October 22, 2018

Is Learning Motivational Interviewing Worth It?

Susan Dopart Change Talk, MI Blog, Motivation, Motivational Interviewing, Reflective Listening

You’ve heard about Motivational Interviewing (MI) – that it’s evidence based and when practitioners use it they have much better outcomes BUT is it worth it? Is it worth your time to take workshops, receive coaching and learn how to fluently learn this language?

That all depends on if:

You find yourself having the same conversation with clients
You feel like you are the only one in the room talking about change
Your clients aren?t making any type of improvement despite your best efforts

When I heard Bill Miller, co-author of MI say, it takes 10 years to learn and “be” MI, I groaned more than a little. I had no idea the journey on which I was on and where it would lead me. I now know more of what he was saying – that to really listen to the heart of what your client is saying with compassion and empathy – and to be able to reflect that back to them with meaning takes time and practice.

With MI, you are always looking at the horizon for change for your clients without leading them there – you are remaining neutral while holding the hope, evoking confidence that things could be different.

Personally, the reward to learn and teach MI far surpassed any timeframe. It has rocked my world, my relationships and grown my practice beyond capacity. Listening and evoking change really does work. And as a bonus MI helps you use both sides of your brain and problem-solve your own ambivalences. However, each person has their own journey and only you can decide if it’s worth it for you – and that is the beauty of MI – emphasizing autonomy in all our choices whatever they may be.