Motivational interviewing resources

The Motivational Interviewing Skill Code (MISC) was originally developed in 1997 as a method for evaluating the quality of motivational interviewing from audiotapes and videotapes of individual counselling sessions. [Article, Miller et al., Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions, University of New Mexico]

The Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) training manual provides a variety of training ideas, specific exercises, metaphors and activities all designed to help learners understand the spirit and practice of motivational interviewing. Most of these training ideas were originally designed for a workshop format, but many are also suitable for individual training and supervision as well. [MINT]

This series of six modules is designed to service health staff interested in addressing alcohol and other drug (AOD) issues with their clientele. The modules are based on best practice, and contain the most recent information available. [Australian Association of Social Workers]

Motivational interviewing is a style of patient-centred counselling developed to facilitate change in health-related behaviours. The core principle of the approach is negotiation rather than conflict. In this article the author reviews the historical development of motivational interviewing and gives some of the theoretical underpinnings of the approach. She summarises the available evidence on its usefulness and discusses practical details of its implementation, using vignettes to illustrate particular techniques. [BJPsych, Advances]

Persuading the client with logic, browbeating them by outlining dire consequences if behaviour is not immediately changed, pulling rank as 'the expert', or even describing in glowing terms the wonderful life they can have if they adopt the good advice often come – frustratingly and bewilderingly – to nothing. Some of these strategies, in fact, have the opposite effect, building resistance and/or undermining the therapeutic relationship which could facilitate the change. This article argues that a commitment to a motivational interviewing approach must be accompanied by a clear sense of the operating principles, fleshed out with equally clear skills utilisation. [Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors, AIPC]

This article discusses ten things that MI is not: (1) the transtheoretical model of change; (2) a way of tricking people into doing what you want them to do; (3) a technique; (4) decisional balance; (5) assessment feedback; (6) cognitive-behavior therapy; (7) client-centered therapy; (8) easy to learn; (9) practice as usual; and (10) a panacea. [Journal article in Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy]

How well or poorly is a practitioner using motivational interviewing? The MITI is a behavioral coding system that provides an answer to this question. The MITI also yields feedback that can be used to increase clinical skill in the practice of motivational interviewing. The MITI is intended to be used: 1) as a treatment integrity measure for clinical trials of motivational interviewing and 2) as a means of providing structured, formal feedback about ways to improve practice in non-research settings. [Article, Moyers et al., Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions, University of New Mexico]

The authors of this paper provide: (1) a definition of motivational interviewing, (2) a terse account of what they regard to be the essential spirit of the approach; (3) differentiation of motivational interviewing from related methods with which it tends to be confused; (4) a brief update on outcome research evaluating its efficacy; and (5) a discussion of new applications that are emerging. [Journal article in Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy]