What practices help a recovery coach build rapport and increase engagement?

• A. Open questions and active listening with culturally sensitive communication and clear boundaries.
• B. Rely on scripted responses and rigid rules.
• C. Avoid discussing personal topics to maintain professional distance.
• D. Confront clients' barriers directly without empathy.

Answer: (C)

Building rapport and increasing engagement comes from inviting clients to share in their own words, listening deeply, and creating a safe, respectful space. Open questions invite dialogue rather than yes/no answers, while active listening shows you value their perspective and build trust through empathy. Culturally sensitive communication helps prevent misunderstandings and makes clients feel understood, and clear boundaries provide safety and predictable expectations, which support ongoing engagement and collaboration.

Relying on scripted responses and rigid rules can feel robotic and hinder the genuine connection needed for trust. Avoiding personal topics to maintain distance reduces warmth and relatability, whereas appropriate, respectful, limited personal disclosure and boundary-setting can strengthen rapport. Confronting barriers directly without empathy tends to trigger defensiveness and reduce willingness to engage.