PN Level 2 key terms

A coaching stance in which the practitioner offers choices, explains rationale, and avoids controlling language so the client feels ownership of the change rather than pressure from the coach.

A framework holding that lasting motivation depends on satisfying three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Coaching that supports these needs tends to produce more durable behavior change.

Coaching behaviors that build a client's sense of capability, such as breaking tasks into achievable steps, providing skill practice, and giving feedback that highlights progress rather than fixed ability.

A collaborative, goal-directed conversation style that strengthens a client's own reasons for change by eliciting and reflecting change talk while softening sustain talk, rather than advising or persuading.

Client statements that favor movement toward a target behavior, including desires, abilities, reasons, needs, and commitments. Coaches deliberately evoke and reflect these statements to build motivation.

Client speech that favors maintaining the status quo or argues against change. It is treated as normal ambivalence to be explored, not as resistance to be corrected or argued down.

The normal state of holding two conflicting feelings about a behavior at once, such as wanting to exercise and also wanting to rest. Coaches help clients resolve it rather than treating it as a character flaw.

Four core micro-skills of motivational interviewing: open questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries. They structure conversations so clients talk more than the coach does.

Restating or paraphrasing the meaning of what a client said, often guessing at underlying feeling, so the client feels heard and can hear their own thoughts aloud.

A reflection that adds meaning, feeling, or inference beyond the client's exact words, used to deepen exploration. It contrasts with a simple reflection that only repeats or slightly rephrases content.

The coach's urge to fix, advise, or warn when a client describes a problem. Indulging it often provokes counter-argument and reduces the client's own motivation to act.

A structured exploration of the perceived pros and cons of changing versus staying the same. It is most useful when a client feels stuck, not as a routine opener for every session.

A scaling question asking a client to rate importance, confidence, or readiness from zero to ten, followed by questions about why the number is not lower and what would raise it.

A model describing movement through precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and possible relapse. Interventions are matched to the client's current stage rather than applied uniformly.

The broader framework underlying the stages-of-change model, combining stage, processes of change, decisional balance, and self-efficacy to explain how people adopt and keep new behaviors.

A client's belief in their capacity to perform a specific behavior in a specific situation. It predicts persistence after setbacks and is strengthened by mastery experiences and modeling.

A successfully completed task that provides direct evidence of capability. It is generally the strongest source of self-efficacy, so coaches design early wins that are genuinely achievable.

Temporarily providing structure, cues, or partial support for a task, then gradually removing that support as the client becomes independent. It keeps difficulty within reach without creating dependence.

Reinforcing successive approximations of a target behavior so a complex skill is built in graded steps. Each step is small enough to succeed yet closer to the final performance.

A goal framed as specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. The format forces clarity about what will be done, how much, and by when.

A planning statement in if-then form linking a concrete cue to a specific response, such as when and where a behavior will occur. It automates initiation and reduces reliance on moment-to-moment motivation.

The process by which a behavior becomes automatic through repeated performance in a stable context. Consistency of cue and setting matters more than the size of the behavior.

A written agreement specifying the client's chosen behavior, frequency, context, and coping strategy for likely barriers. It converts an intention into a testable commitment.

Proactively identifying high-risk situations and rehearsing coping responses so a single lapse does not become a full return to the old pattern.

A lapse is a single slip from a plan; a relapse is a return to the previous pattern over time. Framing a slip as information rather than failure protects self-efficacy.

The stage in which a client is aware of a problem and considering change but has not committed to action. Coaching here emphasizes exploring ambivalence rather than prescribing a plan.

The stage in which a client does not yet see a behavior as problematic or worth changing. Pressure to act usually backfires; the coach builds rapport and raises awareness gently.

The stage after initial success in which the client works to sustain gains, manage triggers, and prevent drift. Support shifts from building skills to consolidating them.

Engaging in a behavior because it is inherently interesting or satisfying, rather than for an external reward or to avoid punishment. It tends to sustain behavior longer than external pressure.

Structuring consequences, such as rewards or point systems, to reinforce a target behavior. It can boost short-term adherence but should be faded to avoid dependence on external rewards.

Collaboratively choosing what a session will focus on at the start, giving the client a voice in priorities and protecting time for the topics that matter most to them.

Negotiating goals with the client so they reflect the client's values and priorities, not the coach's preferences. Shared ownership increases follow-through and reduces dropout.

The predictable sequence of a coaching session, typically including check-in, review of prior commitments, focused work, and a closing plan. Predictability frees attention for content.

The initial structured gathering of a client's history, current behaviors, health constraints, supports, and goals, used to set a safe starting point and flag issues needing referral.

The boundary of what a coach is trained and licensed to do. It excludes diagnosis, prescribing, and clinical treatment, and requires referring out when a client's needs exceed that boundary.

A prearranged process for directing a client to an appropriate professional when a concern falls outside coaching scope, including who to contact and how the handoff is communicated.

A working explanation of why a client's behavior persists, integrating history, environment, beliefs, and barriers. It guides which coaching strategies are likely to help and is revised as new information appears.

Identifying the antecedents, behavior, and consequences that maintain a client's current pattern. It reveals what the behavior provides the client, which is often something a replacement behavior must also supply.

Asking open, sequenced questions that help a client examine their own assumptions and arrive at conclusions themselves, rather than receiving the coach's conclusions as instruction.

A recurring cycle of observing client data, discussing what it shows, adjusting the plan, and re-measuring. It keeps coaching responsive to actual results instead of assumptions.

Having a client track a target behavior, such as logging meals or steps, to raise awareness and generate data for review. Tracking itself often shifts behavior before any formal intervention.