Fred Arthur Fisher

ASLP 4045 - Basic Rehabilitative Audiology

Module 7, Assignment 1: Motivation Tools

The idea behinds the Ida Institute’s motivational tools are to give clients a reason to become

active in their own care. People with hearing loss need to acknowledge they have a problem

and be motivated to take action. Clinicians can provide tools to help motivate their clients to

take action about their hearing loss. The Ida Institute provides 3 tools to help clients towards

their goals.

The first is called The Line. The Line asks clients to assess how important it is for their hearing to

improve and how strongly they feel about doing something about it. The goal is to guide

patients towards self-evaluation and offer sources of motivation. The Line is used most

frequently with those exploring their hearing loss or those who have relapsed, such as a patient

who no longer using hearing aids they purchased.

The second is The Box. The Box asks the client to consider the consequences of action and a

lack of action. Some clients might openly reject hearing loss management. Hearing care

professionals need to help clients discover their motivation as part of the counseling process on

hearing and communication management. This can result in a facilitated counseling process and

clients more willing to take clinician recommendations.

Lastly, clinicians use The Circle. The Circle helps the clinician gauge a client with hearing loss's

readiness to receive hearing care recommendations and to assess if they need further

counseling. The Circle provides a visual representation of a client's state of mind during
different phases of their rehabilitation, as well as the types of clinician interactions that may

foster change. Client self-assessment and the hearing care professional's observations help to

focus the discussion around the client's readiness for change. It is not necessary to share where

you would place the client on the Circle with them.