Motivational Interviewing: The Concept Of Change And Motivational Interviewing

Change and Motivational Interviewing Change can be a scary concept. One reason for this is that change requires an awareness of personal behaviors that one should either begin or discontinue. Moreover, change is hard to accomplish, as it does not happen quickly and it does not come easily. Perhaps this is why so many people become resistant, even when they come to the realization that change must occur. In an effort to reduce a person’s resistance to change, the concept of motivational interviewing (MI) as a treatment strategy came about. It is important to note that MI is a direct departure from the traditional treatment strategies that utilize confrontation to elicit change (Jackson, 2017, para. 4). MI instead creates a collaborative atmosphere

447). The two MI worksheets I utilized helped to open the discussion about change, while at the same time allowing me to see the situation from the interviewee’s perspective. I was able to help the interviewee see his lifestyle now and how he wishes for it to be in the future, which happens to be an emphasis of MI (Doweiko, 2015, p. 447). Incorporating a cost/benefit worksheet helped the interviewee put things into perspective. Ergo, assessing the costs of changing versus not changing was particularly useful in getting this gentleman off the fence, so to speak, facilitating his decision to move forward with a change plan. Moreover, in discussing a change plan, the interviewee came to the realization that he has what it takes to enact positive change in his life. He identified a solid plan of action and persons in his life that can help him achieve his goal. Thus, MI helped lower the interviewee’s resistance to

Thus, I can understand why it is so important to develop a trusting, empathetic, and collaborative relationship with a client (Matulich, 2013). This type of connection is needed to encourage one to open up. The relationship aspect is why I chose to interview a friend versus a relative stranger. As a novice interviewer, I felt having a built-in relationship would help me better articulate material that I am not very familiar with. With that said, I still found it a bit challenging to make sure I was asking open-ended questions. Reflective listening was also a bit daunting at first, but I can see how beneficial it is to really understanding the client’s views. After reflecting back to the interviewee, he spoke up and clarified a point that I misunderstood the first time. Thus, reflective listening ensured a mutual understanding. Allowing the interviewee to self-identify the reasons and need for change was also a little challenging. It is so easy for those of us outside the “problem” to see these things and the desire to express this to the interviewee was strong. However, MI is not about offering solutions and instead uses compassion and acceptance to encourage one to consider change (Matulich, 2013). Ergo, using the provided worksheets was helpful in keeping me within the MI framework, ensuring that the change talk was based on the interviewee’s