I often talk with other professionals about MI, either casually or in my trainings, and hear “Oh, I’m already doing that stuff with my patients”. I think they are confusing warmth and caring with all of MI. Certainly warmth and caring are an important part of MI, but not the whole story. When you dig […]
How Do People Lose Weight? An Apology From Me to My Past Clients
I’ve been a dietitian since 1971, and was trained to tell people what to do, what to eat, and prescribe diets. After 20 years of practice, I realized that almost no one had done what I told them to do, and if they had, they couldn’t keep doing it. So, all the people I counseled […]
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 […]
The Power of the Meaning of Words in Motivational Interviewing
I’ve been an MI trainer for 8 years. When I first began learning the techniques of MI as a clinician, and then learned to run my own trainings, I thought I knew all I needed to know about MI I’ve since learned that something new comes up in almost every MI training that I conduct. Participants […]
Travel!
This spring I have been busier than ever with MI trainings around the country. It’s really thrilling to be asked to be the expert teacher and trainer on a topic I feel so passionate about. The travel, however, is another story! As I write this I’m on my second of four flights I will take […]
