ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as a means of supporting a patient or client to understand and make use of strengths, resources, and successes that are already a part of their experience. AI is a collaborative approach to determining what works best for a given person and situation. It stands in contrast to other “lenses” (such as a problem-solving lens) through which a clinician might look, to assist a patient. The five principles of AI (Positive, Constructionist, Simultaneity, Anticipatory, and Poetic) underpin the five-stage process, called the “5-D Cycle” (Define, Discover, Dream, Design, and Destiny). The process of AI is brought to life through the skilled use of inquiry and reflection, elements of motivational interviewing, and attention to patient autonomy and self-efficacy. There is robust evidence spanning more than two decades to support the utility of AI in individual treatment settings and quality improvement processes in healthcare systems.
