Why Change Talk matters
When a young person has been labelled as disengaged, resistant or difficult, adults can sometimes miss the most important signs of movement. Change rarely begins as a dramatic declaration. It often starts quietly, with a sentence that sounds small but carries real possibility.
In Motivational Interviewing, this is known as Change Talk. It is organised into a framework called DARN-CAT: Desire ("I wish"), Ability ("I could"), Reasons ("It would help if"), Need ("I have to"), Commitment ("I will"), Activation ("I am ready"), and Taking Steps ("I have started"). Put simply, it is the sound of a young person beginning to consider that change might be possible.
What it can sound like
Change Talk might sound like: “I wish things were different,” “I could try that,” “I don’t want to keep getting sent out,” or “Maybe I could come in for the first lesson.” These statements can be easy to overlook because they are often mixed with doubt, frustration or fear.
The skill is not to pounce on the statement and turn it into pressure. The skill is to notice it, reflect it and gently strengthen it. A young person who feels pushed may retreat. A young person who feels heard may keep exploring.
How practitioners respond
At The Baxter Project, the informal nature of sessions helps create the space where these moments can emerge. Walking side by side with a companion wellbeing dog reduces pressure and makes conversation feel less like an assessment.
When Change Talk appears, practitioners might reflect it back: “Part of you does want things to feel calmer,” or “You can imagine trying one small step, even if it still feels hard.” This keeps ownership with the young person and avoids turning support into another adult-led demand.
The Baxter Project approach
Our dogs are not therapy dogs. They are carefully managed companion wellbeing dogs who help lower defences and bridge communication between young people and trained practitioners. The dog helps create the opening. The practitioner does the relational work.
Change Talk matters because it reminds us that hope is often fragile before it becomes visible. The adult’s job is not to force it. The adult’s job is to protect it long enough for the young person to believe it might be real.
Positive engagement creates positive relationships, and positive relationships create the conditions for change.
This pounces on the statement and converts it into pressure — the young person may retreat.
This reflects the Change Talk and opens space for the young person to explore their own motivation.
This is Part 3 of our Motivational Interviewing series. ← Read Part 2: OARS