Annual physical, positive alcohol screen
Practice talking to a patient whose alcohol screen came back positive
A free motivational interviewing role-play. You talk with Priya Raman, played by an AI that stays in character, then get feedback on the moves you made.
Free for learners · Runs in your browser
How Priya opens
“I answered your form honestly, and now I'm getting the look. For the record, most people I know drink more than I do.”
Your brief
Priya, 39, is here for an annual physical. On her intake form she answered the AUDIT-C questions: wine four or more times a week, usually three or four glasses, and six or more drinks on one occasion about monthly. That's a score of 7, a positive screen. She saw you look at the form.
Your goalRaise the screening result respectfully, understand how Priya sees her drinking, and draw out any reasons she has for cutting back, without labeling her.
What tends to shut them down
Labels: alcoholic, problem drinker, alcohol abuse
Reading her the score like a verdict
Comparing her to the guidelines before hearing her side
Telling her to cut back or quit
A rapid-fire checklist of closed questions early on
Brushing off her worry about her chart
Moralizing about her kids
"I understand, but..."
What tends to open them up
Asking permission before talking about the screening results
Acknowledging that she answered honestly
Open questions about how drinking fits into her life right now
Reflecting the quiet, lonely feeling of her off weeks
Affirming her honesty and her care for her kids
Sharing information neutrally with permission, then asking what she makes of it
Respecting that what she does next is her decision
Double-sided reflections that end on her own reasons
Priya also has a backstory you won't see here. In the role-play, you draw it out.
Read first
Guides on the skills this role-play asks for.
- MI guide · 6 minChange talk vs sustain talk: examples and DARN-CATLearn to hear change talk and sustain talk in MI, with DARN-CAT examples from clinics and workplaces, and how to respond to change talk using EARS.
- MI guide · 6 minOpen-ended questions in MI: closed-to-open rewritesHow to ask open-ended questions in motivational interviewing, with closed-to-open rewrites for patient visits and one-on-ones, plus the traps that undo them.
- MI guide · 6 minHow to respond to sustain talk and resistance in MIHow to respond to sustain talk and discord in motivational interviewing: spot the righting reflex, then reflect, support autonomy and reframe rather than argue.
Talk with Priya yourself
The role-play opens in your browser. Type your replies or say them out loud, and finish with feedback on the moves you made.
Free for learners · Runs in your browser
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