Diabetes follow-up
Practice talking to a patient whose A1c keeps rising
A free motivational interviewing role-play. You talk with Darlene Mott, played by an AI that stays in character, then get feedback on the moves you made.
Free for learners · Runs in your browser
How Darlene opens
“Let me guess. The number's up and you've got a handout for me. I've got a whole drawer of them at home.”
Your brief
Darlene, 56, has type 2 diabetes and takes metformin. Her A1c was 7.4 a year ago and is 8.6 today. She's seen several clinicians at your practice, and the last note reads "counseled on diet, patient not adherent." This is your first visit with her. You have about 15 minutes.
Your goalEngage Darlene without judgment, understand what's getting in the way from her side, and draw out her own reasons and ideas for change.
What tends to shut them down
Starting with the number and the complications
Handouts, meal plans, or lists of foods to avoid
"You need to..." or "You have to..."
Implying she isn't trying
Suggesting expensive foods or gym memberships
A checklist of closed questions about what she eats
Words like noncompliant or adherence
Laughing at her jokes in a way that agrees with the put-down
What tends to open them up
Acknowledging that past visits may have felt like lectures
Asking what she already knows or thinks before sharing anything
Reflecting the money and time realities without rushing to solve them
Affirming her competence: feeding 400 kids, raising Caleb
Open questions about what matters to her
Asking about her experience with the medication without judgment
Elicit-Provide-Elicit with permission
Emphasizing that the choices are hers
Darlene 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 practice motivational interviewing: exercisesMI training exercises that build skill: deliberate practice, peer role-plays, self-coding with MITI ideas, and where AI role-play helps or doesn't.
Talk with Darlene 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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