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 […]
Teaching Dietetic Interns What They Won’t Need to Unlearn
One of my favorite Motivational Interviewing Workshop trainings I do all year is for the dietetic interns of eastern MA. I was trained in Boston in 1971, and would have benefited greatly from a workshop such as the one I now provide. I was taught to teach the diet, and always felt like I was […]
What If You Ask for Permission and Don’t Get It?
In MI training, we emphasize asking permission, before you offer unasked for advice or change the subject. The obvious question, then is what happens if the client’s answer is NO? Here’s an opportunity to make a real connection with the client. A simple response is “Thank you, I really appreciate your honesty with me.” This […]
Weight Watchers or “Self-Compassion” – Guest Blog Post by Jean Fain
Weight Watchers or “Self Compassion”? This was originally published in the CommonHealth Blog of WBUR, Boston’s NPR radio station. This article is in response to the death in April of Jean Nidetch, the founder of Weight Watchers. This article was written by my friend and colleague, Jean Fain, author of The Self Compassion Diet . As […]
MI Practice Tip: Engagement
The basic process of MI, engagement,is the foundation of your relationship with your client, and all that builds on it. To be an effective agent of change, the practitioner must demonstrate engagement at every opportunity, by letting the client know that they are listening and understand the meaning of the proposed change to the client. […]
