Motivational interviewing (MI)

Motivational interviewing uses a few different techniques to provoke and promote positive behavioral change. At its core is change talk, through the use of open-ended questions that encourage discussion and self-reflection. Key techniques include:

• Open-ended questions: A client will work with their therapist to identify a problem or roadblock in their life, and be guided towards behaviors that might help eliminate this problem, through evocative questions. The conversation around these questions begins with the client sharing what they know, followed by the counselor adding something, and then asking for a response.
• Affirmations: While motivational interviewing challenges clients towards self-improvement through a guided conversation, a key tenet is affirmation, and acceptance. Clients learn not to judge themselves and are not judged for their actions or inaction. The key is to find ways to solve problems together, not promote further negative self-talk through judgment. It’s important to build confidence in the ability to change for the better.
• Reflective listening: Through careful listening, counselors can repeat or rephrase what a client has said to make a point about the client’s abilities, capacity, or options for change, in order to resolve their ambivalence on a certain subject and instead push them towards action. The idea here is to promote the idea that solutions and answers are always ever-present in our mind, but it takes a different perspective to see them.
• Summarizing: As part of the reflective process within motivational interviewing, counselors will also summarize what their clients have told them, if only to give the client an overview of how the things they have said might paint a picture about how they think or feel, giving them an opportunity to reflect on that summary, or use it as a catalyst for change in between sessions.