up most of your mental space lately?
2. Agenda Setting (Collaboratively decide focus)
11. What would you most like to focus on today?
12. If you could leave this session feeling one way, what would that be?
13. What’s most pressing for you right now?
14. Are there any challenges or opportunities you want to explore today?
15. What would make this session most helpful for you?
16. If you could work on one thing today, what would it be?
17. Is there a topic you’ve been wanting to talk about but haven’t yet?
18. What would be a meaningful outcome for you from today’s session?
19. Which area of your life feels most important to address right now?
20. How do you want to spend the next 50 minutes together?
3. Exploring Ambivalence / Change Talk (Elicit motivation & mixed feelings)
21. What are the reasons you’d like to make this change?
22. What concerns do you have about making this change?
23. What do you enjoy about your current habits or situation?
24. What might be different in your life if you made this change?
25. How do you see this affecting your relationships, work, or personal life?
26. What’s been helpful for you in the past when trying to make a change?
27. What’s been hard for you in attempting to make changes before?
28. How would your life look if nothing changed?
29. What worries you most about staying the same?
30. What would make this change worth the effort for you?
31. How do you feel when you think about making this change?
32. What strengths do you have that could help you succeed?
33. Who in your life would notice or benefit from this change?
34. How do your values align with the change you want to make?
35. What excites you about the possibility of change?
4. Evoking & Planning (Strengthen motivation & set action steps)
36. What small step could you try this week that feels achievable?
37. What’s one thing you could do tomorrow to move toward your goal?
38. How would you know if you were making progress?
39. What support or resources would help you succeed?
40. What might get in the way, and how could you handle that?
41. What’s most important for you to focus on right now?
42. How will taking this step affect other areas of your life?
43. What’s realistic for you to do this week?
44. If you could try only one thing this week, what would it be?
45. How will you celebrate or recognize your progress?
46. What’s the first sign that things are starting to shift in the way you want?
47. How will you know you’re staying true to your values as you make this change?
48. What personal strengths can you call on to take this next step?
5. Closing / Homework (Summarize, reinforce motivation, assign tasks)
49. What’s one thing from today’s session that stands out for you?
50. How confident are you in trying this step?
51. What will help you remember to try this homework?
52. How will you notice if this approach is working for you?
53. What questions or concerns do you have before our next session?
54. What part of today’s conversation felt most meaningful to you?
55. What would make you feel proud after completing this task?
56. How will you know if you’re on the right track before our next meeting?