OARS Brochure for Parents

OARS Technique: Essential Communication Skills

OARS is an interactive motivational interviewing technique used to facilitate an open conversation. These skills include verbal and non-verbal responses and behaviors. Using the OARS technique supports you in establishing and maintaining a relationship with your child, assessing their needs, and personalizing your conversation and responses.

OARS is an interactive motivational interviewing technique used to facilitate an open conversation. These skills include verbal and non-verbal responses and behaviors. Using the OARS technique supports you in establishing and maintaining a relationship with your child, assessing their needs, and personalizing your conversation and responses.

Key Points to Remember

Remember the goals of talking with your child are to gather information on what might be causing the behaviors you noticed, showing that you care, and to determine if they need to see a provider.

Remember if your child does not disclose information that would deem a higher level of care, you still spent time building a stronger relationship, and they may feel more comfortable coming to you if something does happen to them.

Remember to practice the OARS technique with others in your community! You may find that they can provide you with critical feedback that helps you improve your skills. This is something that, with more practice, will feel more comfortable over time and will become second nature in your interactions with your child.

Open-Ended Questions

• Establish a safe environment and help to build a trusting relationship.
• Explore, clarify, and gain an understanding of your child’s world.
• Learn about your child’s experiences, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and hopes for the future.

Affirming

• Build a relationship, demonstrate empathy, and affirm your child’s strengths and abilities.
• Build on your child’s level of self-efficacy and share the belief that they can be responsible for their own decisions and choices.

Lets's practice! You may say:

• It’s not always easy…
• It sounds like you’ve been really thoughtful about...
• You’re really trying hard to…
• It seems like you are really good at…

Reflecting

• Listen, observe, and share (reflect on) your own perceptions of what your child shares.
• Reflect on the words that they use (don’t be afraid to use the same words as them).
• Reflect on behavior and feelings.
• Your child gains an opportunity to “hear” your experience of what was shared reflected back to them.

Let’s practice reflecting words, emotions, and/or behaviors!

• Reflecting words: “Some of what I heard you say…”
• Reflecting emotions: “You seem to be feeling…”
• Reflecting behavior: “I noticed… [ex: tears in your eyes]”

Summarizing

• Help move the conversation from the beginning, through the middle, to closing.
• Check that you are understanding your child’s goals and preferences.
• Confirm that your child understands the key elements of a plan.

Let’s practice! Summarizing can be demonstrated in three ways:

• A collective summary — So let’s go over what we have talked about so far.
• A linking summary — A minute ago you said you wanted to talk to… Would you like to talk more about how you might try?
• A transitional summary to close — So, you’ve just described your plan. We’re always here to help in any way.