I learned many interesting ideas about MI at the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) conference I attended in September. Dr. Bill Miller, one of the founders of MI gave a keynote address on MI and Social Justice. In this talk he spoke of volition, as defined in www.dictionary.com, “…the act of willing, choosing, or […]
Most of Us Don’t Really Like Change
When the topic of change comes up in conversations with others (clients of mine or not), I often hear “Oh, I really hate change!” People seem to think they hate change more than others, or have a “corner on the market” in disliking change and preferring the status quo. I think most of us don’t […]
Are we being “too lenient” when we use MI?
I was conducting an introductory Motivational Interviewing training for dietetic interns this spring, when one student asked me something really interesting. I was talking about the “spirit” of MI, in which we really listen to what our client is saying, and through reflective listening, help them to clarify their own goals and values regarding the […]
Finding Satisfaction with Food is a Metaphor for How We Live
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 made gourmet meals, but the family table was […]
More Powerful, Positive Techniques for Change in Motivational Interviewing
In my last post, I discussed a technique used in Motivational Interviewing called “importance scaling”. The follow up questions are called “confidence scaling” and work in a similar fashion. Here’s how it works. Clinician: Thinking about ________________ change we’ve been discussing, how would you rate your confidence that you could make this change? Use a […]
