I recently heard Stephen Rollnick, co-author of Motivational Interviewing, ask this question: “What does a skilled guide do and what types of questions do they ask?” A good question might look like: “Where do you want to go today?” (finding focus in a conversation) “What is the destination where you would like to end up?” […]
Many of us went into the helping profession since we want to help others achieve health and well-being. Unfortunately, this “helper instinct” as Bill Miller (co-author of MI) states can get in the way of that goal. Although we want the best for our clients, we must learn how to evoke in them what will […]
Your employer signs you up for a Motivational Interviewing (MI) training or you just attend since you are intrigued by what you have heard about this language and its efficacy with behavior change. You learn one of the key skills of MI – complex reflections – which adds meaning to a client’s words. You may […]
What IS the difference between being directive versus directional in your conversations with clients? In the latest Motivational Interviewing Forum co-author of MI Bill Miller discussed how essential directional statements are to change. In motivational interviewing we try to stay neutral in giving “directions” toward a specific outcome as it is human nature not to […]
Recently in the world of Motivational Interviewing the authors of the coding system (MITI 4.2.1) are asking this question. What does “cuddling the problem” look like and how does it change the direction of the session? If a client states: “I know I should drink less, but it’s the only way I know how to […]