Motivational Interviewing Blog

Don’t Do New Year’s Resolutions!

Hillary Bolter, LCSW, LCAS — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 22:04:45 +0000

Welcome to 2022!!! And what has changed exactly? Today is just another day. Another Tuesday. Another month. Another New Year in a pandemic. Another strain of COVID. Another year wondering if you’ll have the energy to pull it all together for yourself, your family, your clients. I don’t mean to start us off […]

The post Don’t Do New Year’s Resolutions! appeared first on Motivational Interviewing Blog.

Be a Good Guide

Chris Miles — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 00:34:46 +0000

Motivational Interviewing is a guiding style of communication. When I talk about this in my trainings, I love using a video by Bill Miller, one of the founders of Motivational Interviewing, because it refers to MI in terms of “being a good guide.” Let’s say you want to hire a guide to show […]

The post Be a Good Guide appeared first on Motivational Interviewing Blog.

Do you have a client stuck in hole?

Hillary Bolter, LCSW, LCAS — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 05:30:22 +0000

I remember one training participant who shared about his work with a client that was really struggling with depression and lack of motivation. He said, “I’m just trying to get him out of that hole! I keep telling him what to do and cheering him along, it’s just not working!” His frustration was […]

The post Do you have a client stuck in hole? appeared first on Motivational Interviewing Blog.

Is there a place for Self Disclosure in Motivational Interviewing?

Hillary Bolter, LCSW, LCAS — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 05:30:59 +0000

I was facilitating one of the advanced MI Uplevel sessions the other day, and a participant asked about the relationship between Motivational Interviewing and peer coaching. She named that those in the peer support coaching realm utilize self-disclosure as an integral part of relationship building with clients, and wondered how this fits or doesn’t […]

The post Is there a place for Self Disclosure in Motivational Interviewing? appeared first on Motivational Interviewing Blog.

It’s all about the Values!

Chris Miles — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 17:30:13 +0000

What exactly is a value? By definition, values are…. “a person’s principles or standards of behavior, one’s judgment of what is important in life”. When I work with coaching clients, I always ask them to engage in an activity that helps them sort through and narrow down what their 3-5 core values are. […]

The post It’s all about the Values! appeared first on Motivational Interviewing Blog.

We Find What We Are Looking For

Hillary Bolter, LCSW, LCAS — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 05:00:58 +0000

I have a story for you today, and I’m curious about your response! Here is the parable: A Wise man is sitting at the gate of a large city… A traveler approaches him and says, “Sir, I am new here. Could you tell me the kind of people that live in this […]

The post We Find What We Are Looking For appeared first on Motivational Interviewing Blog.

Don’t Try This At Home: Using MI with friends and family

Hillary Bolter, LCSW, LCAS — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 17:45:00 +0000

Caution: Do Not Try This At Home! I have heard this phrase often: “I used MI on so-and-so and…” (First of all, we don’t use MI “on” anyone. We use MI with others. MI is a collaborative conversation style, not a method of manipulation). Motivational Interviewing has components of the Spirit of […]

The post Don’t Try This At Home: Using MI with friends and family appeared first on Motivational Interviewing Blog.

Can I Give Advice?

Hillary Bolter, LCSW, LCAS — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 21:06:59 +0000

This is a question I often hear from folks learning Motivational Interviewing. How does giving information and advice fit into Motivational Interviewing?? When we are being directive in conversation, we give information and advice freely. Sometimes, the directive style fits the situation, such as when a client is asking for info and advice […]

The post Can I Give Advice? appeared first on Motivational Interviewing Blog.

My Client is Lying to Me

Hillary Bolter, LCSW, LCAS — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 11:39:24 +0000

My Client is Lying to Me… how does Motivational Interviewing approach this dilemma? I’ve been asked that question often by training participants, frustrated by clients not telling the truth. So let me ask you this… what causes you to lie? What causes you to withhold some portion of the truth, or make something […]

The post My Client is Lying to Me appeared first on Motivational Interviewing Blog.

Reflecting Doesn’t Mean Agreeing

Chris Miles — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 18:06:20 +0000

Reflections are statements we make to our clients that repeat back key elements of what they said. In Motivational Interviewing, reflections can be simple or complex. They can be a restatement, or add meaning or emphasis that can highlight unspoken feelings, thoughts, or beliefs. So what if you don’t like what your clients just said to […]

The post Reflecting Doesn’t Mean Agreeing appeared first on Motivational Interviewing Blog.