Dear %$firstname$%,

One of the things I like most about being a Motivational Interviewing trainer is that I get to talk about one of my favorite topics with other interesting people on a regular basis.  That topic is behavior change; how do we stimulate, motivate, and help others to make decisions about change (or no change) that are best for them.  Notice I didn’t say just “best”, which implies that I know what would be best for them!  The focus of MI is helping people decide what they want to do, and what is realistic for them in the context of their lives.

Here are a few things I’ve learned this year about MI, about behavior change, and about being an MI trainer.

• The participants in my MI workshops are really the experts in their own lives and work.  In MI we emphasize that our patients/clients are the experts in their own lives.  I’ve learned that my trainees are also the experts in their professional lives and what works best for them as professional agents of change.
   
• I as a trainer cannot make trainees want to learn MI, any more than clinicians can make their patients/clients change their behavior.  Often there are people who are required to attend the workshop, and sometimes they become engaged as we get going, and sometimes they don’t.  While it’s much more fun for me to teach people who are engaged with me in the learning process, it’s really not about me.
   
• If I am paying attention, the participants in my workshops teach me at least one new thing every time.  It’s really pretty amazing, and proves to me that people really are the experts in their own lives!
   
• In my training to teach others how to use MI I was taught that the most important aspect of training is the trainer.  That’s because while the trainer is lecturing, showing video clips, organizing practice exercises and coaching participants in the techniques of MI, he or she is modeling the spirit and technique of Motivational Interviewing.  I am keenly aware during my workshops that my use of MI techniques and approaches is influencing the learning.  It feels wonderful when participants tell me they understand how it works by listening to me, and via the coaching I incorporate into the workshops.

I look forward to my seventh year as an MI trainer.  I have been privileged to work with many diverse organizations, including health care providers, quality assurance groups, non-profit groups that support clinicians, insurance providers, companies in the pharmaceutical industry, academic institutions, and professional organizations conducting conferences and colloquia. 

Thanks to everyone who I’ve worked with this year, for providing opportunities for others to learn the essential spirit and technique of Motivational Interviewing.

It has been a gift to work with you!