Finding Your Way to Change
Your clients come to you with multiple types of ambivalence and seek help for how to see their way through to change. How do you help them in a way that shows empathy with their situation, emphasizes autonomy and strategically keeps change on the horizon without injecting your own agenda?
We know the language of Motivational Interviewing (MI) works, yet the exact reasons why are still in its infancy. A few months ago I decided to marry my MI and wellness sites to streamline things but also allow my own clients to learn more about Motivational Interviewing and realize how this language can assist them with their desired changes.
During this time I read Finding your Way to Change written by fellow MINTie (Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers) Allan Zuckoff. Together with co-author Bonnie Gorscak, they demonstrate the power of MI on a personal level and how to work through ambivalence on your own with an outline of journaling. It clearly illustrates how pressuring oneself to change does not work and can result in relapse. They give an outline of step by step techniques of how to have a personal MI experience, and find your own inner wisdom to resolve ambivalence regarding a desired change in your life.
A few key take home points are: gaining acceptance and compassion, not only from yourself but others around you who have pressured a change, increasing the importance of the change, the confidence to make the change, and the personal value associated with the change.
If you have a client continuing to struggle with change, and is willing to do some outside work, this may be a wonderful addition to their personal plan for change. Our clients need a variety of options to choose from – therapy, outside reading, and journaling and this little gem is a great toolkit for those who are still on their journey to Finding their Way to Change.
