What method is used to assess a client’s readiness to change in VASAP?

• A. Cognitive behavioral assessment.
• B. Standardized aptitude test.
• C. Quick risk scoring.
• D. Motivational interviewing, evaluating ambivalence, importance, confidence, past successes, and engagement.

Answer: (D)

Motivational interviewing is the approach used to gauge a client’s readiness to change in VASAP. This method focuses on the client’s own motivation, exploring ambivalence about changing drinking or driving behaviors and assessing how important change is to them, how confident they feel about making changes, any past successes, and how engaged they are with the process. Through open-ended questions, reflective listening, and sometimes simple scaling (like rating importance and confidence 0–10), the clinician gathers a clear sense of where the client stands in terms of readiness and what steps might help move them forward. This approach is more appropriate for measuring readiness than other methods because those alternatives either assess different constructs (such as cognitive patterns, general cognitive ability, or immediate risk) rather than the client’s motivation, ambivalence, and commitment to change.