Therapy: Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a counselling approach that has been developed in part by clinical psychologists.

It is a directive approach for eliciting behaviour change by helping individuals to explore and resolve common problems of ambivalence about change.

MI uses a guiding style to engage individuals and it seeks to help them to clarify their strengths and aspirations, evoke their own motivations for change and promote autonomy in decision making.

Motivational Interviewing is an effective approach in helping people make behavioural or attitudinal change, especially with individuals who seem and feel reluctant to engage or who have been coerced into changing. The therapeutic process involves coming alongside the person and helping them to explore why and how they might change for themselves.

The Motivational Interviewing (MI) style, strategies and skills have been helpful in addressing a wide range of challenges, including those very difficult conversations in which there seems little hope of making progress in helping people.