If your work involves helping people change their behavior, you have probably encountered a “resistant” client. I put the word in quotes because it implies there is something wrong with them. They are resisting something they should want to change and it’s so very clear to you that it’s true. In Motivational Interviewing, we assume […]
Do I Really Get to Eat What I Want?
Ideas about nutrition and dieting are a common topic of conversation in my life. Once people find out what I do for a living, they often want to tell me about their struggles with diet, food, and their weight. I try not to miss a chance to “carry the message” that there’s an alternative to […]
What is Accurate Empathy?
What is accurate empathy? It’s two components… Carl Rogers and Bill Miller describe accurate empathy as “an active interest in, and effort to understand the other’s internal perspective, to see the world through her or his eyes and the conviction it is worthwhile to do so”. As a dietitian, I understand the concept and though […]
What I Like Best About my Work
At this point in my career, I do three different types of work. First, I teach nutrition at Northeastern University in Boston, where I have worked for the past 13 years. I teach undergrads in one course and grad students in another. The second thing I do is provide training, consultation and coaching in Motivational […]
Using “Wiggle Words” in Motivational Interviewing
An important tenant of MI is that we do not tell others what to do. Who wants to be told what to do, anyway? Even kids don’t like it. Telling others what to do is often rude and disrespectful. Let me be very clear, however. If your job as a health care provider is to […]
