The motivational skills course demonstrates how to create a collaborative, open, trusting, and empathetic relationship between the patient and clinician. It involves the patient's values, beliefs and barriers to change that have been raised by the patient being summarised by the clinician.​This alliance, where the clinician understands and knows the patient, provides the foundation for many other scenarios, including Psychological readiness. By working together in this way it allows the patient to “talk themselves into change”.