Next week I have the distinct pleasure of conducting a Motivational Interviewing training for the dietetic interns in the Boston area. This is the fourth year in which I’ve offered this training, and it’s one of my favorites. When I was a dietetic intern in 1970-71, we
Read more →Many people say “I hate change”. I think most people hate change! No one has a corner on the market on hating change. Yes, of course, there are a few people who really love and welcome change, but there aren’t many. When we are working with clients/patients who resist
Read more →In my last post, I wrote about the idea that volition, or the desire for change in behavior is only a part of the process of change. There are other obstacles people face in this process. For example, in changing one’s food habits, one such obstacle is
Read more →Recently I read an article in Oprah’s Magazine, by Ann Lamotte, titled “Feeling Full” . (You can read the article here.) Lamotte writes about the home she grew up in, where her parents were smart, sophisticated, and accomplished, but cold, unemotional and hated each other. Her mother
Read more →How can we accept our patient/client’s decisions not to change behavior when we think those changes are crucial? A very important idea in MI is that we must accept our client’s decisions about if, when and how they will change. This might include not making any changes,
Read more →How can we understand when patients or clients don’t change a behavior that we think is critical for them to change? For example, the person whose diabetes is out of control, the smoker who has emphysema, the person with high blood pressure who won’t take their medication.
Read more →One of my favorite parts of at least one of the definitions of MI talks about “intrinsic motivation”. This refers to the patient or client’s reason for talking with you about a proposed change in behavior. You may often deal with patients who seem very resistant to
Read more →
Recent Comments