To address ambivalence, you should ask ______ questions to ______.

To address ambivalence, you should ask ______ questions to ______.

• A. Yes/No questions to probe
• B. Open-ended questions to clarify
• C. Leading questions to persuade
• D. Closed-ended questions to confirm

Answer: (B)

Ambivalence is best addressed by inviting the client to explore their mixed feelings through open-ended questions. These questions require more than a yes or no answer, giving the client space to articulate both sides of change—the reasons to stay the same and the reasons to change. This approach helps you surface and explore ambivalence, gather richer information about motivations and barriers, and set up a collaborative path toward change through reflection and clarifying statements. Yes/No questions can prematurely shut down discussion and limit exploration, and leading or closed-set questions can push toward a particular answer or simply confirm what you think, rather than uncover the client’s true thoughts.

Ambivalence is best addressed by inviting the client to explore their mixed feelings through open-ended questions. These questions require more than a yes or no answer, giving the client space to articulate both sides of change—the reasons to stay the same and the reasons to change. This approach helps you surface and explore ambivalence, gather richer information about motivations and barriers, and set up a collaborative path toward change through reflection and clarifying statements. Yes/No questions can prematurely shut down discussion and limit exploration, and leading or closed-set questions can push toward a particular answer or simply confirm what you think, rather than uncover the client’s true thoughts.