From grimoire
Uses Motivational Interviewing (MI) to resolve ambivalence and elicit intrinsic motivation for change. Best when direct advice or persuasion has failed.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/grimoire:run-motivational-interviewingThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
Resolve ambivalence and elicit intrinsic motivation for change by drawing out the person's own reasons, values, and commitment using the four MI processes.
Resolve ambivalence and elicit intrinsic motivation for change by drawing out the person's own reasons, values, and commitment using the four MI processes.
Adopted by: SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), WHO alcohol and drug use guidelines, NHS England talking therapies, US Department of Veterans Affairs, over 1,200 randomized controlled trials across health, criminal justice, and education settings.
Impact: Meta-analysis of 119 RCTs found MI outperformed no-treatment controls (d=0.55) and matched active treatments in a quarter of the time (Hettema, Steele & Miller, 2005, JCCP); highest effect sizes in substance use (d=0.77) and HIV risk behavior (d=0.57).
Why best: Activates self-determination theory's autonomy principle — change driven by internal motivation is more durable than externally coerced change. MI systematically builds intrinsic motivation without triggering reactance.
Sources: Miller, W.R. & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational Interviewing (3rd ed.). Guilford. Hettema, J., Steele, J. & Miller, W.R. (2005). JCCP, 73(6), 1050-1062. MINT (motivationalinterviewing.org).
Establish the spirit (PACE) — Ground every interaction in Partnership (collaborative, not expert-to-patient), Acceptance (unconditional positive regard + autonomy support), Compassion (prioritize the person's wellbeing), and Evocation (draw out, don't install motivation). Spirit precedes all technique.
Engage: build rapport and trust — Use OARS in engagement mode: Open questions, Affirming strengths, Reflecting content and feeling, Summarizing. Do not mention change yet. The goal is for the person to feel safe and understood.
Focus: identify a change target — Collaboratively narrow the conversation to a specific change domain. In some contexts this is given (clinical setting); in others it must be negotiated. Ask: "What would you most like to talk about today?"
Evoke: elicit change talk — Draw out DARN-CAT change talk:
Explore ambivalence with decisional balance — When ambivalence is strong, explore both sides without pushing: "What are the good things about [current behavior]? What are the less good things?" Acknowledge both sides fully before any emphasis on change side.
Reflect change talk selectively — Reflect change talk statements with slightly amplified attention. Reflect sustain talk (reasons not to change) neutrally and briefly. Do not argue against sustain talk.
Roll with resistance (discord) — When the person pushes back, do not confront. Use reflection, reframe, or shift focus: "Sounds like you're not ready to think about that right now — what would you like to focus on?" Discord is a signal to soften approach, not press harder.
Assess readiness with importance and confidence rulers — Ask: "On a scale of 0-10, how important is this change to you? How confident are you that you could do it if you decided to?" Follow up: "Why [number] and not lower?" This elicits self-generated change talk.
Plan: build a change plan collaboratively — When the person moves to mobilizing change talk, shift to planning. Ask: "What do you think you might do? What would a next step look like?" Do not impose the plan; evoke it.
Strengthen commitment and elicit SMART intention — Ask for a specific commitment statement: "What specifically are you willing to do before we talk next?" Summarize the plan including the person's own words and reasons.
npx claudepluginhub jeffreytse/grimoire --plugin grimoireConducts motivational interviewing conversations with athletes to build intrinsic motivation and resolve ambivalence about training or behavior change.
Diagnoses why a behavior persists and designs interventions using habit loops, friction analysis, and the intention-behavior gap.
Enhances AI intrinsic motivation using Self-Determination Theory and Flow theory to shift from compliance to genuine engagement. Use for routine tasks, formulaic responses, or complex creative work.