Motivational Interviewing (MI) is:
- A type of collaborative conversation to strengthen a person’s motivation and commitment to change.
- A client-centered counseling addressing common problems people often encounter thinking about making personal changes.
- Designed to strengthen movement toward a client’s selected goal by eliciting and exploring their reasons for change within a caring atmosphere.
- Focused on the language of change and other critical elements in conversations about change.
- Grounded in a solid and growing evidence base.
MI Is Rooted in Humane Values:*
- Compassion – beneficence
- Respect – unconditional positive regard
- Justice – fairness, equity
- Human Potential – hope, optimism
- Acceptance – prizing differences
- Collaboration – collective thinking
“Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” * MI and Social Justice, William Miller, 9-20-12 Fort Wayne MINT Forum
Motivational Interviewing Is NOT:
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- A way to trick someone into doing something or changing in a way that he or she does not want.
- Manipulating someone into ‘having’ motivation.
- A panacea, and MI may not work with some people and situations.
Ten Things that Motivational Interviewing is Not (Miller & Rollnick, 2009)
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