What is Motivational Interviewing?

​A brief overview of Motivational Interviewing

William Miller and Stephen Rollnick offer the following definition of MI...
Motivational Interviewing a particular way of talking with people about change and growth to strengthen their own motivation and commitment.

​The approach invites clinicians to step out of the expert, directive role into one characterized more by closely listening and gently guiding people. The way of relating, (aka the Spirit of MI)  is captured in the acroynym PACE:
  • Partnership: work together as equals
  • Acceptance: honour their worth and autonomy with accurate empathy and affirmation
  • Compassion: work in the person’s interest
  • Empowerment: help people realise and utilise their own strengths and abilities and to call it forth in them.
MI requires the clinician to conduct four tasks the help the person change and grow:
  1. Engage: Connect with them in the conversation
  2. Focus: Find what is useful for them to talk about
  3. Evoke: Draw out their own reasons to change
  4. Plan: Support them to outline their next steps
And this can be done by using the four core skills of MI:
  • Open questions
  • Affirming
  • Reflections
  • Summaries.
It takes time and practice to bring all the components of MI together in an increasingly flowing and flexible way in a conversation. However, it is learnable and there are many people and methods that can help you.
Bill Miller and Steven Rollnick answer the question "What is MI?"
 An overview of what is new in the 2023 edition of the book Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change and Grow.

Training

For people interested in training others in MI, the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) offer a wide range of information, cooperation, training, and support.

MINT is committed to high standards of training and those of us who offer professional development in MI would be expected to:
  • Model the spirit throughout the workshop
  • Be skilled in MI and be able to demonstrate these skills as appropriate
  • Be up to date in content and methodology
  • Use adult learning principles and multiple modes of teaching
  • Offer opportunities for skill development and interaction
  • Be realistic and informed about the potential and limitations of MI
  • Respect participants’ autonomy, existing skills and experience, and the nature of individual work settings.

Information about MINT can be found here.

For organisations seeking training for their staff in MI, it is important to know that all the skills of MI cannot easily be acquired in a two day workshop, although some core elements may be. The preparation leading up to training and support for ongoing practice and development of the skills are important factors in effective acquisition of MI skills.

Research

Research into MI and its potential applications is growing at a significant pace with well over 2200 controlled clinical trials. The growing body of evidence indicates that the approach is of value and can facilitate change. Many of them can be found here.
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"The bird is powered by its own life and by its motivation."
- A. P. J. Abdul Kalam -