Takeaway
Use motivational interviewing to partner with adolescents in decision-making and aligning goals. This can foster collaboration and lead to improved health outcomes.
Connecting with Patients | October 30, 2025 | 2 min read
By Mackenzie Sommerhalder, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine
One day, I was told that a 16-year-old girl was having a challenging time arriving to treatment—she was yelling, screaming, and in tears when told she had to speak with a physician. I arrived and helped her regulate using validation and slowing down the process. Eventually, she was able to share about her anxiety about being in the hospital due to having experienced a previous shooting and then recently watching the infamous hospital shooting episode on “Grey’s Anatomy.” After taking the time to understand her perspective, her goals for treatment, and engage in the problem-solving process, she was able to enter and meet with the physicians.
It can be easy to think about teenagers simply as “kids in big bodies.” However, healthcare professionals who frequently work with adolescents know that this stage of development is extraordinary. During this time, teens are tasked with developing autonomy, a clear sense of self and identity, personal values and morals, and critical thinking. All of these make partnering with adolescents in their healthcare both critical to positive outcomes, as well as challenging.
Motivational interviewing is a fantastic method or style of interacting with all patients, allowing you to support and guide while eliciting the patient’s own ideas, even within constrained circumstances (e.g., a patient has to take a medication, but they may be able to decide the time of day, with what drink, etc.).
Below are some practical strategies for healthcare professionals to apply when partnering with youth to influence improved outcomes:
1. Establish confidentiality.
Reviewing confidentiality and its limits up front with the youth and their family to establish trust and encourages openness and honesty.
2. Support the youth’s active role in their own healthcare.
Inviting the adolescent into the decision-making process—rather than making decisions for them—strengthens engagement and cooperation.
3. Communicate understanding of their experience.
Listen closely and validate to signal respect (e.g., “It makes sense why getting this vaccination feels scary.”)
4. Align goals.
Acknowledge and explore both your priorities for the teen, as well as their own (e.g., “You want to get back to soccer, and I want your asthma under control—how can we make both happen?”) While preserving dignity and promoting respect, ensure the youth understands the goal fully (e.g., “What’s your understanding of how asthma impacts the body?”)
5. Collaboratively problem solve.
a. Be curious. (e.g., “What made that difficult for you?”) as opposed to controlling (e.g., “You should always take your medication.”)
b. Resist the urge to provide solutions/fixes before fully understanding the youth’s perspective.
c. Ask permission to offer suggestions before giving advice.
d. Empower youth to generate their own solutions.
When we align goals and problem-solve with patients, care becomes safer and more effective, and teens leave feeling respected and empowered.
Click here to learn more about the author.
This piece expresses the views solely of the author. It does not necessarily represent the views of any organization, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.