Which practice in motivational interviewing is used to help the client recognize the gap between their current behavior and goals?

• A. Reframing
• B. Scaffolding
• C. Affirming
• D. Creating discrepancy

Answer: (D)

Creating discrepancy is about helping a client see the gap between their current behavior and their goals or values. In motivational interviewing, this is done by gently highlighting how what the client is doing now isn’t fully aligning with what they say they want to achieve. This awareness can trigger motivation to change, because the client recognizes the cost of maintaining the status quo and the benefits of moving toward their goals. Therapists use open-ended questions, reflective listening, and summaries to evoke this awareness without judgment, guiding the client to articulate why change would be worthwhile. Reframing, affirming, and scaffolding don’t specifically target that gap between current behavior and goals, so they don’t serve the same purpose of facilitating motivation through discrepancy.