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 were taught that our job was to “teach […]
The Role of Patience in Motivational Interviewing
Lately, I’ve been thinking about patience. We are awaiting the birth of my third grandchild, a boy. It’s really hard to wait! My daughter is uncomfortable and ready for this to be over. Naturally, as a mother, I’m concerned and a little anxious that this all go well, and everyone be healthy. Patience is often hard, and […]
Teaching Is No Fun Unless You’re Learning Something!
For the past 12 years, I have been teaching Nutrition, Public Health and Motivational Interviewing at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Doing this work was a dream I had as an undergrad at Simmons College, also in Boston. I now find myself fulfilling this and many other professional dreams I had as a young person. […]
Having a Real Choice in What You Eat
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 either not having access to the foods that […]
Motivation to Change Habits May Not Be Enough
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 […]
