Who would study psychology if they didn't have some kind of problem?

Chapter 390 Motivational Interview Method
It's alright, Xu Pengcheng didn't feel guilty about Wang Rui's departure.

This will make the problem much smaller.

Nan Zhuren secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He then pointed out what he had seen: "You seem a little upset. Is it because you heard that your teammates changed coaches?"

Xu Pengcheng nodded: "Yes, that's right. I feel like I've caused trouble for everyone again. After all, the whole thing was caused by me accidentally falling from upstairs."

"Now that we have a new coach, everyone will definitely need to adapt to the new training rhythm, which will slow down everyone's training progress..."

In this sentence, Nan Zhuren keenly captured the key words.

"You just said 'causing trouble for everyone again'?"

"Yes. That's right. I already caused a lot of trouble for everyone because I always practiced extra. And now this..."

Nan Zhuren felt that he understood the problem.

At this moment, Xu Pengcheng exuded an aura very similar to that of Li Mingchen and Lin Junkai.

[Avoiding eye contact, blinking frequently.]

[The corners of his mouth turn down, and his brows furrow.]

[Her hands were gripping her clothes tightly...no, they were pinching her flesh. Was this a form of self-punishment?]

[A negative emotion deeper than guilt—a sense of remorse?]

Nan Zhuren blinked.

Li Mingchen and Lin Junkai felt guilty because they had engaged in a form of disguised bullying against Xu Pengcheng.

You also feel guilty...etc.

Several thoughts collided in Nan Zhuren's mind.

Like a spider web, several logical nodes in my mind suddenly extended into several chains, connecting with each other.

Nan Zhuren suddenly understood.

“You said before that starving yourself was ‘necessary’ in order to pass the physical test, and that you had to lose weight this way.”

"When you're hungry, do you ever feel like you're causing less trouble for your teammates because of the burning pain in your stomach?"

Nan Zhuren deliberately asked questions that revealed some flaws.

Xu Pengcheng thought about it carefully and replied, "The trouble I cause everyone won't decrease. But when my stomach is upset, I do feel a little better..."

Nan Zhuren maintained a relaxed sitting posture with a smile on her face.

But the little devil in my heart slapped me in the face.

There's a second factor behind this anorexia problem.

Besides the distorted perception caused by the coach, there is also a layer of atonement-like self-punishment.

Nan Zhuren took a deep breath.

"When your teammates practice extra with you, they do some more strenuous movements. Does that make you feel better?"

Xu Pengcheng was still thinking very seriously, and then nodded.

Nan Zhuren maintained her expression.

I sighed inwardly.

……

The root of the problem has now been fully exposed.

In today's original plan, Nan Zhuren intended to directly conduct behavioral training on Xu Pengcheng's anorexia problem.

The fall incident has been enough to shake Xu Pengcheng's belief that "dieting can improve grades and pass physical tests."

With Wang Rui's departure, there was no longer any practical reason for Xu Pengcheng to go on a diet.

Therefore, it is theoretically a natural progression to conduct behavioral training at this point.

I didn't expect Xu Pengcheng to have even deeper cognitive issues that he hadn't resolved.

In this situation, Xu Pengcheng had no motivation to change his behavior.

Even if Nan Zhuren trained him, the results were far less effective.

The intervention plan needs to be adjusted.

Their thoughts began to clash again. Fortunately, Nan Zhuren was quite adept at dealing with cognitive issues.

For today... let's use the [motivational interview method].

……

Xu Pengcheng, the visitor before me, was clearly the kind of visitor with weak psychological energy and insufficient self-motivation.

He did not change his motivation.

What Nan Zhuren needs to do is to inject this energy into Xu Pengcheng and then inspire his motivation to change himself.

Therefore, he chose the consulting technique he would use next—

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a psychological counseling technique that focuses on cooperation, guidance, and empowerment.

The aim is to enhance an individual's intrinsic motivation, thereby prompting them to spontaneously generate the desire for behavioral change.

Motivational interviewing is a relatively new integrative psychological intervention technique that has emerged in modern times. Its theoretical foundation mainly integrates humanistic psychology and cognitive behavioral therapy, and it has gradually developed into an independent application system in practice.

Nan Zhuren is not a consultant with a fixed style.

However, when dealing with visitors like Xu Pengcheng, I still prefer to start with a humanistic approach.

Of course, when it comes to specific situations, Nan Zhuren will still switch styles appropriately.

For example, when dealing with a bar owner named Huang who is constantly being criticized but keeps renewing his membership.

I wonder if I'll still encounter visitors like this if I go to Hokkien...

My thoughts were brought back to the present.

In motivational interviews, there are four most important elements:

1. Express empathy. The core is to understand the visitor's feelings and conflicts through deep listening and acceptance, rather than judging or correcting them.

Second, presenting contradictions. The core is to help visitors become aware of the conflict between their current behavior and their deeper goals.

Third, dealing with resistance. The core principle is not to directly confront or persuade, but to view "resistance" as a signal that needs to be explored.

Fourth, awaken self-efficacy. The core is to strengthen the client's confidence in change and their belief in their ability to take action.

These four elements can be roughly arranged and combined to develop a phased consulting plan.

[Let's try to change his perception during this consultation first.]

If things go smoothly, we might be able to incorporate another technique today to train his eating habits.

He made up his mind.

Following the line of thought of the "motivational interview," Nan Zhuren continued the conversation she had just had with Xu Pengcheng.

……

"From what you just said, it seems that your dieting behavior has two layers of meaning."

"First, it's to improve my physical fitness test scores."

"Secondly, being hungry can make me feel better."

Nan Zhuren first summarized what Xu Pengcheng had just said.

Xu Pengcheng nodded: "Yes."

"But a few days ago you had low blood sugar due to dieting and accidentally fell from a building."

Nan Zhuren said, "You haven't trained for the past few days. And since you were discharged from the hospital today, your physical condition will probably be much worse than before, right?"

"From this perspective, your current dieting will not only fail to improve your physical fitness test scores, but will also have a negative impact on them."

[Contradiction emerges], first layer.

The contradiction at this level is easily resolved because the facts before us are beyond question.

After listening to Nan Zhuren's words, Xu Pengcheng hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Yes, that's right..."

　I argued with my roommate for two hours about how to intervene in Xu Pengcheng's case.

　　For counselors, this motivational interview method is most conveniently followed by behavioral training.

　　I'd like to learn a technique that allows visitors to practice independently.

　　However, in real-world practice, if a counselor friend faces a similar problem, they can try directly following up with behavioral training, which is effective in counseling and has a low barrier to entry.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)