Quick Tips for Motivational Interviewing

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Motivational interviewing (MI) is a practical, person-centered, collaborative counseling method used to help people resolve their fears and develop internal motivation to change their behavior. Evidence-based, it is designed to strengthen people’s personal motivation for and commitment to a specific goal.

Keep these quick tips in mind when using MI as an employment strategy:

Quick Tips

  • Approach MI as a collaborative partnership to which you each bring important expertise.
  • People have their own motivation, strengths, and resources. As a counselor, you can help activate those resources.
  • Focus on building client motivation for change. This gives clients something that will likely help them within the first few sessions, even if they do not stay for a long course of treatment.
  • Recognize ambivalence as a normal barrier to behavior change. It can be resolved by exploring the client's intrinsic motivations and values.
  • Avoid arguing with or trying to persuade the client that your position is correct. Conversations about change should not become debates.
  • Remember the core counseling skills of MI using the acronym OARS (Miller & Rollnick, 2013):
    • Asking Open questions
    • Affirming
    • Reflective listening
    • Summarizing
  • Support your client’s self-efficacy and optimism.

Source: Chapter 3—Motivational Interviewing as a Counseling Style, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

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