The Prevention Services Clearinghouse has rated Motivational Interviewing as "Well-Supported" under Substance Abuse Programs and Services. Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a method of counseling clients designed to promote behavior change and improve physiological, psychological, and lifestyle outcomes. MI aims to identify ambivalence for change and increase motivation by helping clients progress through five stages of change: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. It aims to do this by encouraging clients to consider their personal goals and how their current behaviors may compete with attainment of those goals. MI uses clinical strategies to help clients identify reasons to change their behavior and reinforce that behavior change is possible. These clinical strategies include the use of open-ended questions and reflective listening. MI can be used to promote behavior change with a range of target populations and for a variety of problem areas.